Wheels turning on Derwent Valley bike project for kids
Wheels turning on Derwent Valley bike project for kids
26 April 2018
Steve Morgan (Communities for Children), Steve Nieuwhof (Derwent Valley Rotary Club) and Lieutenant Tim Size (Derwent Valley Corps Officer) are ready to roll out the bike refurbishment program.
Breaking the cycle of school disengagement is the aim of an innovative project being launched next week by a Tasmanian corps.
The idea is to get kids on two wheels by teaching them how to restore and maintain donated bicycles in workshops run out of a mobile trailer, says Lieutenant Tim Size, the Derwent Valley Corps Officer.
“The Derwent Valley (north of Hobart) covers a large area in Tasmania, and the outer areas are quite isolated. There are so many kids wandering around here with nothing to do, including a number who have disconnected themselves from their primary school community,” Lieut Size explains. “Our hope is that they’ll reconnect if we provide them with mentoring and the opportunity to do something they like doing. This transition will be helped by building their confidence and helping them to feel better about themselves.” 
The project, which also involves parents, is supported by community groups, including local schools where it will be administered by Communities for Children (a Salvo program). The corps will oversee the project, while the Derwent Valley Rotary Club has provided seed funding to get the wheels moving.
“We begin in two primary schools at the start of term two,” Lieut Size says. “Schools have selected the students they feel will benefit most from the project. We’re hoping it will become part of the curriculum as a positive way to link the children with their parents, community and school.”
Plenty of bikes have been donated as a result of advertising in school newsletters. Those needing too much work to be restored will be stripped down for parts.
“Everyone has been very supportive in donating bikes and offering help,” Lieut Size says. “The most exciting part for us, though, is the opportunity to build relationships and influence the lives of the children and their parents in a positive way by giving confidence and direction to those who feel they have been left behind in their education. This is our vision.”
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