Oregon Walk + Bike Retreat

Oregon will be holding it’s second state-wide Walk + Bike and Safe Routes to School retreat and training in Bend this June and we’d like to invite you!

Come join us in Bend, Oregon June 21-23, 2012 as Oregonians interested in Walk + Bike and Safe Routes to School issues come together for an event that will give you an opportunity to: access training*, learn best practices, network with others working on these issues, and create a strong state network together.
Register HERE by March 30th for the Early Bird Rate.
Cost for the retreat is $10/day (until March 30th when it will rise to $15) and includes printed material, a resource CD, trainings, networking, and light snacks. Day of registration will be $20/day.

Travel and meals are not included but we are looking into providing 30 $75 travel scholarships and should have more information in March.  Please note in the registration if you’re interested in a scholarship if those become available.

Professional Development Unit Certificates may be available, check with your district to confirm requirements.

*Bike Safety Education, Pedestrian Safety Education, Encouragement Event, and General Trainings available.

Current Schedule & Descriptions

(subject to minor adjustments)

Thursday, 6/21/12:

9:00-11:00am: Bike Safety Educators Statewide Debrief .

This debrief is for anyone who has taught bike safety education this school year and is hoping to teach again next year.  We will discuss what went well in our programs this year, what didn’t go well, and what we can change for next year.  Bicycle Transportation Alliance Instructors with minimally 5-years of experience will be attending and are excited to brainstorm through barriers and problems. All are welcome, but the focus will be on Instructors. This event is happening in conjuncture with the Retreat and is open to Retreat Participants.

12:30-4:00pm: Part 1 of the Bike Safety Education Curriculum and Traffic Safety Training*

At the end of the training, participants will be prepared to teach a 10-lesson bike education program including on-street riding to 4th-7th graders. Participants will be introduced to the 10-Lesson “Safe Routes for Kids Curriculum”, practice setting up student drills, practice planning student bike rides, learn and demonstrate bike safety expertise, learn and practice navigating legally and safely with traffic, and be introduced to basic bike maintenance skills. Beginner through experienced riders are welcome.

4:30-6:30pm: Welcome Event

Networking, identifying and prioritizing goals exercise

Friday, 6/22/12:

8am-5pm: Part 2 of the Bike Safety Education Curriculum and Traffic Safety Training. (Must have completed Thursdays training. Please note that this is an all day training.)

8-10:00am: Community Walk + Bike Events (Kidical Mass, Sunday Streets, Walking School Busses, and more)

Participants will learn about various Walk + Bike Encouragement events including Kidical Mass, Sunday Streets/Parkways, Walking School Busses, and Bike Trains. From broad community organized events to individual school events presenters will share experiences, tips, tricks, and tools. There will also be a brainstorming, problems solving, and information share portion to grow our collective knowledge on getting more people active in their transportation choices.

8-10:00am: Safe Routes Funding & Action Plan Workshop

Fundamentals of the Action Plan: the Who, When, What, Where and Why of an Action Plan, and once you have one, what do you do with it?  Plus, adventures in funding.

10:15am-12:15pm: Advocacy, Building Teams, and Maintaining Programs

Policy and decision makers influence the funding and support for Safe Routes to Schools programs. At the end of this training you will learn all of the tools needed and begin planning an event or meeting with important decision makers to showcase your SRTS program. We will distribute a toolkit developed by the Safe Routes to School National Partnership that  contains step-by-step instructions, templates, tools and resources to conceptualize the event or meeting, how to invite key decision makers, and carry out a successful event or meeting.

10:15am-12:15pm: Walk + Bike Encouragement Event Training.

At the end of this training, participants will be ready to organize International Walk+Bike to School Day and the Walk+Bike Challenge at an elementary school. Participants will work through barriers, learn about resources, discuss the first three steps to making these events happen, and brainstorm ways to make these events successful.

10:15-12:15pm: Environmental Education Curriculum: Neighborhood Navigators (grades K-5)

Participants will be introduced to Oregon’s Safe Routes to School Curriculum, Neighborhood Navigators. The 5-lesson primary, intermediate elementary and middle school curriculum starts with pedestrian safety knowledge, skills and advocacy for safe, healthy and fun communities and continues through transportation history and neighborhood design. By the end of the training participants will be able to teach the lessons confidently and effectively within their respective classrooms and understand the scope and sequence of the entire program. All lessons and assessments are aligned with Oregon Education Standards for Health, Physical Education, Social Sciences, specific benchmarks will be identified. Second session in PM for grades 6-8.

12:15-1:00 pm: Lunch

1-3pm: Community Walk + Bike Events
1-3pm: Safe Routes Funding & Action Plan Workshop
3:10-5pm: Advocacy, Building Teams, and Maintaining Programs
3:10-5pm: Walk + Bike Encouragement Event Training
3:10-5pm: Environmental Education Curriculum: Neighborhood Navigator (grades 6-8)

6:00-9:00pm: Networking Event

Saturday, 6/23/12:

9:30-11:30: Walk+Bike Network Annual Meeting and Statewide Partnership discussion.

Topics include setting goals for the next year, reviewing last year’s goals and progress.

12:30-2:00pm: World Café

This fun and interesting networking and brainstorming activity will use small group discussions and large group knowledge to help us all learn and grow our understanding of youth active transportation issues. Here’s more information on how World Cafés generally work.

* To complete The Bike Safety Curriculum and Traffic Safety Training participants must complete the training on Friday, June 22nd.

Trainers and Facilitators

Shane MacRhodes >> Encouragement Events Training including Kidical Mass & other encouragement events: MacRhodes is the Program Manager for the Eugene Safe Routes to School program. He works for the 4J School District and using the 5 E’s of SRTS hopes to get more than half the kids of Eugene walking or biking to school.

Julie Yip >> Safe Routes Funding and Actions plans: Yip is the Safe Routes Manager at Oregon Department of Transportation.

Kim Curly >> Walking School Bus, Bike Trains: Curley is the Community Outreach Director and Safe Routes Organizer at Commute Options in Bend.

Lynne Mutrie >> Neighborhood Navigators Curriculum training: Lynne is the Safe Routes to School technical advisor for Oregon.

LeeAnne Fergason and Brian Potwin >> Bike Safety Curriculum and Traffic Safety training: Fergason is the Education Programs Manager for the Bicycle Transportation Alliance in Portland. Potwin is a League Certified Instructor and works for Commute Options in Bend teaching bike safety education.

Robert Ping >> Advocacy, Building Teams, and Maintaining Programs: Ping works for the National Safe Routes Partnership. He directs the SRTS State Network Project in the District of Columbia and nineteen states. He also oversees two State Network Managers and the Florida state network project, provides program development and training, attends network meetings, and gives conference presentations throughout the country.

Scott Bricker >> Advocacy, Building Teams, and Maintaining Programs: As the Director of America Walks, CEO of Bricker Consulting, and former Executive Director at the BTA, Bricker brings years of experience on active transportation issues including creation of the BTA Bike Education Curriculum, lobbying for SRTS in Oregon, and laying the groundwork for Walk + Bike.

Susan Peithman >> Saturday discussion facilitator: Peithman is the statewide advocate at the Bicycle Transportation Alliance in Portland.

The Speakers

TBA

So who should attend this retreat & training?

Are you a:

Law Enforcement Officer
School Administrator
Safe Routes to School Organizer
Walk+Bike Organizer
City Planning Engineer
Health Professional
Community Advocate
Bicycle and/or Walking Enthusiast
Elementary Health/PE  Teacher
Parent
Middle School Health/PE Teacher
College student studying education
Summer Youth Program Staff
Drivers Education Instructor
Afterschool Provider Staff

If yes, you should consider attending.  Register HERE!

City Planners: You will gain understanding of the developmental differences between adult and children on bikes, a key concept to creating a more friendly bicycling and walking environment.

Teachers: Reinforce the child’s walking and bicycling skills using developmentally appropriate instructions, cues, and encouragement.

Parents: Only when parents support walking and biking will youth be given the opportunity to use the skill. Learn skills and techniques to improve walking and biking to school in your community.

Police Officers: You receive direct requests for information from community on bicycling and pedestrian safety and understand the different skills and needs for children and adults.  Enforcement officers are important partners as communities implement walkable and bikeable plans.

Health Professionals: You have the vision for the built environment and therefore benefit from understanding the developmental needs of children in traffic. Promotion of healthy lifestyles includes walking and bicycling.  Prevention of injury is possible through education combined with engineering.  The connection between the built environment and education is vital to providing safe routes.

School Administrators: Schools are key partners to encourage walking and bicycling as the journey from home to school. Building a base knowledge for the whole community is most important as communities strive to become more walkable and bikable.

All: Bringing together a diverse group of citizens at this retreat will facilitate creating a plan and implementing that plan to become a more healthy community.

We will provide trainings in active transportation curricula, encouragement events, and fundraising.  We will host discussions about how walking and biking youth education and encouragement can change Oregon and what are the steps to make that happen!  We need you to contribute your expertise. Its time for us all to work together.

 

Questions?
rhodes_sh@4j.lane.edu