A view from the bike shop

Last fall, Jon*, a junior in high school, was placed in an internship at Urban AdvenTours--a small private company in downtown Boston that provides guided bike tours, rentals, full bicycle shop & sales. 
(*pseudonym)

Andrew Prescott (owner/CEO) and Alex (bike mechanic & himself a college intern from Northeastern University), both said that Jon transitioned smoothly into the bike shop's daily activities, and that he always demonstrated himself as a conscientious and engaged young person.  Following the internship, Jon earned a standing invitation to drop by the shop anytime to lend a hand, or continue to learn about the business and mechanics of bikes.

 

Each week at the shop, Jon was asked to: 

• Assist with various ongoing projects like taking/stocking inventory, working on product displays, cleaning up, etc;
• Talk informally with staff about professional, educational, and personal interests & experiences; 
• Get  hands on 1 or more bikes each week.  For example, Alex would demonstrate an aspect of mechanics, such as how to remove/clean/replace the bicycle chain, how to fix a flat, how to true (align) a wheel, how to tune brakes and gears.  After showing the concept, as well as any tool needed, he’d guide John to work independently on a bike, a wheel, or some other part, tinkering and learning through trial & error. 

This hands-on quality of the experience was one highlight each week for Jon.  He recognized the opportunity to interact with professionals in their field, while at the same time beginning to learn some applicable skills associated with a fully sustainable form transportation that's also reasonably accessible to many if not most kids.

 
Along with any particular subject, however, such as mechanics (or management for that matter), there comes necessary background knowledge & unique terminology, which creates interesting and quite challenging learning curves for a student to navigate.

Overall, our hosts at Urban Adventours say it's great to have a young person in the shop: (1) for the energy and inquisitiveness that he/she can bring in the morning, (2) for the hands-on assistance he/she can offer to different tasks, and (3) simply because the presence of a novice learner pushes one to keep things fresh.    

Of note, Andrew and Alex have expressed a sense of feeling impressed at the ways that many young people (including Jon) carry themselves, often faced with a range of sometimes competing responsibilities between one's families, school, work, and community.

Last thing, a funny story.. Andrew (who’s been a close friend for years, and in whose business and community-activities I've volunteered in the past) said that when he first got my call about the internship, he asked himself,"S*/! Do I really need this right now?" ...And he didn't call me right back, knowing I might just go away, or didn't really need him in this instance.  In the end, of course, we did connect on the project.  And as partners, we are all better for it. 

Thanks for the support from all our past and present partners.