Nicole Berger and Ines Wahle from the KiBiSS prevention project (AQuiS GmbH), which is part of the Saarpfalz district youth welfare office, once again organised a cycling course together with the police road safety advisor Heiner Schultz. KiBiSS started this programme several years ago and since then many women from the Saarpfalz district have learnt how to ride a bike, who often did not have this opportunity due to their background or felt unsafe on a bike for various reasons.
At the most recent course, some women had learnt to ride a bike as a child, but had not ridden for decades or had fallen once in the past, so that the fear afterwards was too great to try again. One participant from Iraq could only ride up and down the street secretly at night when she was a girl.
The women were therefore delighted to be given the opportunity to try to overcome their fears and insecurities with an expert in the safe environment of the youth traffic school in Homburg.
The mothers were particularly motivated by their children's desire to ride a bike together. During the course, a KiBiSS employee supervised two registered children with different games so that the mum could focus on the content without any worries.
The programme began with balance exercises and riding a bike without pedals, as "balance is the key to success," emphasised Heiner Schultz.
All participants mastered the tasks with flying colours. The second day showed that the women with previous knowledge from childhood found it easier to pedal the bike and keep their balance. For them, it was now a question of mastering bends, riding longer and longer distances and sticking one hand out.
Over the next two days, safety was reinforced with various exercises.
District Administrator Frank John emphasised with praise:
"The women receive practical guidance and competent support in a supportive learning environment. I am convinced that this initiative is not only a great enrichment for the participants themselves, but also for our community. The course contributes to the promotion of education, safety and participation and I am grateful to the KiBiSS organisers for this, as they are helping to implement the objectives in the Saarpfalz district."
On the last day, the course was reflected upon positively over a delicious home-made meal prepared by the participants. The women present were given bicycles by Heiner Schultz, which had been donated to him by members of the public and overhauled at CJD Homburg/Saar gGmbH. There was great joy and gratitude for the experience gained and all the women expressed a desire for further meetings in order to gain more confidence with professional guidance.