BICYCLE – BIcycle Culture as Youth's Civic and sustainabLe Empowerment

Co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union
Ride, Connect, Empower

🌍 Project Partnership

BICYCLE is a European youth project coordinated by Permacultura Cantabria (Spain) and implemented by six partner organisations from six countries. Creativity Works Europe is the Polish partner, bringing its experience in using art, media and digital storytelling to involve young people in civic participation and in creating youth-driven policy recommendations.

  • 🇪🇸 Permacultura Cantabria (Spain) – project coordinator; youth empowerment, environmental education and sustainable rural development
  • 🇧🇪 YEU International – Youth for Exchange and Understanding (Belgium) – European youth policy, intercultural dialogue and democratic engagement
  • 🇮🇹 Oriel APS (Italy) – social inclusion, outdoor education and sport for development
  • 🇵🇹 AENIE – Associação Educativa Nacional de Inclusão e Inovação nas Escolas (Portugal) – digital inclusion and educational innovation
  • 🇫🇷 Erasmus Pays Basque (France) – youth mobility and environmental education
  • 🇵🇱 Creativity Works Europe (Poland) – culture, creative civic engagement and sustainable urban development

Project Overview

BICYCLE uses cycling as a tool for youth civic engagement and political participation. The project connects young people, youth workers and policymakers across six European countries to promote sustainable mobility, democratic involvement and community-driven change – through training, advocacy and international cooperation.

The project officially started with a kick-off meeting in Sarón, Spain, on 14–17 January 2025, where the partners agreed on the project’s goals, roles and responsibilities.

Objectives

  • 🚲 Empower youth through civic engagement – using bicycle culture as a way for young people to take an active part in their communities
  • 🌱 Promote sustainable development and sustainable urban mobility
  • 🗣️ Develop skills for political advocacy and connect young people with policymakers
  • ♻️ Address overconsumption and promote the responsible use of resources
  • 🤝 Ensure inclusive engagement of young people from different backgrounds

Project Activities

Phase 1: Engage – capacity building and skills development

  • 🇪🇸 Youth exchange in Spain – 60 young people (10 per country) spend 8 days designing youth-led cycling policy initiatives using the Dragon Dreaming methodology
  • 🇫🇷 Training course for youth workers in France – 24 youth workers (4 per partner) take part in a 4-day course on cycling policy, youth advocacy and participatory democracy

Phase 2: Connect – online and offline youth engagement

  • 🇪🇸 International volunteering programme in Spain – 36 young people (6 per country) volunteer for 59 days to put the ideas from Phase 1 into practice

Phase 3: Empower – local and international policy advocacy

  • 🚴 Local cycling advocacy and policy dialogues in every partner country – 96 young people (16 per country) organise cycling tours, meet local policymakers and present proposals for better cycling infrastructure and sustainable urban mobility
  • 🇧🇪 Final policy presentation in Brussels – youth workers and young people from all partner countries present their recommendations to European stakeholders

Project Results

Visit the project website: bicycle.permaculturacantabria.com

Co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union logo

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.