Youth- Led

This has truly been a youth-led initiative. For the past 13 years Salinas youth dedicate their time to the planning of Ciclovía Salinas. It is an amazing opportunity for them to get involved and develop the leadership skills necessary for them to make positive changes in their communities.

Through Ciclovía Salinas, high school youth interns temporarily transform 1.2 miles of Alisal Street in Salinas into a car-less space, allowing residents to utilize the streets – participating in a wide range of physical activities, such as running, walking, biking, Zumba, as well as free access to a family day filled with hands-on activities. . 

Goals

We believe that Salinas is entitled to a safe and inclusive environment that promotes health and unity and Ciclovía’ Salinas’ purpose is to promote this through 5 key goals, which are to: 

1. Change the Narrative/Image of Salinas: Salinas tends to carry a negative connotation or stereotype – we aim to shift that narrative to a positive one that showcases the people, families, culture and more than just the violence we typically hear about. 
2. Unite Salinas: Our town is known to be divided between the East and South, as well as by economic status, race, and culture. Through Ciclovía Salinas we want to see our community come together, share and learn from each other, and begin to understand one another for a more cohesive community. 
3. Promote Physical Health: Access to affordable preventative health care is a barrier for many people in Salinas, especially our undocumented community – we showcase local health resources and exercise options so our community can engage and learn about how to maintain physical health and live a healthful lifestyle. 
4. Stimulate the Local Economy: Our vision is that on the day of Ciclovía, our local businesses are showcased and promoted – which in turn could increase their sales. This is a unique opportunity for local family owned businesses to showcase their products to new markets – when we make the decision to buy local, and not from huge corporations, the money stays local. 
5. Develop Leadership Skills in Youth: The inception of an open-street event like Ciclovía Salinas originated from a group of youth interns from Building Healthy Communities back in 2013. They were the ones, with support of BHC, to push the project forward with the City of Salinas as well as plan, promote, and implement it. We see the internship as an opportunity for youth to develop leadership skills and get civically engaged.

Youth interested in planning Ciclovía Salinas can email us at cicloviasalinas@gmail.com or visit our Linktree here.

CICLOVÍA SALINAS PLANNING TEAM