This article first appeared in the Summer 2018 issue of Biz Tucson Magazine.
View the full, online version here.
El Grupo Bike Riding Builds Life Skills
By Romi Carrell Wittman
For a kid, hopping on a bike is more than just fun and a little bit of exercise. It’s about self-confidence, independence and the freedom to go farther.
El Grupo, a local nonprofit organization, helps kids discover the joys of bicycling and teaches them critical life and leadership skills along the way. Daniela Diamente, executive director of El Grupo, said, “The bicycle is a means to much greater ends. It’s so much more than just riding with kids. It’s about leadership, youth development and quality mentoring.”
El Grupo was founded 12 years ago by Diamente and Ignacio Rivera de Rosales. Rosales was working at the Bicycle Inter-Community Action and Salvage nonprofit while earning his master’s degree in bilingual education. A principal from a local high school approached him asking if there were any used bicycle racks to purchase. Rosales was intrigued and asked how he could help, and soon was teaching a group of high schoolers about bike riding.
That first group of students eventually rode in the Tour of the Tucson Mountains and expressed an interest in participating in other cycling events. That was when the idea for El Grupo was born.
Since that time, El Grupo has grown to serve nearly 1,000 kids each year. No special skills or gear is required; the organization equips kids with free or low-cost bicycles, helmets, lights and any other items they might need. The younger kids, those ages seven to 13, ride mountain bikes in a group known as El Grupito, while kids over age 13 usually ride road bikes. Currently, 110 kids participate in daily programming at El Grupo, which is located downtown along the Santa Cruz River near The Loop.
El Grupo offers after-school programming at its downtown location as well as at some schools. In addition, it hosts full and half-day, week-long camps each June.
“We take our program to kids who can’t come to us,” said Diamente. “We value diversity of kids from all different backgrounds, whether they can afford the program fees or not.”
Diamente said that the program has a multitude of benefits for kids, including skill-building, goal-setting and leadership development. The older kids mentor the younger kids and also compete in events around the city. Currently, Diamente is the only fulltime staff person, but with the organization’s tremendous growth, it is looking to hire another fulltime staffer soon. Thirteen people work in part-time positions as coaches, and there is a very dedicated cadre of volunteers that helps out. Many of those staffers are former El Grupo members.
“Half of my staff are alumni,” she said. “You couldn’t ask for better staff because they’ve been through the program and they know how transformative it is. We’ve created a group of kids in the community that want to give back.”
Prince 10 is a Planned Area Development in Tucson, Arizona by Prince Road and I-10.