Eab Winter2009 Proposal

EAB 2009 Proposal

EAB (Earn a Bike) is extremely popular, but is also a huge drain on FreeRide! resources. We are working toward a proposal that will improve the program by:

  1. Reduce staffing burden
  2. Increase success rate of EAB participants
  3. Introduce formal educational resources

Discussion took place over email and meetings and some documentation can be found at: eab-membership-proposal-page .

The EAB winter 2009 proposal is to make changes to the current EAB program. Much of EAB will remain the same, but enrollment requirements and offerings of mechanical help will change under the proposed changes.

EAB Enrollment Requirements and Process

EAB Requirements

  • Attendance of 2 bike mechanics classes
    • Valid classes include:
      • Drop-in classes
      • Full 6-week session classes
    • Drop-in classes are the most accessible and can be paid for by volunteering

Exceptions

  • Mechanically experienced people still attend the classes, but have the option of being an aid
    • This can count as volunteer time
    • Assisting in classes should be worked out with the class instructor
  • People who have already completed EAB or have taken 2 classes can enroll directly (after volunteering or paying for 2 classes worth of fees)
  • Low-income people (people with food stamps/Access Cards) are allowed to take the two classes without the fee
    • These people are allowed free classes for EAB, and are therefore limited to only two free classes total

Enrollment Process

  • Enrollment happens specific times: 8pm Thursday and 3pm Saturday.
    • Specific enrollment windows allows for proper staffing those days
    • Multiple people can go through the enrollment process at once to reduce repeated explanations by staff

Exceptions

  • Some people may not be able to come to FreeRide! on the specified times/days so open shop greeters should be able to make exceptions when needed and enrol eligible people

EAB and Open Shop

  • EAB participants will be allowed to work on their projects during open shop.
  • Self-learning tools will be available to allow participants to troubleshoot on their own.
  • Volunteer mechanics may choose to assist EAB participants as well as anybody else during open shop.

EAB and the Co-Op Model

  • Participants who complete an EAB project gain co-op membership for that season.

Future direction of EAB

  • Drop-in classes do not perfectly introduce people to EAB, so it may be good to design specific EAB classes in the future
  • EAB is a drain on resources during open shop. Specific, dedicated shop nights seem to be a logical step to take in the future, if there is enough staffing support from the community.
 
sgibson
2009-01-31

This looks really good.

I would only take minor issue with having an easy and open door for second EABs, when we are trying to limit them. It would be ridiculous to only allow 1 EAB, but a little too lax to just allow someone to start up a new one whenever they wanted to, at no cost.
 
 
will
2009-02-23

I just uploaded a word document that has the text that I would like to put onto the web page. Please look it over and see what you think.
 
 
will
2009-02-25

Updated the web text word document and replaced the old version.
 
 
Philip
2009-02-25 2009-02-25

Suggested rewording:

“And they are still encouraged to actually attend those classes.”
to
“And they are still encouraged to attend two classes they have not taken.”

Also, I suggest “Enrolling” to be on the same level as “Earning”, “Learning”, etc. I think this flows better. All these can be under one hearing, such as “Completing an Earn-A-Bike Project”, or under no heading at all. I’ll try to make a suggested version for your viewing pleasure.
 
 
Philip
2009-02-25 2009-02-25

Besides the web text, does the staffer who enrolls people in EAB need to mention the low-income requirement? This needs to be included in the staffing manual.
 
 
will
2009-02-25 2009-02-25

web media

I updated the web graphics and also the tri-fold brochure. The new files are attached to this discussion.

The web graphics are not as pretty as the last ones, but I am not very good with those Adobe programs and there were some strange things happening.

I changed the text for the brochure and I don’t think I have any typos, but it would be good for people to check. If the brochure is good, then we need to print and laminate a few.

web text

Thanks Philip for the suggested rewording edit. I made the change. I am not too sure on the enrolling being the same level as earning, learning and fixing. I am going to re-order some stuff to see how it goes. One thing to remember is that this is a web page so its good to keep all the important info at the top and make people scroll for the details. I see enrolling as a detail so maybe requirements and enrollment should be at the bottom?
 
 
Philip
2009-02-25 2009-02-25

That brochure looks beautiful. Do you plan to mass-print the brochure in color though?
 
   
will
2009-03-01 2009-03-12

I updated the brochure. See the rev2 pdf document.

The brochure was originally from a CMU design class project. We have 5 laminated ones in shop, so we should replace those with new ones.