A new movement was born in Copenhagen in 2014: Cycling Without Age. Since then, trained volunteers have been taking elderly people, or those with impaired mobility, for rides aboard their customized trishaws. The movement has since then spread across no less than 52 countries! The Lisbon chapter, Pedalar Sem Idade, kicked off in 2019 offering 60-minute rides to residents of nursing homes, senior day care centres and health care clinics, as well as to families with home bound relatives.
Pedalar Sem Idade advocates for “the right to feel the breeze in one’s hair”. Our main goal is to counteract loneliness. Pedalar Sem Idade brings families closer together, fosters intergenerational connections, encourages social inclusion and activates communities, while tightening solidarity bonds between individuals, institutions and companies. In a nutshell, we are encouraging the healthy and active aging of the elderly in Portugal.
Our movement is neither about bicycles nor only about mobility or sustainability. Instead, it is an innovative approach towards volunteer work, focused on relationships and generosity towards those who have no access to life’s little pleasures.
Pedalar Sem Idade is a simple answer to a complex issue with ever-growing importance in the context of the current pandemic. After the successful implementation of Cascais’ pilot, Pedalar Sem Idade aims to launch activities in ten additional districts across Portugal until 2024.
Watch this short video to discover more about this #CycleDiversity Project in Lisbon:
By Pedalar sem Idade
March 24th, 2021
