Expand Leadership in Walk Advocacy

Please support participation in the Walking College program to strengthen my leadership skills to advocacate for safe, walkable communities.

My name is Maria Sipin. I am honored to be selected as one of 25 fellows for America Walks to represent my community in Los Angeles, California.

I would like to share part of my story with you and how you can support my walking project and travel costs to attend the Pro Walk/Pro Bike/Pro Place conference in Vancouver, BC.

Social Media for Social Good
In the last five years, I have been a dedicated advocate for people who bike and volunteering with local organizations. I began my activism online using whatever social media tools I had to participate in local and national actions to support bicycle-related initiatives and to inform others about the urgent issues affecting people who bike. Most people know me by the nature of my Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter posts. Social media has created so many opportunities for me and gave me a platform to be vocal about issues such as reproductive justice, immigrant rights, sexual harassment and assault, racism--issues I couldn't discuss elsewhere. These issues intersect with biking, walking, and public transit use.

Underrepresented and Thriving
"Make space and take space." Being present and participating is just part of the work. Young women like me are still underrepresented in active transportation leadership and in urban planning professional spaces and academia. Every opportunity to learn, lead, and create pathways for others to engage is important to me.

In 2012, I received a scholarship through Women on Bikes California (Pedal Love) to complete a national bike safety instructor certification seminar to increase the number of women and women of color who teach bike safety in their communities . Since then, I have committed to teaching bike safety classes for children and adults of all ages, thanks to supportive partners like Multicultural Communities for Mobility, Walk n Rollers, and the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition who have given me opportunities to connect with community members through bike safety events in Los Angeles County. Most importantly, I have grown as a volunteer, leader, young professional, and voice in bike advocacy. Last year, I piloted a local women's leadership project and event series titled "Women Bike, Women Lead" with LACBC and MCM to provide a space for women to discuss their concerns and interests related to biking, institutions, and policies that affect them. Today, I am invested in efforts such as Vision Zero implementation in Los Angeles and participating the Los Angeles Vision Zero Alliance to ensure that community priorities and equity issues are addressed. Founding Alliance members such as Multicultural Communities for Mobility, LACBC, Los Angeles Walks, TRUST South LA, APIOPA, Youth Policy Institute, AARP, and others are partners I hope to engage in this fellowship project.


Along with my commitment to creating safer streets and spaces for people to bike, I am eager to learn more about how I can invest the same energy to issues related to walking, an essential form of transportation, and generating support in communities and political spaces to allocate resources to improve our sidewalks and streets for people who walk, use wheelchairs and other mobility devices. Walking issues became an even more important issue to me beause of my aging parents, their concerns when walking in their neighborhood, and their desire to be less car dependent in these years of their life.

Why I Do What I Do
My dedication to walking, biking, and public transit is connected to providing affordable transportation access to all people, especially young people and low-income communities, to move about their city to gain an education, health care services, employment, and other important parts of their life. This dedication began as part of my employment in health care years ago and my work with LGBTQ and youth experiencing homelessness.

I have had the privilege to volunteer and commit my time to these causes as a community member who has supportive networks concerned with biking, walking, low-income communities, and the health and wellbeing of youth, and as one of 25 fellows who were awarded this fellowship in May .

How You Can Help
This campaign will support my participation in the Walking College and this online education program, walking project expenses, professional development and travel to the attend the Pro Walk/Pro Bike/Pro Place Conference in Vancouver as part of my Walking College Fellowship from June through September 2016.

The donations will go toward:
-planning for walking events
-professional development program
-travel to Pro Walk/Pro Bike/Pro Place Conference

And if you cannot give a monetary amount, I would like to involve you as volunteers in various walking/biking initiatives I'm part of. I am also taking other in-kind donations.

I will recognize my sponsors throughout this process, create an ongoing video series to discuss walking issues and feature various parts of Los Angeles throughout my fellowship. I will also highlight parts of the Pro Walk/Pro Bike/Pro Place Conference in Vancouver.

Going Back to School
As some of you know, I will be attending Portland State University to pursue graduate degrees in Public Health and Urban Planning. I will be completing this fellowship in between employment and my first quarter in school. This was a difficult decision to make, but I am excited to start this new chapter in my life.

Thank you for your interest in making Los Angeles a better place to walk, bike, and use public transportation. Most of all, thank you for investing in my educational goals and my community.

I would be happy to talk with individuals about this project and share other insights with you.

Sincerely,
Maria Sipin