Save A Bike

The challenge

Our project tackles two vastly different problems. The first of these is the fact that many reintegration workers are having a hard time getting back on the labour market. Often, this is because they are missing skills that could make them valuable to employers, and therefore, they are looking for a way to learn something new. The second, is that the city of Tilburg is full of abandoned bicycles, left behind in a bad state by their owners. Ever so often, the municipality will collect these bikes, but what purpose do they serve after that?

The solution

Our partner company MSN is home to a large number of aspiring workers in all sorts of tough situations, ranging from recovering addicts to people with mild handicaps. We combine their willingness to work and learn with the neglected bike problem in Tilburg. The reintegration workers are educated in such a way that they can develop the skills required to be a bicycle or motorcycle mechanic. They learn hard and soft skills, such as carrying out many different bike repairs, welding, planning, teamwork and other general knowledge that is needed in the workplace. Once we have collected the repaired bikes, they are rented out and sold to students at an affordable price. By collecting and recycling damaged, abandoned bicycles, we aim to clean up the environment of Tilburg and recycle perfectly good bikes that serve no purpose. Furthermore, we are tackling problems of unemployment by educating individuals with a distance to the labor market. The invaluable experiences they gain through the Save a Bike project will aid them in finding a suitable job in the future.