US students had strange impressions of what was happening in undeveloped countries. "As we are getting into more and more of an interdependent world", says Ahmad,·"we wanted to inculcate a sense of responsibility. We thought, since young people are going to inherit the future, we should insert and integrate'global concerns on a university level." They started Bike-Aid in 1986 as outreach for ODN's global philosophy. According to Ahmad, it was intended to bring students together during the summer, tapping the image-making success of early-80s "We are the world" . spin-offs like Live-Aid and Hands Across America. But unlike those one-time, band-aid benefits, Bike-Aid has continued to thrive and expand its horizons over the past eight years, while still maintaining its grassroots focus. In the past two years, instead of trying to address all global issues - a pretty tall order, no matter how idealistic you are -Bike-Aid has focused on AIDS and HIV. Before· the ride, cyclists not only study education pack~ts on AIDS and HIV worldwide, but they train in ways to talk about AIDS in different communities, using gueriUa theater, fund- · raising walks, potlucks, videq, chit-chat and presentations. Although role-playing sessions, and discussions about humility and keeping cool, certainly help riders to prepare mentally, the learning curve on the road is still very steep. · · Jonny Symons, the Young Men's Pr9gram Coordinator at the Stop AIDS Project, is helping Bike-Aid figure out strategies to effectively open up discussions about AIDS in different areas and situations. Having done work around AIDS and HIV in Africa, Symons feels Bike-Aid riders must recognize regional differences within the United States, "and that in terms of education, you can't assume that what works in San Fr~ncisco works in Missouri." He hopes rider~ will engage in an "exchange of ideas" with locals~ and hopes to see "a real listening process, open to whatever creative solutions local people have to offer." "We want to complement the work that's already been done", says Mike Spiegal, co-coordinator of Bike:Aid '93, who contacted AIDS organizations across the country for cyclists to hook up with along the way. "We want to educate people about AIDS on a global scale, and one of the ways to do this is to visit communities in this country that have organized themselves." This makes it easier to learn what works in specific communities from their local activists. On a long trip with a smc;ill group, it gradually gets easier to engage total strangers on unusual topics - at the very least, because you're a little tired of your companions, and need to talk with someone new. But also, there.simply , is ·a lot of great importance to talk about, such as the terrific projects ODN works on both here and overseas. , The strength of Bike-Aid' s US trip lies in the empowerment of individuals and.communities to make grassroots change. Spiegal says, "people can best meet their own needs when they have control over their own means." That's why Bike-Aid funds a women's sewing collective in Chile, programs for at-risk youth in Springfield, MA, and AIDS prevention programs from Ghana to Utah; to name just a few. For example, in Zimbabwe, where homosexuality is illegal, ODN helps a gay and lesbian run community health and activity center, which doubles as a soap cooperative. Since 1986, Bike-Aid has taken in over a million dollars for such programs. The organization handles most of the logistics and initial funding for the ride. The riders must find their own pledges, and collect what money they can along the way. Empowerment for the riders is important too. Joy Jacobson, also a Bike-Aid '93 co-coordinator, organized an· all-women's route leaving from Portland. She says that the women-only status of the route has nothing to do with "male-bashing", but that "we wanted to create a space where women could bond, and feel comfortable discussing issues specific to them." As women make up the fastest-growing HIV-positive group in the US, and fully 40% of those carrying the virus throughout the world, there sho-uldn't be~ lack of things to talk about on or after the ride. "The women's route and the AIDS theme can only enhance each other", say&Jacobson, "because talking about women and AIDS expands into 1 other things, like the neglect of women's health issues in general." RAIN Summer 1994 ·Volume XIV, Number 4 Page 31
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