Important Life Skills Obtained at Genesis: Pathways to Success' Kids Building Bikes Camp

Students built their own bikes and were taught about bicycle maintenance, safety, and rules of the road.

Photo provided.

(Milan, Ind.) - Genesis: Pathways to Success, an initiative of the Ripley County Community Foundation, launched its first summer camp this week, Kids Building Bikes Camp. This camp is the first to kick-off Genesis’ newest initiative, A Summer of STREAM (Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Art, & Mathematics), which is designed to provide experiential learning opportunities for students to further develop and enhance their soft skills.

Led by Nine13sports, Kids Building Bikes Camp took place over the course of four days (June 14th - June 17th) and provided students with a hands-on learning opportunity to become more experienced with bicycles. Students worked in a mobile bike lab where they assembled their very own bicycle and were taught about bicycle maintenance, rider safety skills, and rules of the road.

“The camp was a great success thanks to all of the help and guidance from Nine13sports. It was so rewarding to see each students’ skill set develop and expand with each passing day,” stated Clarice Patterson, Director of Genesis: Pathways to Success. Patterson further noted, “These eight students obtained important life skills, such as critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration, and self-awareness, at which they will be able to apply these skills in real-world scenarios.”

With newly cultivated skills and assembled bicycles, students concluded camp with a scenic bike ride throughout Milan. A stop was made on the bike route at the Milan ‘54 Museum to provide students with a brief history lesson on the local Milan High School basketball team that unexpectedly won the state championship in 1954. A second stop was made for a celebratory ice cream treat from the local Dairy Queen.

Matty Bennett, Director of Kids Building Bikes at Nine13sports said, “Our mission is more than just building bikes. It’s about teaching teamwork, self-esteem building, and employability skills.” Bennett further stated, “Nowadays kids don’t always have these same life skills. They know how to touch and swipe, but we want to teach them how to push and turn.”

To learn more information about this summer camp or if you have any questions, please contact Clarice Patterson by emailing cpatterson@genesisp2s.org, calling 812-933-1098, or stopping by the office at 13 E. George Street, Suite B, Batesville, IN, 47006.