Photos: The 2025 Youth Bike Summit In Roxbury

2:33 PM EDT on June 3, 2025

Over the weekend, young people and their adult allies from all over the country gathered at Roxbury Community College in Boston for this year's Youth Bike Summit.

A large yellow banner at the Youth Bike Summit reads “READY TO GO BEYOND THE BIKE?” with event details for May 30–June 1, 2025, in Boston, MA. It stands next to a table with flyers and a mural in the background showing Black artists.

During the summit's opening session on Saturday, students rallied with group cheers and heard from a variety of speakers before setting off on their day of classroom sessions on campus and mobile workshops to continue their learning and connection.

Youth keynote speaker Anika P. speaks at the podium with her photo and name shown on a large screen behind her. — Youth Bike Summit keynote speaker Anika P., a sophomore in high school from Western Massachusetts.

Speakers included State Senator Liz Miranda, who spoke on the importance of young people engaging with political leaders, and Boston's Bike Mayor Vivian Ortiz, who talked about how young people can reclaim the joy, safety, and belonging in their communities through biking.

The keynote speaker, high school sophomore Anika P., told her story of how she fell in love with cycling and worked to expand her school's cycling club.

Two presenters in orange shirts lead a classroom session with a slide showing a map and photo from their bike journey, titled “Day 1: Jorge & Argenis,” while attendees listen. — Students from El Puente shared about their journey to the Youth Bike Summit from New York City, taking a train to New Haven, CT, then biking and camping all the way up to Provincetown over the course of five days, before finally taking the ferry into Boston.

Three young people present a slide titled “Peer Leadership” about youth interns teaching bike mechanics, with the audience seated at desks. — Brothers Randy (left) and Jose (right) from The Recylery in Chicago spoke to how their experience with the organization has them building bikes, developing leadership experiences, and helping expand access to cycling to underserved parts of the city. Randy looks on in pride as he reflects on his path to becoming an advanced intern and leader in the space.

A group of students stands in a semi-circle in a classroom, listening to a peer facilitator at the front. — Chelsea's very own Environmental Chelsea Organizers (ECO) youth of GreenRoots led an interactive session on environmental justice in the Greater Boston Area, discussing biking infrastructure, gentrification, redlining, worsening federal immigration policy, and other pressing issues affecting their community.

A presenter points to a slide about the B2C Bike Kitchen model in Malden, MA, highlighting its location on the Northern Strand Trail. — Agnes Recato of Bike to the Sea outlining the expansion of the bike kitchen network in the Greater Boston Area with the newer bike kitchen developed in Malden along the Northern Strand Trail. Other presenters represented the Dorchester Bike Kitchen, the Somerville Bike Kitchen, and the BU Cycle Kitchen.

Sessions throughout the day Saturday explored themes of bike skills and safety, equity of access, environmental justice, youth empowerment and leadership, civic engagement, and much more.

The next day, participants went on a group 10-mile ride through the city, looping through Roxbury, Dorchester, Franklin Park, and Jamaica Plain.

A red-lined map shows a bike route loop through Roxbury, Jamaica Plain, and Dorchester.

A large group of cyclists, many wearing helmets and bright clothing, pose in front of a vibrant community mural that features portraits of Black elders, children, and neighborhood scenes, set in a parking lot surrounded by trees and houses under a cloudy sky. — Youth Bike Summit participants gather for a group photo in front of a vibrant mural celebrating Black community life, marking the start of their 10-mile ride through Boston.Meghan Volcy

Youth and adults on bikes ride past a brick laundromat in Boston, including one cyclist in a reflective vest and helmet, and another with a crate mounted on the back of their bike.

Bicyclists ride through a rocky tunnel entrance surrounded by greenery on a paved path.

A large group of cyclists, many wearing helmets and backpacks, ride through a city street with brick buildings under a partly cloudy sky.

The group ride took us on a loop through Roxbury, Jamaica Plain, Dorchester, and Mission Hill, connecting green spaces and urban neighborhoods while passing notable Boston landmarks.

Dozens of cyclists ride single file on a winding path through a wooded park, surrounded by tall green trees and dense underbrush. — A group ride for the 2025 Youth Bike Summit took participants through the wooded pathways of Boston's Franklin Park.

A crowd of cyclists wait at a traffic light behind an MBTA Route 16 bus on a major Boston street, wearing colorful helmets and event shirts. — The Youth Bike Summit group ride pauses at a red light on Columbia Road in Boston.

Participants wearing green Youth Bike Summit shirts gather in a gymnasium for a group session, sitting at round tables in front of presentation screens.

The weekend closed with speakers, a visioning session, shoutouts, and awards. Students were led in a final round of cheers, the gym echoing with the call and responses.

"Power to who?" asked National Bike Council staff member Lot.

"The youth!" the crowd yelled back.

Reporter Meghan Volcy will have more stories to share from the Youth Bike Summit in the weeks to come – stay tuned.