Good Life Community Bike Shop

About

Community Bicycle Shop!

Story

The Good Life Community is a resource centre offering services to ALL Calgarians while also offering individuals the opportunity to volunteer their time and skills to help others. The GLC’s primary goal is to build a stronger community while promoting healthy and active lifestyles and environmentally sound means of transportation. It offers a safe, supportive and inclusive place where community members can interact, help out, and learn from each other. Aside from the benefits of encouraging self-sufficiency, resiliency, and empowerment, environmental benefits include reducing carbon emissions through reduced traffic congestion as well as individual production in addition to recycling bicycles and parts otherwise destined for the waste stream.

Mission

The Good Life Community is a resource center offering services to ALL Calgarians while also offering individuals the opportunity to volunteer their time and skills to help others. The GLC’s primary goal is to build a stronger community while promoting healthy and active lifestyles and environmentally sound means of transportation. It offers a safe, supportive and inclusive place where community members can interact, help out, and learn from each other. Aside from the benefits of encouraging self-sufficiency, resiliency, and empowerment, environmental benefits include reducing carbon emissions through reduced traffic congestion as well as individual production in addition to recycling bicycles and parts otherwise destined for the waste stream.

The GLC is building towards a vibrant and diverse community in which alternative transport is accessible and individuals have the tools to connect with the local environment as well as develop understanding and environmental stewardship while cultivating the skills to safeguard and affect the natural world wisely. GLC creates positive social ties and expands individual’s networks of contacts by bringing together individuals of all backgrounds. The GLC empowers those who normally experience marginalization by offering affordable, healthy and sustainable transportation, work experience, empowerment in a participatory organizational model, the daily opportunity to build self-esteem and self-advocacy skills, and builds community networks while providing positive learning experiences through hands-on opportunities. The GLC is built on the model of Universal Design, and the space is organized to include people facing many different barriers.

Integrating different socio-economic classes reduces isolation and builds stronger communities while individuals develop the basic skills and competencies necessary to fully participate as neighbors and citizens. The ability to cope with adversity and build fortitude to overcome barriers is increased by social support, social capital and strong role models. Skill-building opportunities further include soft skills, group and life skills including leadership, problem solving, mentorship, and teamwork, written and verbal communication, mechanical skills, organization, and customer service. The Good Life Community is unique because it builds great educational experiences into meeting needs, and rewards fun and engaged learning with results that impact our day-to-day lives.

The Good Life’s caring staff and volunteer team is comprised of individuals with a diverse skill-set, education (B.A., B.Ed, M.A., M.S.W, etc. ) and leadership roles within the sector. The organization employs a robust volunteer program, engaging diverse Calgarians in volunteerism every day. The Good Life Community has been recognized for its innovative and relevant programming, strategic organizational model that encourages full participation of its members, and strong leadership. All this is demonstrated by the various community and volunteer awards they have garnered from the YMCA, Volunteer Calgary, Calgary Learns and Fast Forward Weekly Magazine.

So, if you have bike issues or just want to have some fun; come on down, everybody is welcome.

We are now located at 2100 4st Street SW, right in the Mission Area. It is a ten to fifteen minute walk from down-town Calgary.

Products

https://www.facebook.com/groups/goodlifebikes/