Eliada enrolling kids in Honda-sponsored minibike program

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On the bottom floor of Eliada’s historic dairy barn, dozens of red Honda minibikes line the walls. Helmets and safety gear are neatly hung among photos of smiling students on trail rides. Visiting Eliada’s expansive 300-acre campus on any given day, you’re likely to find a class full of excited students participating in the NYPUM program.

For the past decade, Eliada has operated a regional chapter of the National Youth Project Using Minibikes (NYPUM) program. Sponsored by American Honda Motor Company, NYPUM was founded in 1969 as a way to promote positive youth development. Eliada’s students often point to participation in NYPUM as a motivating experience that helped them build self-esteem, set goals, and gain confidence. Now, Eliada is opening the NYPUM program to community youth.

“Any young person can benefit from being a part of NYPUM,” says Eliada CEO Mark Upright, who sits on the national NYPUM board and is one of the few CEOs in the country who is also a Certified NYPUM Instructor. “The program is incredibly valuable in teaching goal attainment in an exciting way. It’s enriching and motivational, but most of all it’s fun.”

Eliada’s community NYPUM classes provide participants with 21 lessons over a 15 week period. Minibikes, safety helmets, goggles, gloves, and other safety gear are provided. Lessons initially focus on safety, balance, and other elementary activities before progressing to more complex tasks such as shifting gears, controlling speed, and counterbalancing. Classes take place on Eliada’s beautiful historic campus, located just five minutes from downtown Asheville. The cost per student is $375, or about $18 per lesson. An information packet and application are available for download here. For questions or more information, call 828.254.5356 x 315 or email nsimmons@eliada.org.