Cycling with the IRC
Ed. note: Aaron Garland has graciously agreed to submit occasional articles for BikeSD.org. He recently moved to San Diego from Roanoke, VA where he was instrumental in organizing Roanoke’s Ciclovías.
At the beginning of December I found myself in a new place with a lot of time on my hands. After I met with Maria Olivas, the Education Co-ordinator for the San Diego County Bike Coalition (SDCBC), I was excited to find out that they had opportunities to teach cycling skills. I learned that Randy Van Vleck, one of the Instructors working for the Coalition, would be teaching the road portion of a Traffic Skills 101 Course so I volunteered to assist him.
I have been a LCI, League Certified Instructor, for several years. I am a casual rider preferring to wear street clothes and stop at coffee houses more than not. The bicycle is my vehicle for the exploration of the world, whether it be pedaling single track trails in the Appalachian mountains, riding the streets of NYC or, touring the Blue Coast in Portugal.
Waiting for Randy at Rebecca’s Coffee House in South Park Thursday morning I really didn’t know what to expect. It turns out that this was a program provided by the SDCBC as part of a partnership with the International Rescue Committee (IRC). The IRC “responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises” and assists “refugees forced to flee from war or disaster.”
At the IRC’s San Diego offices, located at 53rd and University in City Heights, we were met by Hong Tran, the IRC’s transportation coordinator. She explained that the IRC in San Diego concentrates on assisting refugees. Refugees are people who have fled their own country because they were persecuted or caught in the cross fire of war and violence. The IRC helps refugees transition to their new home by connecting them with local resources. She stressed the importance of transportation being a key factor to effective transitioning by saying that in the United States speaking “English is the first biggest barrier to getting a job and transportation is the second.”
We had five high school age students, all who were refugees who had moved here from Kenya or Somalia. On a previous day the participants had already spent 4 hours in a classroom learning about the rules of the road and the theory of safe cycling, now they were going to get some time on the saddle. Hong helped Randy and I outfit each student with a helmet and a bike from the IRC’s small selection of bikes that have been donated and lovingly worked on by volunteers at Bikes Del Pueblo. Thomas Bike Shop had lent some extra helmets.
As soon as everyone had a bike we headed up to the basketball courts in Colina Del Sol Park. Randy demonstrated special maneuvers: “The Quick Stop,” “The Rock Dodge,” and “The Instant Turn.” The Students were quick learner and eager to show off their skills to their friends and family that were present at the park. Once we were confident that the students were comfortable with their new riding skills, we took to the neighborhood streets so that they could use their new learned skills in a live traffic environment.
Randy looked like the mother goose with her goslings trailing behind. I was in the rear of the pack. It felt a little bit like a parade, and I think that next time I might fashion a sign that reads “Student Riders.” The students took turns leading the group and demonstrated proper signaling, announcing and navigating hazards on the road, and demonstrating their knowledge of the rules of the road. We criss-crossed City Heights on residential streets, rode on Orange Avenue which is a moderately trafficked road and even crossed over University Avenue.
Teaching Bicycling Traffic Skills to Refugee Children from Sam Ollinger on Vimeo.
After picking up a few snacks we stopped and ate peanuts and sun flower seeds at Teralta Park, an urban greenspace that was actually built over the I-15. I chatted with the students while we rested. One student asked me about where I was from and places I had traveled. I was impressed by the maturity and interest he had showed in getting to know me. I later realized that I was the one who should be asking him questions and that he had seen parts of the world that I had never seen. For me this day was inspirational and a super fun day of riding my bike.
If you are interested in helping grow the IRC bike program there are many opportunities. Hong Tran pointed me towards Bikes Del Pueblo, who has been instrumental in providing bikes for the program at the IRC. She said that Bikes Del Pueblos’s biggest need right now is volunteers. The IRC will also takes direct donations of bikes and biking equipment. You can donate by contacting Hong Tran at (619) 641-7510.