What’s Not to Like, Ride Citi Bike!

Our partnership with The Lower Eastside Girls Club (LESGC) emerged from an effort to engage with organizations embedded in the communities they serve to explore what Citi Bike means in their neighborhood. From that initial idea, the girls created the fun promotional video above. Through this project we learned that young women in the LES see Citi Bike as a way to save time, money, and get strong!

Behind the scenes, by LESGC

Our film “What’s Not to Like? Ride Citi Bike!” was created by middle-school and high school girls attending animation classes at The Lower Eastside Girls Club. During the pre-production classes, the girls begun with visualization exercises, followed by a discussion about their ideas for the video. We talked about the pros and cons of biking, and some of us even tried riding a bike for the first time! The girls decided that the theme of the video should be based on Citi Bike’s Safety & Riding tips, because they considered it important to educate New Yorkers on how to be outstanding riders. Using a variety of approaches and filmmaking techniques, we have worked together to create this collage of teenage girls’ art and perspectives.

The final cut includes a wide selection of animation styles including drawing, stop-motion and cut paper, as well as action shots of the girls cruising the neighborhood on Citi Bikes. It premiered at The Lower Eastside Girls Club Annual Health Fair, where friends and family loved watching this fabulous girl-made animation film.

The Lower Eastside Girls Club aims to develop the skills of many young women in various professions and expertise such as film, music production, nutrition, and art.

This video was made possible with funding from the NYS Health Foundation and guidance from Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation. Restoration leads the NYC Better Bike Share Partnership, a citywide effort to develop inclusive programs and policies to promote equity through bike share and increase the diversity of bike share riders to improve health and financial outcomes of NYC neighborhoods. The Partnership is a community-driven collaboration of diverse stakeholders who influence transportation, health, and economic opportunities by leveraging the NYC bike share program.