Brittany Young Gives Back Through Dirt Bike Culture, New Youth and Teen Center Unveiled
Black women have made achievements abroad and at home. International Black Women’s History Month is an opportunity to raise awareness about Black women’s work and leadership.
Brittany Young, founder and CEO of the B-360 organization, makes an impact while helping Baltimore youth with their development, skills and exposure to STEM. The inspiring, retired engineer, educator, and Baltimore native grew up in Park Heights in the nineties. The precocious girl once enjoyed watching “Bill Nye the Science Guy,” an American science education television program. Along with watching experiments come to life, and reading about Dr. Mae Jemison, a chemical engineer who also broke barriers by becoming the first African American astronaut in space, Young convinced her parents to give her STEM kits.
“I tried to tell my teachers that this is what I liked to do, but no one would listen to me,” Young said, mentioning that she once got into a lot of trouble in school because of boredom.
One teacher, Young recalls as “Miss Pearly Taylor,” finally recognized her interest in science.
“She created a science club for me,” Young explained.
Her perceptive teacher also taught high school, opening the door for Young to become a third grader in a science club with high school students.
“I already had an interest in STEM. I already knew what I wanted to be, but I never had a teacher to actually listen to me, and Miss Taylor was that person for me in third grade,” Young added. “I actually want to find her.”
Young later became an engineer with a successful career. She also became involved in providing free programming in Baltimore, giving back, hosting classes and fundraisers, working remotely in engineering, and working as a technology teacher.
When Young worked with a class of students who expressed interest in dirt bikes, she discovered how much students and their friends loved dirt bikes.
“March 25, 2017, is our official launch date of [after-school] programming,” Young explained. “We serve all ages [four up to young adults].”
B-360 works in three different areas: advocacy, transforming the motorsports industry, and programming. Culturally relevant educational services are offered. Children as young as four years old take classes. Youth learn how to ride and repair bikes. Another offering is an annual summer camp.
“Our summer camp starts Tuesday, June 24 [2025] and we end summer camp on Friday, August 15. There’s no deadline. We have three sessions that people can choose from.”
Immersive experiences are offered and B-360 also hires young people. Young shared that 10,000 young people have been served to date.
B-360 has been on a continuous mission to utilize dirt bike culture to end the cyclical nature of poverty, disrupt the prison pipeline, and build bridges within communities. A significant stride was made on Tuesday, March 25, 2025. B-360 held a grand opening to unveil its Youth and Teen Center in the Harborplace Pavilion, along with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and fundraising event, for its fourth annual B-360 Day. Young shared that B-360 is looking to create a permanent campus, but the temporary space has great significance.
“Thanks to MCB Real Estate, we were able to have a space right at the Harborplace Pavilion. We have never had a brick-and-mortar location—an actual physical location where people can come to us to do programming and intern with us to do programming,” Young explained. “What was very transformative again, being a little Black girl in Baltimore, I always was at the Harbor and we always had a curfew. The Harbor never seemed like a place for a young person to be.”
In a press release, MCB Real Estate Managing Partner David Bramble shared, “I am pleased to say that I think people are excited about completely re-imagining Harborplace,” told the I-Team, when asked about his vision. He continues, “We want to make sure that this is a place that everyone in Baltimore is going to feel like belongs to them.”
Other press release details mentioned that the space will allow B-360 to host classes, provide training and homework/career support, and allow community partners to utilize the space as needed.
“We [B-360] just turned eight years old. I can’t believe it. It’s like having a baby that you watch grow up,” Young stated.
Visit https://b360baltimore.org to learn more about the organization.