Girl Scouts on Wheels Toolkit By Katie Monroe, Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia
“How do I start a Girl Scout bike patch where I live?” In 2013, the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia received a Women Bike Mini-Grant to launch a Girl Scouts on Wheels program. This was my path to bring that project to fruition. Your path might — and probably will — be different! Some of my experiences will be consistent across Girl Scouts Councils nationwide and some aspects will vary by locale. Be flexible and patient – it’s worth the effort to create something that will ultimately be sustainable and awesome. For more information and background on the project, watch my presentation from the 2014 National Women’s Bicycling Forum: http://tinyurl.com/gsonwheels .
Do some research While there is definitely NOT a national-level Girl Scout bike badge on the books (if there were, we wouldn’t be doing this!), some local councils might have already made a custom, local one. Key vocabulary to know: a BADGE is an OFFICIAL item, sanctioned by the Girl Scouts at the national level. A PATCH is far less formal, and that’s actually the zone I’ve been operating in. I designed the curriculum to look like a formal badge, and got my local Girl Scout Council to give me the thumbs up to go ahead and advertise/distribute it — but in reality it’s just a “patch.” Leaders can get bowling pin patches made to signify that their troop went to a bowling alley – patches aren’t distributed by Girl Scouts. The Bicycle Coalition just happens to be the one distributing this particular patch. One day I hope to get this to be more official, but in the meantime, girls are getting on bikes, and that’s what I really care about. But, if there’s already some kind of local patch in existence already, don’t reinvent the wheel! Check out the requirements, think about how you can provide programming to help troops earn it, and move forward from there.
If there isn’t already a patch, create a curriculum for one The curriculum I created is included. The purpose, stated as an affirmation by participants, that I envisioned is: “When I’ve earned this badge, I’ll know how to safely ride a bike for fun, health, and transportation.” To get there, I created five steps: Know your bike, Safety skills, Map it out, Get rolling, and A world of bikes. Feel free to use as much of it as you like, although please give the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia credit if you do. Note: If you use my curriculum, you’ll definitely want to edit the local
references embedded in it (e.g. local bike trails, organizations, etc) to reflect your own local bike scene.
Reach out to your local Girl Scout Council The local “Council” is the organizational structure that oversees all the individual troops that are active in your area. For me, it was the Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania (http://www.gsep.org/). You’ll want to have their approval to move forward with any kind of programming for Girl Scouts. A bit of Googling should help you figure out who your local council is and where their offices are.
Get a meeting with someone Be patient, this process might take a while. Girl Scouts is a BIG organization, and it took me a while to find an open ear in the organizational structure. Our local bike advocacy group had a former board member whose friend was on the local Girl Scouts’ board, and that helped us. Be flexible with how you pitch a bike program – is your council focusing on health initiatives? Sports? Transportation and independence? There are a lot of angles where bikes can fit. We got in the door because GSEP was planning a Girls Triathlon and they thought a bike patch might work well in conjunction with that.
Get approval Someone in your local Girl Scouts administration needs to give you the go-ahead, or else it looks sketchy. Hopefully once you tell them you don’t need their money, it won’t be too hard. It will be helpful to have them on board when it comes to advertising the patch.
Get some funding I got my startup funding from the League of American Bicyclists’ Women Bike Program. Things I needed money for included: a. Designing the patches b. Printing the patches i. I used www.advantageemblem.com. Reach out to Jenni Homich at jenni@advantageemblem.com c. Staff time, including planning and designing the curriculum, as well as actually going and doing bike rodeos and rides with troops d. Transportation: A Zipcar when we transported kids’ bikes to a rodeo, etc. e. Printing: Copies of curriculum to share with Troop leaders, and bike safety worksheets (though I was lucky to use some of our leftover Safe Routes curriculum workbooks that we weren’t using anymore!)
Get the word out This was the cool part! We got our “New bike patch opportunity” announcement (with “Contact katie@bicyclecoalition.org for more info”) listed in one council-wide Girl Scout email, and then posted it on the blog and social media outlets for the Bicycle Coalition
of Greater Philadelphia. That’s all it took for troop leaders to start e-mailing me! Girl Scout leaders are everywhere — including in the bike community — and word travels fast among them, so start with who you already know! A lot of leaders asked how much it would cost. They were really happy to hear it was free, but clearly they would have been willing to pay for the patches themselves at least, so keep that in mind: you could probably sell them if you need or want to.
Give troops options for how to earn it I basically offered three paths for troops to earn the patch.
Big event We had a really successful partnership with Girl Scouts at Penn, a student group at the University of Pennsylvania, that does big, all-day events during which a bunch of local troops can come and earn several patches at once, all around a theme. GS@Penn was doing a “Stand Up and Get Fit” themed event, and we ran the bike part of the day where the girls did everything they needed to do to earn the patch. We brought our normal Safe Routes waivers, as well as bikes and helmets. The girls just had to show up. We had stations: • • • •
Bike Rodeo Label the parts of a bike Reflective Clothes Dress-Up Styrofoam Cup Egg Drop (“Why you should wear a helmet” activity)
Since we couldn’t ensure that every girl knew how to ride a bike before the event, and we didn’t have time to do a Learn-to-Ride class, it was important to have some off-bike stations where they could linger and still feel included. At one point during the event I took a few girls who couldn’t ride on a walk around West Philly and we talked about different kinds of law-abiding vs. non-law-abiding cyclists we passed! I think this model – big, multi-patch/multi-troop events a weekend day – is pretty common in Girl Scouts, so ask around for existing events you can attach yourself to!
All on their own We had one troop earn this patch without any BCGP staffer ever meeting any of the girls. Their leader is an avid bicyclist and bike safety queen, and took it upon herself to design a three-meeting plan for how her troop would earn it. Meeting 1: Bike Safety, with a visit from a Bike Role Model Meeting 2: Bike Rodeo Meeting 3: Bike ride on a local trail The girls used their own bikes, helmets etc. I just sent her the patches at the end and asked her to send me some photos.
Some help Some troop leaders will reach out and express interest, but not feel totally comfortable pulling it off alone. In this case, depending on your capacity, you can offer whatever educational resources you have to help out. I usually offer to come out and help with a mini-rodeo — one person can pull it off if it’s just a small troop — or help map out a local ride for the girls. I’ve also referred Troop Leaders to local female bike role models, who they’ve invited to speak at one of their meetings. In this scenario, I have the girls provide their own bikes and helmets – but the cool thing about working with a troop structure is that usually if one girl doesn’t have a bike, the leader can arrange for someone else’s mom to grab an extra one out of the garage or something.
Fun option Depending on how the troop wants to handle it, you can also come out to a subsequent Troop Meeting and formally present the patches to the girls who earned them. Or you can also just bring them and give them to the leader.
Recruit volunteers This was really easy in our case, because I had our local Women Bike PHL community to draw upon. They were excited to help with the big UPenn event, and with subsequent smaller troop events that I went out to. This is a popular thing to volunteer for: doesn’t require too much expertise, super-feel-good, one-time commitment.
Do the dang thing! As folks express interest, work with their troop meeting schedules to help them earn the patch using whatever path they choose!
Tweak, adjust, repeat, expand, take over the world with Girl Scouts on bicycles! Feel free to reach out to me for more advice: Katie@bicyclecoalition.org
Girl Scouts on Wheels – Patch Requirements
Girl Scouts at Penn’s “Stand Up and Get Fit” event, April 2013.
Developed by Katie Monroe, Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia Women Bike PHL Campaign In conjunction with Girl Scouts of Eastern PA With support from the League of American Bicyclists Troop Leaders: If your girls complete the patch requirements, please contact Katie (katie@bicyclecoalition.org, 215-242-9253 ext 310) to order your patch(es). You probably already know that riding a bike is FUN. But biking is also healthy for your body, good for the environment, and practical for getting around town. Pedal through this patch to learn your biking basics, and then see where your bicycle takes you! Purpose: “When I’ve earned this badge, I’ll know how to safely ride a bike for fun, health, and transportation.” Steps: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Know Your Bike Safety Skills Map It Out Get Rolling A World of Biking
Step 1 - Know Your Bike A bicycle is a beautifully simple tool -- its basic design hasn’t changed much since it was invented in the 1860s! Before you ride, it’s nice to know what makes your machine work. Use this step to get to know your bike a little better. CHOICES:
v Learn about different types of bicycles. Bicycles come in all shapes and sizes. Some are heavier, and built for commuting. Others are light and fast, for athletes to race. Some have wide tires, for riding in the woods, and others have skinny tires for pavement. What kind of bicycle do you have?
v Discover the parts of a bicycle. Did you know that a bicycle has at least fifteen parts? Learn and label the parts of your bike -- and then quiz yourself!
v Try filling your tires with air. After lots of riding, your tires will need some extra air. This is the easiest and most common piece of bike maintenance you will need to do. Borrow a bike pump from a parent, friend, or bike shop, and learn how to pump up those tires! For more FUN: Learn how to fix a flat tire on your bicycle. Put together your own Fix-a-Flat Toolkit to bring with you on longer rides.
Step 2 - Safety Skills Before you ride, it’s important to know how to keep yourself safe on the road! To help you complete this step, visit www.saferoutesphilly.org, where you’ll find lots of great resources and videos about bike safety. CHOICES: (NOTE: We recommend you check out all three of these choices!)
v Protect your head! In many places, children are required to wear a helmet while riding. But it is a good idea no matter how old you are! Before you ride, find a helmet you like to wear, and make sure it fits on your head correctly. Wear it every time you ride!
v Learn the rules of the road. Bicycles are legal vehicles, which means a bicyclist can ride in the street with cars. It ALSO means that bicyclists need to follow all the same rules as cars -especially when it comes to stopping at stop signs and lights and riding in the same direction as traffic. Research the rules where you live, and make sure you are following the law on your bike!
v Know your hand signals. To stay safe on your bike, you need to be visible and predictable. One way to do this is signaling before you make a turn -- just like a car does! Practice signaling right turns, left turns, and ‘slow down’ while riding your bike. For more FUN: Ding ding! Get a bell for your bike, to help you communicate with pedestrians who might cross your path.
Step 3 – Map It Out Where do people bike in your neighborhood? Do you see bike riders in parks, on paths, or in bike lanes? A bicycle can be a great way to get around, if you know the safe routes to take. Use this step to figure out WHERE to ride your bicycle. CHOICES: a) Blaze your trail. A bike path, separate from the road, can be a great place to ride. Is there a bike path near your house? Where does it go? Use www.connectthecircuit.org to learn about trails in your region, and choose a destination to visit on one of the paths. b) Choose safe streets. Some streets have lanes just for bikes, to keep you safer when you ride on the road. A bike map shows where these special bike-friendly streets are, so you can choose a route that stays off the scary roads. Is there a bike map of your town or city? Choose a destination you can access via bike lanes. For more FUN: Learn how YOU can be an advocate for better places to ride in your town. Attend a community meeting where decisions about bicycle facilities are being made! c) Learn to park your bicycle. Once you get to your destination, you may need to park your bicycle. Learn how to safely lock a bicycle outside, so that no one will steal it! Are there good places to park a bike near your school?
Step 4 - Get Rolling You’ve learned about how your bike works, how to ride safely, and where to ride: now it’s time to actually go for a spin! For this step, you could plan a ride around a park or a ride across town -- whatever you feel comfortable with. At first, ride with an adult or a trusted friend who is has more experience on a bike. CHOICES: a) Ride your bike to school. Plan a safe route and try riding your bike to school one day! Some schools celebrate Walk and Bike to School Day in early May. See if your school is celebrating here: www.walkbiketoschool.org. Tip: Plan ahead to make sure there’s a place to lock or store your bike at school! b) Pedal for fun, with friends or family. You don’t need a special destination to have an adventure on your bike with friends. Try riding to a park with your troop for a picnic lunch, or exploring a nearby neighborhood by bike with your family. For more FUN: Keep a biking journal, and write about the bike rides you take. What was fun about your ride? What was challenging? c) Sign up for a youth bike race, duathlon, or triathlon! While bicycling doesn’t have to be a competition, a race can be a good goal to set for yourself. Who knows -- maybe you will be a professional racer one day! For more FUN: Learn about a famous female triathlete. How did she get started? What kinds of challenges did she have to overcome?
Step 5 - A World of Biking Some people bike to run their errands, others bike because it’s part of their job. Some bike to get the exercise they need to stay strong and healthy, and others bike because they want to reduce their carbon footprint. Whatever the reason, many people love riding their bike, and want to share this joy with others. Use this step to explore the diverse community of bicyclists! CHOICES: a) Explore a bicycle career. What kinds of jobs are available for people who love bikes? Interview a bike shop owner, bike mechanic, bicycle courier, professional racer, or bicycle advocate to learn about her job. What does she like about it? How did she choose it? b) Learn about bicycle organizations in your area. What kinds of clubs and organizations exist for bicyclists where you live? In Philadelphia, check out the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia (www.bicyclecoalition.org) or Neighborhood Bike Works (www.neighborhoodbikeworks.org). What are their mission statements? How do they work to fulfill their missions? For more FUN: Help out one of these organizations by becoming a volunteer! c) Research biking in another place. Use the internet to learn about what it’s like to bike in a place that’s not where you live. Ideas: look up “Copenhagen’s bicycle superhighway,” or “Washington D.C.’s Capital Bike Share” system.
http://godcgo.com/home/get-me-there/tools-to-get-around/blog/tagid/9/capital-bikeshare.aspx