“ON A SUNNY AFTERNOON IN THE AUTUMN OF 2012 MY PHONE RANG WHEN I PICKED IT UP, I WAS GREETED BY A VOICE SO BUBBLY AND ENTHUSIASTIC THAT IT IMMEDIATELY MADE ME SMILE,” RECALLS OLE. IT WAS TO BE THE FIRST ENCOUNTER BETWEEN US AND WOULD BE A CRUCIAL MOMENT IN THE JOURNEY OF CYCLING WITHOUT AGE.
WE ARE ON TO SOMETHING UNIQUE
For a while, Ole had been offering bike rides to the residents at his neighbouring nursing home in his spare time and he had written a letter to the City of Copenhagen asking for them to sponsor a new trishaw for these joyous rides to replace the old rusty one he had been using. By chance, the letter was forwarded to Dorthe, who was working as a civil society consultant in the municipality. That phone call was so full of ideas, energy and a passion for making a difference. We immediately knew that we were onto something unique. By the end of that week, we had ordered 5 trishaws and agreed to join our social entrepreneurial creativity to make these awesome bikes a platform for building a network, strengthening ties in communities and bridging generations.
AN EXPLORATIVE APPROACH
Needless to say, our idea didn’t come with a recipe, so we decided on an explorative approach to building Cycling Without Age. Which is why experiments, grass root initiation and co-creation is a core part of the organisation’s identity. We invited neighbours, aged care professionals, nursing home residents, city consultants, local business owners and other civil society associations into our arena. And so the fun began.
REINVENT PARTICIPATION
We want to reinvent participation by providing trishaws as a tool easily used by people with a desire to make a difference, to be active citizens or simply local activists on bikes, which is why we decided on the name “pilots” instead of volunteers, as people who get involved truly spearhead development and become change agents in their communities in several ways; changing how voluntarism is organized and changing the attitude towards aging.
Cycling Without Age breaks down traditional roles, attitudes and stigmatization. Pilots can be neighbours, sons and daughters, corporate volunteers, nursing home staff – and even other nursing home residents. We have witnessed residents in their 80’s becoming pilots and thus taking their neighbours on enjoyable rides through the city.
A POWERFUL COMMUNITY TOOL
On a long ride to Hamburg, we started realizing what a powerful community tool we had created which unlocks the drive and motivation in elderly who we often think have no ability to contribute and add value to people around them. On trishaw rides, the boundaries between young and old, between cultures, between resident and career disappear. And thus we are witnessing the perfect platform for the sharing of stories and the creation of relationships.
We’re thrilled that Cycling Without Age continues to spread
happiness and smiles. We both feel humbled, overwhelmed and proud when we see all the wonderful stories and pictures being shared and the relationships being forged all over the world. The chain reaction of excitement and encouragement from one chapter to another gets us up in the morning – and we continue to be touched by the efforts around the World.
Who would have thought a bike would connect the world?
Ole Kassow & Dorthe Pedersen
Founders of Cycling Without Age
I Love the community that cycling Without Age builds. I’m from California and many time we forget about our elderly population. They are the one that have the most answers to life, if there are answers. Thank you for what you are doing. May this spread throughout the world.
Ryan Murry
In Touch Media Group