In Quebec, Les Rayonnantes introduces newcomers to cycling

For three years, volunteers from the Les Rayonnantes program have been teaching the basics of cycling to dozens of young immigrant women from Quebec. The objective: to provide them with a bicycle and all the autonomy that comes with it.

Friday was an educational day in Quebec. However, in the courtyard of the Louis-Jolliet Center, a group of adolescent girls and young women received very special teaching.

They were first taught to master their bicycles, because although only a few of the girls were their first pedal riders in life, most returned to cycling after several years and in a new country.

This is the case of Danielle Ndouba, 19 years old. 12 years. Afterwards, I stopped when I fell. So, I’m starting again “,”text”:”I did it when I was 12. Afterwards, I stopped when I fell. So, I start again “}}”>I did it when I was 12. Afterwards, I stopped when I fell. So, I start againshe says.

Then followed the mechanics and safety courses. The goal is for them to become fully autonomous. This is why they will receive a bike, a helmet and a lock at the end of the program.

We consider that cycling can truly be a vector of emancipation and economic empowermentexplains Marie-Soleil Gagné, general director of Access viable transports, the organization behind the Les Rayonnantes program.

For her, having a bicycle greatly increases the independence of young women. They can really travel longer distances, go to destinations that are more distant without having to wait for help from a loved one, she explains.

Women underrepresented among cyclists

For Access to viable transport, the idea is to introduce utility cycling to a population that practices it less often. % of cyclists are men “,”text”:”In Canada, 70% of cyclists are men “}}”>In Canada, 70% of cyclists are meninsists Marie-Soleil Gagné.

Our goal is to facilitate behavior change. We are targeting women more specifically, because we know that there are obstacles to the adoption of this mode of transport among women.

Among the obstacles that often prevent women from choosing cycling as a means of transport, she cites their greatest concerns about safety as well as issues related to education and social norms.

Moreover, all training is done exclusively between women, volunteers and speakers included, in order to establish a climate of trust among the participants.

A bicycle as a tool for independence

Among the participants this year, several are still teenagers. They are students at the Cité secondary school, in the Limoilou district. Jeanne Bouchard, worker at Motivaction Jeunesse, works at the school and supports them in the Les Rayonnantes project.

This is also a category where, financially speaking, parents cannot offer their child several ways of getting around. Sometimes the bus is not possible and they have to walk everywhereshe notes.

The arrival of the bicycle in their lives can therefore change many things on a daily basis, believes the speaker.

It helps them grow to no longer be dependent on their parents, to be able to have a certain freedom in a neighborhood that they are beginning to get to grips with, because they did not necessarily grow up here.

Samira Touré, a 13-year-old participant, plans to use her new bike to go for walks on Saturdays, just to take my mind off my phone a bitshe explains.

Samira Gokra, 20, explains that she is delighted with the new mechanical knowledge she has acquired. I will be able to take the bike to go to work, that will still help meshe predicts.

Over the next few weeks, Jeanne Bouchard will accompany the teenagers on group outings to ensure that they maintain what they have learned. She will also show them which places are easily accessible by bike in Lower Town of Quebec, where most of them live.

With the collaboration of Marie-Claire Giffard