Audio: Radio Bilingüe – Alza Tu Voz / Speak Out – Youth as Community Leaders

Listen in. The hour-long interview is in English, accompanied by a few Spanish announcements and interspersed with music featuring lyrics en español.

Listen now to the audio recording of the June 20, 2016 live broadcast of the youth-focused program “Alza Tu Voz / Speak Out.” Co-hosts Felicia Aguilar and Ali Manouchehrizadeh conducted the on-air interview that day with youth bike advocate Jerry Ramos and Bicycling Monterey founder Mari Lynch.

Note from Mari: In the audio, note these corrections to some places where I misspoke. (1) When I said, “from Castroville to Pacific Grove in Monterey,” I meant to say, “from Castroville to Lovers Point in Pacific Grove.” You can check out that stretch on the Monterey County bike map, one of many maps found in Bicycling Monterey’s http://bit.ly/BicycleMaps section. (2) In my quick mention of Class 4 bikeways, I referred to them as “separated,” when I meant to say “protected.” To learn about different classes of bikeways, refer to “Where to Bike in Monterey County.”

Alza Tu Voz / Speak Out is “a music and talk show designed for youth on self-identified topics that raise their voices and illuminate issues of concern” in their communities. The youth identified bicycling as one such topic.

The producer, host, and youth radio coordinator is Jesús (“Chui”) Ramírez. The program airs every Monday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. (PT) on Radio Bilingüe KHDC 90.9 FM, Chualar-Salinas, California. Radio Bilingüe is referred to as the leading National Latino Public Radio Network. It owns and operates twelve of its own full-power FM non-commercial stations in California and the Southwest.

Youth as Leaders: Jerry Ramos

Monterey County native Jerry Ramos is a resident of North County, a student at Hartnell College, and is employed in agricultural work. Jerry is among youth being mentored in how to advocate for bicycling, including advocating for improved infrastructure. Jerry is developing his leadership skills through bike advocacy.

Jerry was one of the first two people trained through the Transportation for Monterey County’s Bike Safety Education program. He received his League of American Bicyclists Smart Cycling certification on May 31, 2015.

Jerry followed that up by applying to serve as a member of TAMC’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities Advisory Committee. His application was approved, and Jerry Ramos was appointed by Monterey County District 2 Supervisor John M. Phillips to represent Supervisorial District 2, which includes Aromas, Boronda, Castroville, Las Lomas, Moss Landing, North Salinas, Pajaro, Prunedale, and Royal Oaks.

Youth as Leaders: Bernard Green

There is one other youth serving on TAMC’s bike-ped committee, Bernard Green, who represents the City of Marina. 

Bernard (pictured below with Jerry Ramos) was the instructor for the May 31, 2015 and some subsequent TAMC Bike Safety Education trainings, because Bernard is a League of American Bicyclists Licensed Cycling Instructor (LCI). Bernard is one of three LCIs that TAMC is aware of in Monterey County as of June 2016, and he is the youngest of the three.

Below: Bernard Green and Jerry Ramos,

youngest members of TAMC’s bike-ped committee.

As Jerry announced on the June 20th radio show, TAMC plans to organize a weekend seminar for the purpose of  training more cycling instructors. The seminar will be open to ages 18 and up. It will likely be scheduled for a weekend in October 2016.

The LCI training will be preceded by basic four-hour bike safety trainings for ages 14 and up. Attending one of the four-trainings (to be offered various dates and locations) will be a prerequisite in order to participate in the LCI training.

Click here to learn more about the trainings. 

The public is always welcome to attend TAMC’s bike-ped meetings.

TAMC would also be happy to hear from other responsible young people, or older adults, who might be interested in serving on the committee. If you’re interested in serving: (1) learn more via the Bicycle & Pedestrian Committee section of TAMC’s website; (2) attend some meetings; and (3) contact Ariana Green, TAMC’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator, to express your interest in serving. Ariana will know about open spots on the committee (TAMC’s website may not have the most up-to-date information), and she can let you know what may be possible at the present time. Contact Ariana at (831) 775-4403, or email ariana@tamcmonterey.org.

Related information

Radio Bilingüe’s mission is “to serve as a voice to empower Latinos and other under-served communities.”

One of Bicycling Monterey’s goals is to address the bike-related needs of underserved communities, advancing what’s often referred to by bike advocates as bike equity. One of the many ways Bicycling Monterey does this is by providing, since 2010, a  compilation of bicycling resources in Spanish that is used by people throughout the U.S., in Mexico, and beyond.

Tell your friends how to access Bicycling Monterey’s Spanish resources anytime:

1. Go to bikemonterey.org‘s  “Resources / Los Recursos” section (click the “Resources / Los Recursos” tab under the Bicycling Monterey website banner).
2. In that section, click “información en español sobre las bicicletas.”

Or use the short link to get there:  http://bit.ly/espanolBICI.

Type “youth” in the search window at bikemonterey.org (located in the site’s right-hand panel) for more about youth who bike and youth as bike community leaders!

Montar Bicicleta Con Seguridad

Disfruta actividades al aire libre, aprende andar en bicicleta con seguridad, predecible, y con confianza en las carreteras. Jóvenes hablar sobre la seguridad y rutas para disfrutar andar en bicicleta en el condado de Monterey.

Invitados: Mari Lynch, Fundadora de la página bikemonterey.org y Jerry Ramos, joven que aboga por el ciclismo seguro en el condado de Monterey.

http://radiobilingue.org/nuestros-jovenes/montar-bicicleta-con-seguridad/