Mission
CWA leads positive social change in partnership with local chapters to enhance the quality of life for all Canadians one bicycle ride at a time. Through active citizenship, we increase awareness, advance philanthropy, and align key partnerships.
Vision
Every Canadian has the opportunity to feel the wind in their hair.
Guiding Principles
Generosity: Cycling Without Age is based on generosity and kindness. It starts with the obvious generous act of taking one or two mobility-impaired people out on a bike ride. It’s a simple act that everyone can do.
Slowness: Slowness allows you to sense the environment, be present in the moment and it allows people you meet along the way to be curious and gain knowledge about Cycling Without Age because you make time to stop and talk.
Storytelling: Passengers, especially older adults have so many stories that will be forgotten if we don’t reach out and listen to them. We tell stories, we listen to stories on the bike and we also document the stories when we share them via word of mouth or on social media.
Relationships: Cycling Without Age is about creating a multitude of new relationships: between generations, among people of all ages, between pilots and passengers, care home employees and family members. Relationships build trust, happiness and quality of life.
Without Age: Life unfolds at all ages, young and old, and can be thrilling, fun, sad, beautiful and meaningful. Cycling Without Age is about letting people age in a positive context – fully aware of the opportunities that lie ahead when interacting in their local community.
Calls To Action
Cycling Without Age Canadas acknowledges and supports the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action and makes the following commitment to action.
- Remember that learning from Indigenous ways is a lifelong process that involves building relationships, listening with respect, and being open to new perspectives.
- Providing opportunities for Elders to connect with the land by spending time outdoors in natural settings, such as parks, forests, and river pathways.
- Ensuring that Aboriginal peoples have equitable access to rides and volunteer opportunities.
- Sharing an openness to learning about the plants, animals, and natural features that are unique to the region where we live from our passengers.
- Cycling or simply sitting with Elders and observing the natural surroundings. Paying attention to the sights, sounds, and smells of nature.
- Embracing the opportunity to learn, grow and evolve from listening to stories, experiences, and perspectives of Indigenous people.
- Inspiring all our members to complete to Indigenous Canada course from the University of Alberta.
In making our commitment, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action #22, #24, and #93 offered inspiration.
CWA Canada Land Acknowledgement: From coast to coast to coast, we acknowledge the ancestral and unceded territory of all the First Nation, Inuit and Métis people that call this land home. We honour and thank all of the past, present and future generations of Indigenous people who have lived, gathered and stewarded these lands for thousands of years. May this acknowledgement demonstrate our commitment to working to dismantle ongoing legacies of oppression and inequities, and our dedication to moving forward in allyship with Indigenous communities in the spirit of reconciliation.
Cycling Without Age Canada fully and enthusiastically supports the United Nations – Sustainable Development Goals, a collection of 17 interlinked global goals. “A blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all”. The SDGs were established by the UN General Assembly in 2015 and are intended to be achieved by 2030.
At Cycling Without Age we believe that we can directly and positively impact 4 of the 17 goals:
Backed by hundreds of studies over several decades, research suggests that connecting to nature is one of the best things you can do to improve your health.
Our vision says it all, “Every Canadian has the opportunity to feel the wind in their hair”. Many people with mobility impairments feel disconnected, marginalized and alone. The act of a single bike ride changes all of those feelings.
Sustainable Cities and Communities can only be made possible through the inclusion of everyone.
We work with many organizations and individuals across Canada to bring our programs to life! Without these partnerships, we simply could not exist.
Our sister organization in Singapore has done excellent work correlating the UN SDGs and the Cycling Without Age program. We encourage you to visit their site. Of particular note is a series of Linked articles by Kristine A. Schaan, MA,NHA, CPG a gerontologist and member of CWA Singapore, titled “Can a trishaw ride help make the world a better place?
Cycling Without Age Canada is governed by an independent, volunteer Board of Directors. Directors are elected to the Board. All significant policy and financial decisions are made by way of Board-approved policies and resolutions.