Youth Membership
Free Ride offers several programs to involve youth, including youth-specific membership in the collective council. We consider youth to be any person under the age of 18 years old. Specific rules apply to youth members and primarily pertain to participation at open shop. Some exceptions are made for other youth programs that are offered during the summer. All of the following requirements must be met before youth can participate in Free Ride.
Youth Members Participation Requirements
- Permission slip completed by a parent or guardian
- You can download the permission slip here, or stop by the shop to get a copy of the permission slip.
- If the permission slip is not filled out in person at the shop, then Free Ride staff must speak with the parent/guardian on the phone to verify completion and allow any questions to be raised or clarifications to be made.
- The permission slip must be completed before any youth can do any volunteer work.
- 3 hours volunteering completed
- Unlike with adult membership, youth must complete all of their volunteer time before using the shop. There is no grace period. The rule is more strict, but youth are required to volunteer for only 3 hours instead of 4.
- Youth should come to volunteer night to do their three hours of volunteering. They probably will not be able to do volunteer work during regular open shop times.
- The permission slip must be completed before any youth can do any volunteer work.
- Parent supervision is required for youth to use the shop
- We encourage parents to come and learn about bikes with their children. This is the best option for providing supervision while youth use the shop.
- Please note that adults in the shop can only work with one youth at a time.
All of the above requirements must be met before any youth can use the shop. If you are a parent or guardian and have concerns over these requirements, please let us know.