DreamBikes operates year-round as a full-service, non-profit bicycle shop that primarily employs youth between the ages of 15-21 to repair used, donated bicycles and re-sell them in our retail storefront. Each DreamBikes store employs low-income and/or minority teens. DreamBikes provides teen employees with paid, hands-on skills training, also cultivating “soft” skills that prepare them for future employment and/or post-secondary education. Directly, the hands-on training that teens receive prepares them for careers in or out of the bike industry (in general-retail, customer service, and small business). Indirectly, the growth of their “soft skills” can be applied in a wide range of professional, educational, and personal settings. These “soft skills” include effective communication, organization, team-work, responsibility, work ethic, punctuality, respect, and self-confidence.