IMPACT
Good Cycles is a city bike shop that makes going places on two wheels even better.
We help you get a better ride. And you help disadvantaged young people into work. Here’s how.
You get your bike stuff from experts, who love their job, and know their stuff, and make it easy for you to choose what’s right for the roads you travel.
And we use your money to create new long-term employment for young people who’ve hit a major bump in the road.
OUR BEGINNINGS
Founded by Loretta Curtin and Luke Wright in 2013, Good Cycles was an idea hatched one morning over a cup of tea. After countless more cups of tea, a multitude of meetings and a lot of hard work, the concept has grown into an inspiring social enterprise.
To many, Good Cycles is an organisation that simply offers practical and time-saving services to Melbourne’s cyclists. But there’s something greater at the heart of Good Cycles. Our mission is to give a helping hand to those with genuine and often serious barriers to getting ahead in life. Through the revenue from bike servicing, retail and course fees, Good Cycles is able to continue tackling social and environmental issues two wheels at a time.
2019 IMPACT IN NUMBERS
WHO WE WORK WITH
Good Cycles works with young people aged 18-24 experiencing disadvantage across Melbourne and its surrounds. Through our work with partners, we’re able to facilitate opportunities for training and employment for at-risk youth, the long-term unemployed, the disengaged and socially isolated, alcohol and drug rehabilitation centres, youth justice and prisons, and refugees and asylum seekers.
Max was one of those people. He credits the program with keeping him out of jail. Max dropped out of school when he was 14 and by the time he was 18 he was in trouble with the police and running out of options. Good Cycles helped him turn all of that around.
Check out the video to hear more of Max’s story.
OUR CORPORATE PARTNERS
OUR PROGRAMS
Good Cycles’ social programs focus on community engagement and vocational training. We are continually evaluating and evolving our programs to ensure we best meet the needs of our participants and remain relevant in the current labour market.
Our vocational and workplace-based programs are key to what we do, allowing us to support some of Melbourne’s most disadvantaged and vulnerable communities into long-term employment.
Through our engagement programs Good Cycles connects with these communities: teaching valuable skills, decreasing social isolation and placing positive role models into participant’s lives.
Working with local young people, our programs have played a significant role in what Good Cycles has become today – an established social enterprise with the connections and opportunities to help young people find meaningful employment.
CURRENT PROGRAMS
ENGAGEMENT
BIKE THERAPY PROGRAM
This program is based on Cognitive Behaviour Theory and is run with our partner organisations, such as Headspace. Participants work in pairs to dismantle and rebuild a bike, challenging them to work together to problem solve. This builds relationships and confidence especially with participants with mental health issues.
WORKPLACE-BASED
PEDAL EMPOWERMENT PROGRAM
The Pedal Empowerment Program (PEP) is a vocational training course that focuses on process driving thinking, mechanical and employability skills. The course takes the participants through an introductory bicycle mechanic course incorporating basic workshop skills, as well as building relevant employment skills to support resume and interview preparation, workplace rights and how to connect with the industry.
WORKPLACE-BASED
SUPPORTED EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM
After completing the PEP Program participants have the option to move into an intermediate bicycle mechanic course and receive guided career support. Working with a HR consultant participants build a presentable resume and learn interview skills, while also creating a budget with a financial planner.
WORKPLACE-BASED
WORK EXPERIENCE PROGRAM
After completing the PEP program participants may be invited to work at Good Cycles for 3-6 months. Participants will work through a structured program designed to prepare them for long-term employment in the bicycle and related industries.