HVBC News - March 2021
March 28, 2021
Dear Supporters…
We have lift off! The Huonville Bike Collective has now been operating for a number of weeks, directly impacting the lives of almost a dozen young people in Huonville. We have worked closely with Huonville High School in selecting participants from across all year levels. Already, the school is receiving positive feedback from the crew.
We have 11 young people currently attending the Huonville Bike Collective program. The participants come for a session (equivalent to 2 lessons) during their school day in groups of up to 4. They also have the option of returning after school in their own time. This after-school session is already strongly supported and is growing quickly!
School is important - but not everyone fits the traditional model of classroom style education. We don’t offer an alternative to school - we offer a place which gives more relevance to school by providing opportunities to use school-learnt skills in a practical setting, in addition to hands-on skills. Research shows that outcomes for at-risk students improve when they are given opportunities to shine outside the classroom - and these benefits also pass back to the other students in those classrooms. The Huonville Bike Collective is being modelled on a workplace, giving these young people the opportunity to learn work-ready and life-ready skills. Already, they’re beginning to understand workplace concepts like Work Health and Safety, and the importance of reliability and taking pride in their work.
Our crew and volunteers have been working hard… WE ALREADY HAVE BIKES READY TO SELL!! We’re just getting started, so there’ll be plenty more yet. For now, we aren’t selling them direct from the workshop. We’ll be having a sale day in the not-too-distant future, so if you or someone you know is in need of a very reasonably priced bike which has been rebuilt and safety-checked, watch this space! It’s also a great way of supporting our young people - when someone is willing to pay for something that these young people have done, participants learn the value of who they are and what they do.
Elke, Anthony, Andrew and Steve, you are absolute legends. Thank you. These amazing people have given up part of their Tuesdays to spend time working with, and provide excellent role modelling for, our participants. Each of our workshop volunteers comes with different backgrounds, skills and resources which come together to create a vibrant, safe and caring environment for our young people. They are living proof that the Huon Valley is made up of generous people who are willing to support their community. How about you? Do you think you might be able to help in some way (however small)? Please get in touch…
Did you see us on TV? In our first week of running, the Channel 7 Hobart crew visited and featured us on the news that night. If you missed it, take a look here:
Watch us on TV! - the report starts at 8 minutes:50 sec.
…And on Saturday 27/3, we were also on the ABC: Check out these links…
We are only a small part of a much bigger story, which includes the involvement and support of the local community. We are humbled and excited to be working with individuals and organisations from within the Huon Valley and beyond who have thrown their weight behind our program. In no particular order, this month’s special shout-outs go to:
As the diversity in our small team of volunteers already shows, everyone has something to give. We are always on the lookout for help. Not everyone can give up a regular Tuesday slot in the workshop (sure, let us know if you can!), but we can always use ad-hoc help collecting old bikes from willing donors. Also, we’ll be holding some events in the near future, and there’s always things to do at events… As mentioned above, Please get in touch if you think you can help in any way, however small, to help support our at-risk young people.
Do you know someone who you think would love to hear from us? Please forward this to them. They can then choose to sign up to our email list as well, here. Our webpage is still a work in progress, but you can connect with what’s happening through the web and facebook pages of the Risdon Vale Bike Collective. Click on the links below!
November 17, 2023
Exciting news this month... People and Events!
Read more →June 21, 2023
Brewlab collaboration, Impact, The Devil's Cardigan & more!
Read more →All financial donations support our programs, helping at-risk young people achieve their potential. We are incredibly thankful for any contribution you can make.
How to give →Give now →Learn more about what the Bike Collectives focus on, our core activities and how we use bikes to make a difference in the lives of young people.
Our Bike Collective at Risdon Vale is the original and long standing program.
Since starting in 2021, Huon Valley was the first of our new Collectives.
Having kicked off in 2022, Clarence Plains is our newest Collective.
