Education

Providing education about SRTS helps build support among kids, parents, teachers and community members. To craft education messages, first the community should identify their goals and audiences. Some questions to ask might include: Do people need to know more about the benefits of walking or bicycling? Would maps of routes to the school help more people walk or bicycle? Would walking or bicycling safety information get kids and parents more excited about walking and bicycling?

It is suggested that a specific group be tasked with reviewing and implementing these for maximum effectiveness.

Objective 1. Review list of suggestions below and work on these projects or similar education projects.

 Identify community groups to work with on these projects (short-term) o Active Living Committee, School Wellness Committee, etc. o These groups could work with an identified partner like SHIP to help addresses these topics and others that promote the health of the community.  Host International Bike/Walk to school day event in spring and fall (short-term)  Host a yearly bike rodeo (short-term) o Consider adding additional partners or pairing with another event (shortterm)  Host a bike safety 101 course (short-term)  Start a SRTS Facebook page or a community healthy living page o Could be run by HS students  Teach safe walking and biking to kids at a level appropriate for their age (short-term) o Use the Bike, Walk, Fun! Safe Routes curriculum  Encourage the use of smart phone apps and technology programs that promote health and active living (short-term)  Put SRTS info on school and city websites (short-term) o Link to the national SRTS and other resources