Indigenous Youth Granted 5 New Cycling Programs Through Outride’s Riding For Focus!
Diné Composite NICA Team in Nazlini, Arizona
Outride recognizes Indigenous People's Day and Native Peoples as the first inhabitants of the Americas, including the lands that later became the United States of America. We acknowledge that there are disparities in opportunities in these Indigenous Communities created by occupying the ancestral lands of their people, as well as the brutal history of the colonization of our country.
We believe in the power of bicycles to bring opportunity, agency, and freedom. We are proud to share news about the grant from the Catena Foundation to initiate 5 new Riding for Focus programs in the Four Corners Region. This represents a continued investment in these resilient communities, in addition to the 4 Riding for Focus programs and NICA teams Outride has supported in the Arizona, New Mexico, and Diné (Navajo) communities. This is an important step towards supporting more diverse student populations and communities. Through these, we strive to learn more, deepen our partnership, and cultivate meaningful connections that support and advance these youth and communities, now and in the future.
The Riding for Focus program will include a fleet of up to 30 Specialized mountain bikes for each school along with helmets, maintenance equipment, teacher training, and cycling curriculum will be provided to the schools for implementation.
“We are excited to partner with the Catena Foundation to bring cycling to five new schools and communities. This project represents a continued investment in these resilient communities, beyond the 4 Riding for Focus programs and NICA teams Outride has already supported in the Arizona, New Mexico, and Diné (Navajo) communities, and is an important step towards our goal of supporting more diverse student populations,” Andrew Cunningham, Outride Program Manager.
“The Catena Foundation supports community health through access to cycling and development of multi-use trails. We are excited to partner with Outride’s Riding For Focus program on a unique effort to expand cycling education and promote healthy lifestyles in indigenous communities throughout the Southwest in 2021,” Mike Wight, Restoration and Trails Program Officer for the Catena Foundation.
To further expand opportunity and build capacity, the new Riding for Focus schools can apply for additional support through the Outride Fund’s matching grant program. Grants can be used to develop or expand programs involving youth rider development, youth cycling education, and the development of local trails. Outride will also work with local stakeholders, including the regional non-profit Silver Stallion Bicycle and Coffee to provide mechanical support in an area where access to bicycle infrastructure is critically lacking. Outride is committed to supporting local efforts to grow access and capacity within these amazing communities.
Check out two outstanding Outride Fund Projects serving indigenous youth
The Dine Composite NICA Team, Navajo Nation, reached their target goal of $23,868 88 with an Outride Fund matching grant to grow participation and programing across the Navajo Nation and the surrounding area. This National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) team got started 20 years ago with six student-athletes and one coach.
Diné Composite also was the receipient of a State of New Mexico Outdoor Recreation Fund Division Award for $10,000 to create a Mobile Ride Center to fix bikes of youth in Navajo Nation who have been struggling under COVID-19 orders.
The Verde Valley Wheel Fun “FUN” was awarded a $15,000 Outride Fund Matching Grant to build bike skills park at Mountain View Prepatory (MVP) School in Cottonwood, Arizona. FUN is dedicated to providing mountain bicycling opportunities for all youth residing in the Verde Valley, regardless of skill level, especially those receiving free lunches through participation in the National School Lunch Program. Since there is no place to ride on/near campus, the clubs activities currently require transporting students to local trails and transportation consumes 25% of the available club time. In additions, this past January the Catena Foundation awarded a $50K grant to support the mission and work of VVCC.
In addition, this past January the Catena Foundation awarded a $50K grant to support the mission and work of VVCC and funded the preliminary design documents for the skills park. Yes—if you build it they will come and ride!
The Catena Foundation is a private grant making organization founded by Sam R. Walton in 2017 and is headquartered in Carbondale, Colorado. The Catena Foundation focuses in making grants to environment, community development and education organizations in the Four Corner area of Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona.