UNION COUNTY, NJ — For many of us, a bicycle is good for a spin around the block or coasting down a hill. But for Girls in Gear, a youth program for girls ages 6 to 16, biking is a path to personal growth.
Founded in Montclair by Gabrielle Rossi in 2020, the program has expanded to 25 New Jersey sites, plus others in Maryland and Virginia. Locally, Girls in Gear programs have been established in Union and Montclair.
“We do a fall and spring season,” Rossi said in a telephone interview on Monday, March 21. “We’ve had an incredible response. The first season, there was just myself and eight riders in Montclair.”
Rossi attributes the expansion of the program to her own hard work.
“And also that biking is important to a community,” she said. “A study showed there is a percentage of girls who don’t ride their bikes as a sport.”
According to Rossi, her program will impart social-emotional skills to young girls.
“Girls are continually questioned about who they are and what they stand for,” Rossi said. “In Girls in Gear, we pair emotional growth with bike skills. Biking is a symbol of so many things: freedom, independence and self-sufficiency, all challenges which girls face.”
Girls in Gear sessions are eight weeks, once a week, for 75 minutes. Rossi said each lesson pairs emotional growth with bike skills. The teams meet in designated areas free of cars with the goal of working up to a group ride around town. Supervision is by volunteer coaches.
“Everything is age appropriate,” Rossi said. “For the older riders, we get into mechanics.”
Nine years ago, Rossi, who has a bachelor’s degree in American studies from Rutgers University and a master’s degree in nonprofit management from Columbia University, biked from New Jersey to Florida to support pediatric cancer research.
“All of my work is in youth development,” she said. “In Girls in Gear, we have people of all backgrounds and abilities. Biking is a conduit for social-emotional lessons.”
Photo Courtesy of Gabrielle Rossi