Education
Youth en Route offers curriculum- based programming in Calgary and area schools.
Our goal is to empower youth with the skills and knowledge to choose a bike as transportation. While we can tailor programs to meet just about any learning outcome, our specialty is high school physical education classes and a cycling unit fits into learning outcomes for each grade level. In high school, youth are keen for independence and have the maturity to know that bikes are toys, but tuned equipment that can take them places.
Youth en Route formed around the basic idea of empowering high school-aged youth to think beyond the car and gain their independence. We asked the question : Why aren’t more teens riding their bikes? What started as a data collection project soon pivoted quite a bit as we learned more about why students in Calgary were not using bikes. As we engage more at this level and learn more about the barriers the youth of today face, our program structure is always evolving. Through our work over the years at a variety of schools across the city, we have identified that our target audience for our core program is Grade 10 students, primarily through Phys Ed (the last year physical education is mandatory), CALM (Career and Life Management) or Outdoor Pursuits courses.
Across the city, 6.5% of high school students have never been on a bike. It’s as high as 11 per cent at some schools. Learning to ride a bike is a rite of passage – we want every youth to experience. It’s also a life skill – that can help youth get jobs, go to school or get around without the cost of a car or transit pass – which is a burden many young people.
Typical programs
Two wheels, a helmet and youth keen to go places. Our typical programs reached over 4,000 students in 2024-25. Students learn to balance and control the bike, how to use brakes safely and how to choose gears to optimize energy, speed and manage hills. Over the course of 4-5 classes youth also get to understand urban planning for cycling, traffic calming measures to improve safety, where to find routes and how to map a ride as well as basic bike maintenance to keep their wheels on the road. Over the course of the week, students will ride across fields, play games and go on a short community ride.
Adaptive programs
For special education students, riding a bike is so much more than recreation.
We’ve had students who never participated in gym class until they got on a trike. Or ones that wouldn’t leave the safe confines of a wheelchair, unless it was to pedal around the gym. It’s physical therapy, behaviour regulation and so much more. They may also be the only independent form of transportation open to the student.
The smiles are huge, the successes feel effortless and the skills learned can be transformational.
Winter biking
So many people think that riding a bike in winter is only for the brave, or the foolish. Our winter biking program show kids that it is for anyone. If you’re taking the bus, and it’s late, you’ll be cold standing still. But if you’re on a bike, getting some exercise, you’ll be a bit warmer and you may even get to your destination faster.
Besides, Calgary is the Chinook City, with so many warm and sunny days that clear the pathways and make biking downright fun!
Geared to more experienced cyclists in Outdoor Leadership or Grade 11-12 Phys Ed, our winter biking uses bikes with studded tires. Youth get the sense of how to pedal safely in different pathway and road conditions. It’s fun, and exhilarating. And we try to include hot chocolate afterwards.
What You Need To Know About Our School Programs
Youth en Route has a master agreement with both the CBE and CCSD, which can usually be found on your internal network under our legal operating name 130008037 Canada Association (Youth en Route).
We bring a fleet of bikes and helmets suitable for the program being delivered. This could be a variety of 10 specialty bikes for our adaptive program, up to 45 bikes for our standard program, or 40 bikes for our winter program. These will usually arrive the week before and will need to be stored in a safe indoor location. We know that at schools, storage space is at a premium. Please consider booking a C-Can external storage space if you won’t have the required space. Let us know if you need an introduction to a vendor as we often work with a team for the delivery and often can assist in reduced rates.
We start our work at each school with a student transportation survey. This helps us understand the everyday issues students face using active transportation. Every school community is different, and we listen to students to create solutions to meet the needs of the school community. At some schools, the infrastructure is plentiful, and the filled bike racks reflect this. In others, they are faced with overly wide collector roads, often set at 50-60 km/hr. High schools typically do not have playground or school zone designations.
We use the information collected anonymously from the students to adjust our focus when visiting their school by using our classes to engage students with their specific issues while working to improve basic knowledge and skills. We have identified 5 core elements needed at every school to transform them into an active transportation leader.
Many schools are already trying to include biking in their curriculums but are often held up with one missing link in our identified chain. Many students don’t own a bike, or the bike they have is in various stages of disrepair or often the wrong size.
One shocking discovery from the survey was how many students either had never ridden a bike or hadn’t ridden in several years. Across Calgary 5% on average have never ridden a bike, with some schools going up to 10%. Once There isn’t an opportunity for this age group to learn this skill, nor is there an obvious path for them to explore it on their own.
The goals and timelines are the same: four or five 80-minute classes allows a learning progression for all students, no matter what program you select. We jam in a lot of learning, so youth can choose to bike to where they want to go.
School Expression of Interest Form
If you like what you see and are interested in learning more, submit an expression of interest form and we will get back to you right away.