San Francisco’s southeast neighborhoods have faced historical neglect from transit, non-profits, and government policies resulting in resource limitations that unfortunately have slowed conscious development and mobility.

To promote inclusivity and change this dynamic, we brought together some of our many  programs (Bike it Forward, Adult Bike Education and Youth and Family), and partnered with Monroe Elementary and local community groups like the Excelsior Collaborative and the Excelsior Bike Club to create Monroe Practice Days.Over the last year, at Monroe Practice Days, we also work together with other non-profits like Ybike to provide a safe car-free space at Monroe Elementary for adults and children to practice their skills with the help of a top notch multilingual set of bike instructors. We distribute bicycles, helmets, and u-locks to have their bikes safe and the knowledge and tips on how to ride safely on the road.

If you ride a bike, you know well that bicycles offer freedom, independence, and connection. Recognizing this, our community believes bikes could bring positive change to underserved communities. We are very grateful to have received an Excelsior Collaborative Community Action Grant in partnership between the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development, the Office of SF District 11, Mission YMCA of SF, and the Excelsior Collaborative. Through Monroe Practice Days we have been able to provide over 70 bikes with helmets, u-locks, and the knowledge to be safe on the road in 3 different languages since June 2022.

As we continue to host Monroe Practice Days this summer, here are the main values that guide our work:

Listening to the Community:

We have been listening carefully to the community to understand the needs and aspirations of southeast San Francisco. This helps us identify that sharing a way to get around the city and the knowledge to be safe on the road truly has made a difference.

This program has been very popular and successful by being able to reach out to the monolingual Chinese and Latinx community of the southeast neighborhoods with the help of volunteers, the Excelsior Collaborative staff, and parents and family liaisons of the Monroe Elementary School.

Shifting our focus and resources towards underserved communities:

This program means more than receiving bicycles for many of the people who come and experience it. This event empowers the community with self-reliance tips on maintenance, safety, and riding skills. This has boosted recipients’ confidence among other parents and neighbors of the community. It also impacts participants in many ways by encouraging healthier lifestyles, improved accessibility, and has created new opportunities for the community to get to know each other more and grow closer together by breaking mobility barriers.

Monroe Practice Days in southeast San Francisco exemplify the potential of community-driven initiatives. Providing bicycles empowers individuals and fosters hope. Compassion, unity, and a shared vision can transform communities. By continuing to engage and collaborate, we are building a more inclusive San Francisco. If you would like to learn more about this program and provide support, please consider donating a bike that we can tune up and give to the community of the southeast side of San Francisco (ideally, the bike should be suitable for someone between 4’ 11” and 5’ 5”).