Project Name: Building Capacity for Momentum Bike Clubs

Team 4 of the Spring 2014 Upstate DLI Class has chosen a capstone project designed to strengthen the capacity of Momentum Bike Clubs, which was itself the outcome of an earlier DLI capstone project. A community initiative of the Institute on Family and Neighborhood Life at Clemson University, Momentum Bike Clubs provides mentoring support to youth living with multiple risk factors: persistent poverty, caregiver incarceration, and/or instability in home life.

Momentum Bike Clubs makes use of the benefits of cycling in a group context to help young people overcome these challenges so that they are more likely to remain in school and fully realize their potential.

The project is composed of three primary components:

  • Securing funding and providing guidance for the design and construction of a bicycle storage shed (“The Hub”) on the campus of Caine Halter YMCA to be used by four newly formed clubs lacking a geographic home;
  • Securing funding for materials and, as a team, constructing bike racks in order to increase the storage capacity of the newly constructed shed;
  • Providing direction and funding for the development of a comprehensive Five Year Strategic Business Plan for Momentum supporting the organization’s mission and allowing it to address issues related to capacity and scale.

UPDATE

June 19, 2014 – This DLI project has already produced a tangible result. The Container for the Bike Hub was delivered on June 23 and will be painted by the YMCA.