On January 30, 2015 the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition will be holding the first skill share in a series of workshops aimed at supporting volunteers that wish to dive deeper into community and city-level advocacy. Navigating the City will be held from 10:30am to 12:30pm at The Wedge Table, 2414 Nicollet Avenue South, Minneapolis. We’ll tackle questions such as: Who's in charge of street stuff at the City? When do I contact my City Council Member vs. the Bicycle & Pedestrian Coordinator vs. Public Works? I made an appointment to talk to my representative, now what? And wait, what does the county have to do with this??
But what is this skill share bit you might ask? Skill shares are founded on the idea that everyone has valuable expertise and skills from their own life. And when we come together, we both learn from one another and teach one another through sharing our perspectives and experiences. So while we have a great group of presenters lined up to help answer our questions, come prepared to share your knowledge too!
Writing of speakers, we are super lucky to have Jose Luis Villaseñor, Community Activist, Executive Director of Tamales y Bicicletas and Community Organizer with the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition; Alexis Boxer and Natalie Hook from the Sierra Club Northstar Chapter and the Beyond Coal Campaign; and Matthew Dyrdahl, Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator for the city of Minneapolis joining us on January 30th. Although traditionally many think of protected bikeways, road maintenance, and city bike plans when they hear the words “bicycle advocacy” here at the Coalition we believe that bicycle advocacy extends beyond infrastructure. Environmental justice, racial justice, sustainable community development these are just a few examples of areas with whom an inclusive and equitable bicycle advocacy movement shares goals. Thus, while you’ll certainly leave knowing who to call about that pot hole or when to send in your comments supporting more money in the budget for bicycle lanes, you’ll also learn about other Minneapolis campaigns and the strategies their leaders use to foster change.
It’s going to be a great skill share and we hope you can join us. See you at The Wedge Table, January 30th from 10:30am to 12:30pm! RSVP on facebook here!
*The Winter Advocacy Skill Share Series brought to you by the FUN Committee Volunteers at the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition
