Saturday, March 6, 2010

Organization donates over 800 bikes to youth


A generous donation from the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews has allowed for 800 Bedouin children living in the desert in the south of Israel to take part in a regular cycling activity. The donation enables the opening of 25 new cycling clubs in the Abu Basma region of the Negev desert, following two years of pilot work with seventh and eighth graders in the Abu Basma region, and the training of ten Bedouin cycling instructors and support from university student volunteers.

Beyond Sport is a global organization that promotes, develops and funds the use of sport to create positive social change across the world. The goal is to encourage children and youth at the periphery of society to pedal their way forward. The cycling program also includes several national events, when the children are bussed in from the periphery to enjoy games, trips, and lots of fun together. Thus the project also aims at increasing social inclusion of minority groups that are literally at the periphery of mainstream society.
This story is not only a reminder of what we can do to help promote the many benefits of cycling but also as a reminder that one the many activities that we participated as a kid is still an activity that we can participate in as we get older. I encourage everyone to find an a group or organization that is giving back to the community like this and lend a hand.

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