About You:
You are comfortable biking on the road and are interested in building up your community through cycling in Brampton. You know some of the safer streets to ride on in your area and want to share them with others who live there too. While strong cycling skills and knowing multiple languages is an asset, you are primarily concerned about connecting with people and supporting them where they want to go. You have felt that sense of freedom that riding a bicycle brings and knows how it helps the environment and promotes health and wellness. You want to learn how you can use biking as a tool for building up your community and make friends along the way.
Position Summary:
Mentors are paired with protégés in their neighbourhood that want to grow their cycling knowledge and skill. Mentors assess the confidence and skill for each protégé and go on rides together. Successful mentors will remain in contact with their protégés and create cycling opportunities to help them achieve their personal objectives. Brampton and Caledon Bike Hubs will support these rides by providing free equipment and skills training.
Responsibilities and Duties:
• Take protégés out for rides, primarily in a group
• Maintain a safe, inclusive, and fun environment during rides
• Attend monthly check-ins with other mentors
• Attend up to two riding workshops
• Provide mentor support for up to ten Pedalwise protégés
• Assess current skill and confidence level
• Customize a mentor program for each protégé that may include which may include route planning and skills training
• Agree on communication frequency, ride frequency, duration and degree of difficulty
• Record rides on Strava
Qualifications and Skills:
• Enthusiastic to support protégés while they develop at their own pace
• Over 17 years of age
• Knowledge and confidence riding a bicycle on roads (it is not necessary to be a cycling expert)
• Fluency in English. Ability to speak South Asian languages is an asset
• Interpersonal skills including active listening and empathy
• Eager to initiate and maintain contact with protégés over text, email, and phone
• Resides in Caledon or Brampton
What you can Expect:
You will help lead bi-weekly group rides in your area and/or go on one-on-one rides with your protégés to help them enhance their skills riding a bicycle. Typically, most protégés are new to the city and are looking to become familiar with the road rules, learn safer routes, and gain confidence riding on the road. Mentors who are comfortable or have experience teaching adults to ride may be assigned to new riders. Less experienced protégés require more attention.
Benefits:
• Our mentors tell us how rewarding it is to see their protégés start from minimal confidence and skill, to exceeding their goals. With this opportunity, you will improve health, well-being, and happiness of your protégés while building a sense of community.
• Join a community of like-minded volunteers, mentors, and staff and gain access to networking opportunities.
About the Brampton and Caledon Bike Hub
Brampton Bike Hub and Caledon Bike Hub, is offered in partnership with BikeBrampton and Punjabi Community Health Services (PCHS). It empowers cyclists to choose bikes over cars to get around. Riding and fixing a bicycle is a powerful tool to connect neighbours, promote independence, improve health, and enhance environmental sustainability.
Since 2015, Brampton and Caledon Bike Hubs have been teaching residents about riding, maintenance, and repair, removing barriers to cycling in a friendly setting.
If this sounds like you, sign up!
email sonia@bikebrampton.ca for any questions
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