From Bikes to Bright Futures: BBW Summer Camp Empowers the Next Generation
What happens when 45 students from 22 South Side Chicago high schools spend two weeks of summer camp at Blackstone Bicycle Works?
They are immersed in bikes, science, art, engineering, and exploration! Along with professional mentorship, field trips, and hands-on workshops, each participant earned their own bike, helmet, lock, and tools–plus a $200 stipend.
Each morning of the two-week summer camps began with a home-cooked breakfast, followed by group rides and hands-on bike mechanics, including Fix-a-Flat clinics, inner tube patching, and a tool scavenger hunt that developed the youth’s teamwork and problem-solving skills.
Since the start of the summer camp program, BBW has incorporated STEAM workshops. While youth often enjoy spending time painting their helmets or creating buttons with their own designs, their favorite science activity is launching rockets. During the rocket-launching sessions, they are taught about and tested engineering and physics concepts.
Campers explored Chicago’s academic and creative spaces, visiting the Toyota Technological Institute Chicago (TTIC) and the University of Chicago (UChicago). At TTIC, youth interacted with robots, learning how they work and perform tasks while exploring cutting-edge research and computer science concepts. At UChicago’s Weston Game Lab, youth tested interactive technologies and discovered how gaming and storytelling can be tools for learning and design.
To broaden career horizons, BBW brought in professionals who inspired campers to think big. Austin Myers from the National Society of Black Engineers highlighted fundamental computer operations, while music producer Marquis Evans offered a hands-on digital music production demonstration. Both encouraged youth to see how their passions could grow into professions.
Blackstone Bicycle Works’ summer camp isn’t just about bikes. In two weeks, 45 young people expanded their horizons and envisioned new futures inspired by positive role models. Just as importantly, they left with friendships, confidence, and a sense of belonging.
