Learning Dutch on a bicycle
For years, The Cycling School has been organising low-threshold cycling lessons for adults, such as newcomers who did not learn to cycle in their country of origin. To also improve the language skills of these newcomers, the Cycling Friends project links cycling and language skills. Our colleague Ine tells you all about it.
What is the approach of Cycling Friends?
"Learning to cycle better and learning to speak Dutch better. And that in a relaxed way," says Ine Bosmans, Project Officer for Education at Mobiel 21 and driving force behind De Fietsschool.
How did you get started?
"Within The Cycling School, we selected ten non-native speakers interested in extra exercise. We paired them with ten volunteers, or buddies. We deliberately chose volunteers with a lot of experience within De Fietsschool. When pairing them, we made sure, if possible, that participant and volunteer already knew each other from previous cycling lessons."
"During the summer months, newcomers and volunteers then went out together in Leuven as a duo. Not only to practice cycling skills along the way but also to talk Dutch with each other. The province of Flemish Brabant provided free bikes for six weeks for this purpose."
How did the bike rides go?
"Beforehand, we gave the duos a map of Leuven and sheets with possible destinations in and around the city, such as the library, the Kruidtuin, the Town Office, ... These sheets also contained questions and assignments, which made the duos speak Dutch along the way."
"The duos made their own appointments with each other. For this, they were given an appointment card on which they could note each other's contact details, date, place and time of appointment. All in Dutch, of course."
"In summer, most duos then did five or six rides. Each time, the first ride started at the participant's home town. Afterwards, some participants made that trip again with their family or friends."
That seems to be a success.
"Definitely. Volunteers reported that their buddies' cycling skills improved rapidly and that they felt increasingly confident in traffic. For example, info was also exchanged on bike parking and repair."
"Cycling Friends was also a success on a personal level, for participants and volunteers alike. Some relaxed with a drink after the bike ride. One volunteer lent a Dutch-language book to her cycling friend. Three weeks later, one participant sent another message to her buddy to say she was buying a second-hand bike. And another participant then asked if she couldn't keep the rented bike a bit longer. Fantastic!"
Will there be a sequel?
"If it is up to the volunteers, definitely and definitely. Besides Leuven, the Cycling Friends are now also active in Vilvoorde," Ine proudly tells us. "We are now looking at whether we can roll out this buddy operation in other municipalities in the future."
Want to know more about Cycling Friends?
Our collleague Ine Bosmans will tell you all about it. Contact her using the form below.
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