New project changing perceptions of young people riding bikes in south Bristol

Learning new skills and talking about mental health is at the core of a new project in Stockwood.

Based at BS14 Youth Club in south Bristol and run by Life Cycle UK, Young Bristol and Off The Record, the club teaches the young members of the club not only bike mechanics but also make space for conversations that might not otherwise be had.

BS14 Youth Club is run by Young Bristol but the bike project is also supported by Off The Record’s mental health support and a Life Cycle mechanic.

“We’re offering a ‘mental health’ intervention in a young peoples’ community setting, but also reframing what a mental health intervention can look like,” says Tom Antebi Off The Record’s sports works co-ordinator.

“It allows young people to socialise and reconnect with peers and their community via an activity that is meaningful and relevant for them, after a year of reduced or no social contact.

“It allows us to reframe with them how they think about their mental health and make more direct links with things they do on a day-to-day basis, rather than seeing it as something needing ‘specialist’ input from organisations that need a referral.”

The project helps teach children in Stockwood new skills. Photo: Young Bristol

The project also hopes to mitigate anti-social behaviour, with Tom Stockley, lead youth worker at BS14 Youth Club, saying: “There’s lots of evidence that shows this is strongly linked to funding cuts (in youth and public services), lack of opportunities and general wellbeing and self-esteem.

The long-term aim is to set up a permanent bike workshop at the club and change perceptions in the community of young people riding bikes – and for the young people to teach staff how to do wheelies.

“We are always looking for new ways to connect to the young people in the communities we work in,” says Tom. “Fixing bikes is what the young people in Stockwood are passionate about, so we started conversations with them about how we could support them and what kind of space and resources they wanted.

“A place to fix and ride their bikes safely without getting into trouble was something that came up a lot, so we started looking around for people who could help.”

The project is run by three local organisations. Photo: Young Bristol

With evidence suggesting that criminal punishment, policing and negative assumptions about the young people can actually make these issues worse and feed into the cycle of rejection, a lack of support and falling out of the school system and into crime and less opportunities.

The bike project will instead be a place for the young people of south Bristol to be instead supported to develop passions in a safe space and give them space to talk about their lives.

“I’d encourage people to think about how we can work as a community to tackle collective problems in a positive way,” says Tom. “It’s easy to make sweeping statements about young people, or other groups who might be painted as ‘troublemakers’, but there’s almost always a reason for why these issues are happening.

“If we fight between each other, we’re never going to reach a solution, but if we’re proactive and willing to work together we can make massive changes.

“I believe that we can make a massive impact over time – for the young people and the communities they’re part of.”

Main photo: Young Bristol

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