By Mick Dillon & Jo Lowe / The Jambar
The League of American Bicyclists is partnering with Healthy Community Partnership Mahoning Valley and Youngstown State University for the Moving Active Transportation Forward Workshop from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Sept. 23 at Stambaugh Auditorium.
In just its second year of operation, Guin Fit is a community wellness program aimed at promoting health through fitness and outreach initiatives.
This year’s workshop will include speakers Youngstown Mayor Jamael Tito Brown and Ken McLeod, policy director for the League of American Bicyclists. In addition, breakout workshops will center around adult bicycle safety and community organization.
Nicolette Powe, associate professor of public health at YSU, said Guin Fit is a good channel for the community.
“Guin Fit provides an opportunity for the university to kind of have an outlet, an angle, to be in the community,” Powe said.
Powe said the upcoming event will help participants understand what future difference Guin Fit will make in the community.
“We’re having a national speaker come to our area to kind of help us figure out, ‘What do we want our future to look like here?’ — when it talks about moving active transportation forward — and really what that means is where we bike, where we walk [and] how do we get to the destinations that we get to,” Powe said.
Dalton Campana, health and wellness coordinator for Guin Fit, said he welcomes students to learn and get involved with the community.
“It would be great if students can attend the event too because I think advocacy and policy work is always advantageous for anyone to go to, especially in the college setting,” Campana said.
Campana does policy work advocating for physical activity throughout the tri-county area, and said Guin Fit upholds that mission.
“There’s different sectors. There’s a healthy family weight program — nutrition aspect too — to help people in the tri-county to eat better or live better,” Campana said.
Campana said the workshop’s focus on bicycling comes at a time when it’s overlooked in the area.
“The workshops try to engage local leaders, community advocates and residents to explore biking in the area, since that seems to be something that’s lacking in Youngstown,” Campana said.
Campana said students interested in attending the event can expect various activities related to bicycle and community safety.
“[The activities include] doing street demonstrations, temporary designs — implementing them [and] assisting with them,” Campana said. “That’s a great learning experience — to see what needs to be done infrastructure-wise in the Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana [counties].”
Students can find more information about Guin Fit’s programs or event registration at ysu.edu.