Youth: Turning the Wheels of Change!

Erica Mah, one of the mechanics at Our Community Bikes, draws in many of the shop’s female customers. Unused to seeing women employed in such a trade and drawn in by the shop’s focus on education and a do-it-yourself philosophy, these young women often ask a similar question:

“So, how did you get into working with bikes?”

For many of these women, Erica’s answer, “The AMS Bike Co-op at UBC,” doesn’t quite compute. At first blush, it is hard to equate a university with a trade. But that’s where the Bike Co-op comes in. Founded in 1998 by a diverse group of students united in their love of bicycles, the Co-op, while formally a club under the auspices of the Alma Mater Society (AMS), the university’s student union, is an organisation dedicated to making UBC a better place for cyclists and promoting the social, environmental and health benefits of biking. To this end, the Co-op manages a full service repair shop and a community bike fleet, teaches regular workshops on bicycle maintenance and safety, advocates on behalf of the university’s cyclists, and holds events to create and celebrate bike culture on campus.

A professionally staffed NGO? Hardly. The AMS Bike Co-op was founded, and is run today, by a dedicated group of student volunteers. There is no hiring process or formal training – members who express an interest in contributing to the Co-op are welcomed with open arms, then given a quick tour and free reign to find their own niche. Certain programmes, such as repair workshops, are well established, and require a level of experience by those wishing to contribute. Members wishing to do so attend and assist with clinics, volunteer at the shop and work on their own time, developing the mechanical and teaching skills needed to impart their knowledge to others. Other programmes are defined and driven by individual interests: a plan is hatched, a goal set, and the diverse resources of the Co-op and its members are directed towards bringing the idea to life. Art shows, bike festivals, fund-raising calendars, outreach programs, gear libraries – an impressive range of events and projects have emerged from the Co-op over the past seven years.

The Co-op provides a nexus that channels student interests and facilitates spontaneous co-operative ventures; its flexible structure and combination of organisational and interpersonal support provide opportunities for even the busiest students. Many of the Co-op’s members, now and in the past, juggle full course loads and part-time jobs. This is where the Co-op gives back to its members. Confronted by such challenges as daunting tasks, university bureaucracies, and lack of funds, Co-operatives have demonstrated that through perseverance, improvisation, and a willingness to learn from past mistakes they can make magnificent things happen.

One of the most popular services that the Co-op provides is a fleet of used bikes that are available for use on the UBC campus: the Purple and Yellow Bike Project. Bikes are locked with same-keyed locks, giving all members access to all bikes. If you are a member, whenever you see a bike, you are free to unlock it and ride away. In Autumn 2001, the Bike Co-op increased its on campus bike system to a total of 230 bicycles. In a university community that has a population of 37,000 undergrad and graduate students, it is clear that cycling is, for many people, the most sensible mode of transportation to, from and around the campus.

There are no shares in the AMS Bicycle Co-op. Rather, it charges an annual membership fee that costs twice as much for other members as it does for registered UBC students.

Additionally, members who wish to have access to the fleet of Purple and Yellow public bikes are asked to contribute at least three volunteer hours learning how to fix and maintain the bikes.

Community partners like UBC Trek, Mountain Equipment Co-op and the AMS itself support the Co-op’s mission and provide some of the resources needed to carry out an idea. When a member runs into a wall, there’s often another member, present or past (something about this organisation makes it tough for people to ever truly “leave”), who can provide help, a new perspective, or timely advice. It’s not always pretty, but no one can argue with the results: bike culture and activities flourish on campus, and members emerge from their trials with new skills, experiences and, most importantly, the confidence that only comes with getting something done.

Whether it’s organizing a trip, teaching a workshop, speaking before a municipal council or finding $250,000 to fund a new community bike centre, members have drawn from their time to work with and direct the Bike Co-op in accomplishing incredible things. Co-op alumni who leave to pursue a broad range of interests take with them this sense of agency, along with an appreciation for the benefits of working towards a common goal and getting involved in their community. In this way, the AMS Bike Co-op benefits not only its members but also the community at large, by helping to craft responsible, empowered citizens dedicated to making the world a better place – for cyclists and everyone else.

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