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Bikeygees

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Bikeygees e. V.
EstablishedOctober 21, 2016; 8 years ago (2016-10-21)
FoundersAnnette Krüger, Anne Seebach
Founded atBerlin
Legal statusNon-profit registered association
Purposeintercultural project which teaches women with refugee or migrant background how to ride the bicycle
Location
  • Berlin, Germany

Bikeygees e. V. (stylized spelling: #BIKEYGEES e.V.) is an intercultural project in Berlin (Germany) dedicated to women with a migrant or refugee background. In trainings organized by Bikeygees, volunteers teach the women how to ride a bicycle. The goal of the organization is to promote empowerment by helping women to become more mobile.[1]

History

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In September 2015,[2] event managers Annette Krüger and Anne Seebach began to teach women in an emergency refugee accommodation in Berlin how to cycle.[3] The initiative was met with great enthusiasm. Following this, Krüger and Seebach founded Bikeygees e.V. in 2016 and registered it as a nonprofit organization working for education and integration. The name is a portmanteau of the English words ″bike″ and ″refugees″.[4] Originally, the organization labelled itself as a ″small empowerment project″.[5] Annette Krüger continues to act as project manager of the organization.[6]

Women and teenage girls with and without a refugee background can participate in free cycling trainings, in which practical support for riding a bicycle as well as theoretical lessons on traffic rules are offered in several languages.[7] Additionally, women learn the basics of bicycle repairs in order to be able to maintain their own bicycles.[8]

In the beginning, the trainings took place exclusively at the grounds of the youth traffic school at Wassertorplatz in Berlin-Kreuzberg. With funding from the German television lottery (Deutsche Fernsehlotterie), additional trainings were carried out from 2019 to 2020 in the peripheral districts of Marzahn and Hohenschönhausen, along with beginner bicycle tours to the surroundings as networking opportunities.[9] The organization has been active in Lichtenrade since July 2019. In 2021, cycling trainings were offered regularly at 15 locations throughout Berlin and Brandenburg.[4]

The Berlin NGO has gained not only regional but also global attention. There have been reports in English-language[10] and Italian media, and even on Indian television.[11] In March 2023, the British Queen Camilla met representatives of the organization in Café Refugio in the district of Neukölln, in which the organization has its office space.[8] Beyond the media recognition, the project has been imitated abroad: the Swiss initiative Friends on Bikes in Zürich has explicitly named Bikeyges as the model for its work.[12]

By the summer of 2023, the organization estimates that it has carried out more than 1000 trainings, has taught more than 1700 women and girls how to cycle, and has given out more than 600 sets of bicycles, helmets, and locks.[5]

Organization Goal and Background

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Campaign Sticker Cycling is a human right

Volunteers teach cycling skills to women and girls to support them in becoming more mobile, as a prerequisite for the participation in societal and cultural life in Germany.[13] Women's lack of mobility can be for cultural or religious reasons. It may be forbidden or frowned upon for women to cycle in certain countries of origin, such as in Iran,[14] Afghanistan,[4] and Saudi Arabia (until 2013).[15]

Another important aspect of the cycling training is the theoretical traffic lessons. Through the support of former participants from various countries, these are offered in multiple languages (German, English, Arabic, Persian). Learning materials from the organization are also published in multiple languages and easily accessible. Through use of the available resources and lessons, participants should be able to safely navigate and orient themselves in street traffic.[16]

When possible, the participants are equipped with their own bicycles, as well as safety vests and helmets. Bicycles and helmets are donated or purchased using donated funds. In the case of donated bicycles, they are brought up to standard by volunteer mechanics.

Beyond this, former participants function as multipliers for the organization: they give independent trainings and transfer their knowledge directly to new learners.[3]

Structure and Finances

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The organization is a registered non-profit and is financed through donations and public funds, such as from the German Federal Ministry of the Interior.[17] It has a board consisting of a first and second chair as well as a treasurer. Volunteer trainers support the project manager Annette Krüger during the trainings. Bikeygees e.V. is a member of the German Parity Welfare Association (Deutscher Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband).[1]

Awards and honors

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  • 2017: Winner of the Active Competition (Aktiv-Wettbewerb), given by the Bündnis für Demokratie und Toleranz for imitable civil society projects[18]
  • 2017: Hatun Sürücü Prize from the Berlin Green Party (Grüne-Fraktion Berlin) for commitment to women and girls[19]
  • 2018: ″Respekt Gewinnt!″ Prize (Respect Wins!) from the Berliner Ratschlag für Demokratie (Berlin Council for Democracy)[20]
  • 2018: German Cycling Prize, category Service[21]
  • 2023: Rainbow Award from the Regenbogenfonds e. V. Berlin[22]

References

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  1. ^ a b Elena Abt (2020-05-13). "Wenn das Fahrrad Möglichkeitsräume eröffnet – der Verein #BIKEYGEES e. V". mobileinclusion.projects.tu-berlin.de. MobileInclusion – TU Hamburg. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
  2. ^ Nicola Schwarzmaier (2017-02-06), "#BIKEYGEES e. V. werden ausgezeichnet: Freiräume für Frauen", Die Tageszeitung: Taz, ISSN 0931-9085, retrieved 2023-08-30
  3. ^ a b Katharina Hofmann (2019-07-03). "#BIKEYGEES: Fahrrad fahren kann doch jede*r – oder nicht?!". Du bist ein Gewinn (Magazin) fernsehlotterie.de. Deutsche Fernsehlotterie. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
  4. ^ a b c Anusha J. (2021-08-23). "Refugee women who flew war experience the joy of riding bikes for the first time". scoop.upworthy.com – Upworthy. Good Inc. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  5. ^ a b "#BIKEYGEES – Radfahrtraining für (geflüchtete) Frauen". bikeygees.org. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
  6. ^ Karl Grünberg (2023-01-01). "Wegweiser: Fariha Ghiasi & Annette Krüger". greenpeace-magazin.de. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
  7. ^ Lisa Buchmann. "#BIKEYGEES". strasse-zurueckerobern.de. VCD Verkehrsclub Deutschland e.V. – VCD. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
  8. ^ a b Sascha Uhlig (2023-04-14). "Selbstbestimmt auf zwei Rädern: Die Bikeygees starten in die Sommersaison". berliner-abendblatt.de. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
  9. ^ WELT (2020-11-29), "#BIKEYGEES e. V.: Mit dem Fahrrad in die Freiheit", Die Welt, retrieved 2020-12-10
  10. ^ Marta Bausells (2018-01-16). "'The feeling of freedom': empowering Berlin's refugee women through cycling". theguardian.com. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
  11. ^ Philipp Hartmann (2019-10-16). "Jede Frau sollte Radfahren können: Verein "#Bikeygees" bietet kostenloses Training an". berliner-woche.de. Berliner Wochenblatt Verlag. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
  12. ^ Ev Manz (2021-07-12), "Wie es sich anfühlt, anderen zu helfen" (PDF), Tages-Anzeiger, p. 17, retrieved 2023-08-30
  13. ^ "#BIKEYGEES – Radfahrtraining für Frauen und Mädchen". radiocorax.de. Corax e. V. – Initiative für Freies Radio. 2022-01-24. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  14. ^ Daniela Wakonigg (2016-09-23). "Fahrradfahren verboten – für Frauen". hpd.de. Humanistischer Pressedienst e. V. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  15. ^ AP/sara (2013-04-01), "Saudi-Arabien: Religionspolizei erlaubt Frauen das Radfahren", Welt.de, retrieved 2022-04-05
  16. ^ "Der deutsche Fahrradpreis: #Bikeygees e. V" (PDF). der-deutsche-fahrradpreis.de. Arbeitsgemeinschaft fußgänger- und fahrradfreundlicher Städte, Gemeinden und Kreise in NRW e.V. (AGFS). Retrieved 2020-06-11.
  17. ^ Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge, ed. (2023-05-01), "Geschlecht der Teilnehmenden" (PDF), Wirkung Zeigen. Das Bundesprogramm "Gesellschaftlicher Zusammenhalt" in Worten und Zahlen, no. 2, Nürnberg, p. 15, retrieved 2023-08-30
  18. ^ "Die Preisverleihungen des Aktiv-Wettbewerbs 2017". buendnis-toleranz.de. BfDT Bündnis für Demokratie und Toleranz – Bundeszentrale für Politische Bildung. 2018-02-16. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
  19. ^ Susanna Kahlefeld (2017-02-03). "Hatun-Sürücü-Preis zum fünften Mal verliehen". gruene-fraktion.berlin. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
  20. ^ Sebastian Busch (2018-04-27). "Respekt gewinnt! 2018 – die Gewinner*innen". Berliner Ratschlag für Demokratie (in German). Retrieved 2023-08-28.
  21. ^ "2018 – Deutscher Fahrradpreis" (in German). Retrieved 2023-08-28.
  22. ^ "Rainbow Award – Verleihung der Auszeichnung auf dem Stadtfest Berlin". stadtfest.berlin. Regenbogenfonds e. V. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
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