Toronto Kids Can-Bike Camps
The organizers of Toronto's "Kids CAN-BIKE Camps" hope to be able to triple the numbers at their day camps this year to 240 kids. First launched in the summer of 2006, the Kids CAN-BIKE Camps teach kids to cycle safely and responsibly, and provide each participant with a bicycle and safety accessories that they keep after the camps. The fully subsidized week-long camps for children at risk are organized by the City of Toronto Bicycle Safety Partnership, a group of community agencies and sponsors that includes the Ontario Cycling Association, the Canadian Tire Foundation for Families, the Children's Aid Foundation, and Mountain Equipment Co-op.
The cycling instruction at the camps is based on the Canadian Cycling Association's Kids CAN-BIKE course curriculum, which certified instructors across the country use to introduce children to the key skills necessary for safe riding. Usually delivered in a twelve-hour course, the camp organizers saw a need to expand the curriculum and developed it into a week-long camp program.
Barb Wentworth, the City of Toronto's Bicycle Safety Planner, explained how the camp evolved. "We were looking at that [CAN-BIKE course] model and thinking that we really need more time with the kids so that they can perfect the skills of riding on the road, and have enough experience within the course to lock that knowledge in. And also we knew that we wanted to do some work with low-income families who don't have bikes. We looked around at expanding the CAN-BIKE program into a one-week camp. The model has worked very well.
"We go into a one-week very intensive program of riding with the kids and teaching them all the basic skills and at the end of the week we send them home with a new bike, lock, helmet, backpack, and safety sash as well all the stuff that goes along with riding, and we've had really good success with the program. The kids love it, the agencies love it, the parents love it, so it works really well."
The organizers believe that the camps would be welcomed in other cities, and plan to create manuals so that groups in different parts of the country can use them to start their own camps.
Talking about the future of the camps, Barb Wentworth is optimistic but admits there are obstacles to overcome. "We're trying to open three camps this year, but I'm still trying to find the resources so I'm not sure what is going to happen there yet."
Barb explains that cycling needs to be seen as a higher priority. She is keen to point out that cycling is about much more than just recreation, or even about transportation. "In my way of thinking, it's important that we move cycling up to reflect that it's more than a recreational program and it's more than just sustainable transportation. It hits so many of our key quality of life issues. It's a life skill that we really need to have ... because it gives the children the confidence and competence to continue riding into their future."
For information on Kids CAN-BIKE Camps:
www.toronto.ca/cycling/canbike/camp.htm
