April Bril has been a Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Coordinator for the Upper Explorerland Regional Planning Commission in northeast Iowa for over six years, and we spoke with her about the value of walking and biking youth programs in community building:
“I help encourage active living and active transportation through coordinating walking and biking school buses, organizing walking and biking family events, and teaching bike safety.
A mom told me that her son, who is taking part of a walking school bus, is now advocating that his family walks when they go places around town. He’ll say ‘We don’t need to drive there, we can walk!’ It’s great that he’s learning from his daily habit of walking to school and encouraging his family to walk more.
Beyond the environmental and physical health benefits, being able to walk and bike places as a child gives you a sense of independence and responsibility. The mental benefits of being outside and being able to go somewhere on your own or with your friends gives you a boost to your self-esteem and pride in the accomplishment. A sense of ‘I don't need a vehicle to go somewhere. I can do it on my own!’ That is a neat feeling for a kid.
Photo of April presenting at a bike event
I feel very lucky to have my position, but I really wish we had more people who did this work locally. Because I am regionally focused, I oversee almost all of northeast Iowa. It would be wonderful for every city to have a walking and biking coordinator because these programs are better run when we find local partners that are able to be on the ground in their community. We could get a lot more done if we had more paid positions.
This work can be a little undervalued. Driving can just be easier than walking or biking somewhere. People understand that there are benefits of active transportation, but they’re not always seen or prioritized.
To get communities to prioritize walking and biking, this calls for some creativity. Once, I partnered with a high school volunteer club to coordinate a Serve and Sled event. We went sledding with elementary kids and then we walked to a nursing home to visit with the residents. Police officers also came out to sled with the students and escort our group to the nursing home. It was so fun, because there were people from all different generations building relationships and working on a community service project together. It’s rewarding to facilitate those connections and contribute to community building.”
Photo from Serve and Sled event