The Youth Empowerment Program will serve youth ages 10 to 15 (with older youth acting as assistant facilitators) Sunday afternoons 3-5 p.m. (dates tbd). Through a virtue-based curriculum, youth will learn bike safety/maintenance, engage in community service and leadership training, and facilitate two Bike Safety & Ridership Workshops for their peers as well as the greater Newark Community.

Facilitated by a team of the program director, staff, and volunteers, youth will focus on a new virtue each week, such as stewardship and teamwork, in activities like volunteering at the Community Garden and exploring White Clay Creek State Park. Each session will aim to incorporate a review of past virtues, education on the current virtue, a service activity, and a concluding reflection.

How to sign up? Contact NBP at Info@NewarkBikeProject.org with your interest! The program will operate as a Gift Economy, in which families can pay whenever they want throughout the summer and however much they would like to contribute, no specific fee is required.

Prospective Schedule

• Session 1, Teamwork, Introduction
• Session 2, Thoughtfulness, Bike Safety/Maintenance
• Session 3, Reverence, Exploring in White Clay
• Session 4, Education, Learn about gardening at a local produce garden
• Session 5, Service, Paint benches under park pavilion on Madison Drive.
• Session 6, Generosity, Ridership Workshop (Youth will educate members of a local food cooperative about bike safety, as well as snack on local, organic produce)
• Session 7, Civic Engagement, Bike with the mayor and learn about government structure
• Session 8, Creativity, Work with local art group and learn to create mandalas
• Session 9, Resiliency, Walk service dogs from the SPCA
• Session 10, Inclusion, Family/Community