NBW was founded in 1996 as a program of the Bicycle Coalition of Philadelphia. In 1999, it obtained independent non-profit status. It settled the basement of St. Mary's Church in 2000, and, with the support of the Haddington Youth Development Initiative, opened the Haddington Neighborhood Shop in 2002. NBW anticipates opening a third shop in North Philadelphia in 2008.

Youth Development Through Cycling is NBW's mission, as well as its chief activity. A constellation of after-school programs encourage students to apply core academic subjects to real-world problems. They learn by doing, testing and re-doing again -- a style which engages those who struggle in traditional learning environments.

Activities are designed to minimize the use of resources. All bicycles and most parts are second-hand. Everything possible is recycled; what can't be recycled is often creatively re-used (the Annual Bike Part Art Show is a good example of this). NBW is a sort of recycling depot. Neighbors donate un-used bicycles instead of putting them out with the trash; many more are rescued from the curb or from nearby garbage dumps. Participants learn how to fix these 'throw-aways' -- and come to realize that many things are not as disposable as they thought.

NBW presents the bicycle as an alternative. It's a way to have fun without sitting in front of an electronic screen, a way of traveling without sitting behind the wheel of a car. It draws only human power, is fueled simply through a sound diet. A bicycle is a tool for engaging with Philadelphia's built and natural environment. It is a tool which promotes a healthier person and a cleaner world.

NBW's Youth Development Through Cycling programs teach Philadelphia youths to see treasure in others' trash. By rehabilitating disused bicycles, participants also gain a new level of independence. While the glossy pictures in cycling magazines might suggest otherwise, bicycles are inexpensive to maintain -- much cheaper than gasoline or public transit. They are also a means of transcending geographic and class boundaries -- bicycles allow one to travel almost anywhere within the city limits, and serve as an introduction to all sorts of people.

Participants build skills and self-confidence. They interact with other youth from a huge variety of backgrounds. Parents and grandparents often stop by to talk about the change NBW's programs have made in their children's lives. One mother described an NBW classroom as being 'like the UN in there!' Another woman gushed about how much more energetic and outgoing her granddaughter has become. A father stopped by to say thank you; an internship a few summers ago had 'changed [his son's] world view.' The impact, though hard to quantify, is real.

This program is the first of its kind in the greater Philadelphia region. It is not new, however. The idea has been at work in Philadelphia, Boston, and New York City for at least ten years, and is beginning to spread around the world. And with NBW's help, the Coatesville recreation department and Covenant Ministries, a large New Jersey congregation, have launched their own recycled-bicycle programs for youth. Teachers at a Center City charter school have studied NBW's open shops in hopes of opening a community workshop based on similar principles, and students of two local colleges have come to NBW for help launching bicycle lending libraries. In fact, NBW's youth bicycle education programs do not operate in a vacuum. It is only with a vast network of well-established community and institutional partners, as well as those groups just starting out, that the agency is able to do what it does.

Since 1996, over a thousand youth have participated in the Youth Bicycle Education Programs and earned bicycles of their own. Untold numbers of bicycles have been diverted from the solid waste stream.

In the past year, NBW celebrated the following milestones:

1. Over 340 new youth participants were recruited into the core Earn-a Bike Program; 266 (78%) successfully graduated & earned bikes of their own. 'Drop-in' bicycle repair and maintenance sessions had 272 graduate attendees!
2. NBW taught at 11 locations: two permanent shops and 9 schools & neighborhood sites, including a homeschool group and the fifth annual Summer Day Camp. In all, NBW students & friends celebrated 26 graduations. Earn a Bike partners included: Bryant Elementary School, Cathedral of Praise, Holy Temple, Beacon programs at the Lamberton & Sulzeberger Schools, Independence Charter School, University City & Overbrook High Schools, and Bluford Elementary School.
3. 1300 bicycles -- roughly 20 tons -- were donated & reused or recycled instead of going to landfills!
4. Roughly 750 bikes were renovated and put back on the road by NBW students & supporters. The remainder were stripped of all usable parts and sent to scrap metal recyclers.
5. Students & staff provided community service in the form of a 24 Bike Safety Checks. Over 230 bikes belonging to local youth were evaluated for safety or repaired on the spot at the Clark Park Children's Fest, the Haddington Block Party, the 52nd Street Library, and many more.
6. 180 NBW students (along with family, friends, and volunteers) participated in 21 rides and trips, including Spiral Q events, the Kensington Kinetic Sculpture Derby, the annual Haddington Neighborhood Block Party, annual Summer and Kwanzaa events sponsored by SCOP, triathalons, bike races & ball games, the Civil War & Underground Railroad Museum, the Penn Anthropology Musuem, local parks & greenspaces, and more.

Check out these Neighborhood Bike Works videos: