Josh is a 19-year old young man who recently completed his internship at Pedal Revolution. While at his worksite, Josh did “everything from stocking inner-tubes to sweeping the shop floor to building bikes from scratch.” Having an interest in bikes is no prerequisite for working at Pedal Revolution, but it doesn’t hurt. “I have always been interested in bikes... being at the bike shop increased my interest and I actually got into working on and riding bikes as a hobby.”

Although Josh faced challenges in the workplace, he is used to his fair share of difficulties. By age 9, Josh was living in foster care after a history of homelessness and instability with his parents. Over the next 9 years, he lived with several different families and in group homes. He fell behind in school and dropped out in his last semester of high school.

Josh had few resources at his disposal. Worse, he was nearing the age of 18 when he would become emancipated from foster care and would no longer qualify to live in youth housing. A staff person at the group home encouraged Josh to find a job and told him about New Door. Josh completed a New Door application, attended one of the monthly group interviews, called to schedule a follow-up meeting, and completed an intake with our Program Director.

Before long, Josh had his internship at Pedal Revolution and was on the verge of becoming more independent. At Pedal Revolution, Josh faced the challenge of channeling his intelligence into becoming more patient and focused. He learned new bike mechanical skills, such as how to put bikes together and assemble parts. With his steady income, he moved out of the group home and into his own apartment.

Josh now spends his days studying at the City College of San Francisco. With the support of his case manager at New Door, he gained a position as a teacher’s assistant in computer science, and is exploring options for advancing his technological skills. Josh gets to work and school on a bicycle he built himself at Pedal Revolution – the place where he not only learned to work but also discovered his passion for bikes and where he built a new kind of family.

Josh describes Pedal Revolution and New Door as his “social hub of sorts” and his “haven.” Whenever problems crop up at work, in school, or in his personal life, Josh knows that he can turn to New Door Ventures. Anytime he needs a place where people care about him, he can come to the place that helped him become independent, and that will always be there for him.

- By, Walter (ALLY Intern 2008)