Cycling4Diversity team members reflect on the C4D initiative

The understanding and celebration of both cultural diversity and inclusivity is, in my mind, the single greatest challenge for the world community today! We absolutely MUST "seek first to understand and then be understood" in order to have a peace that is everlasting. The maligning of others because they happen to be different than I is a product of profound and unacceptable ignorance. I must change and so too must everyone of you who struggle to accept others because they are different whether that be culture, age, gender, religion, appearance or any other self imposed barrier. There is one race the human race. Let us celebrate together.

 

Dr. Bill MacGregor

Councillor

City of Abbotsford

The future success of our communities and societies depends on the foundation we build in our young people today. It’s so important for all of us to encourage and empower one another to make positive changes regarding attitudes of racism and discrimination through cultural inclusiveness and the development of a non-discriminatory mindset. This is why initiatives such as Cycling4Diversity can be such a positive force in our communities – it works to unite people across different generations and backgrounds by creating awareness of the cultural importance of equality and diversity.

Harold Derksen

Bible Translator/Editor

Diversity without inclusion is an ingredient's list without a recipe. Diversity does not automatically produce intercultural understanding nor an environment free from discrimination. Every day in our BC communities, a youth faces racism based on his or her skin colour or ancestry. Every day, an immigrant faces challenges in securing a job based on their name or foreign experience. Every day, homophobia & transphobia prevents people from expressing who they are. We can do better than this, with a recipe for intercultural dialogue, education & exposure. This is why I believe in the mission of Cycling4Diversity- to share the value of inclusion with students & decision makers (education), to hear from the next generation as to what their challenges & solutions are (dialogue) & to model diversity within our team (exposure). Inclusive communities requires intention, commitment & opportunities to better understand one another. 

Lindsay Marsh, M.A.
Diversity & Inclusion Specialist
National Program Coordinator (Safe Harbour: Respect for All)

From  day one I believed in Ken and Sarina's initiative towards Cycling4Diversity.
My message  to everybody is that an individual can keep his/her language, culture, appearance and religion also other beliefs and yet be diverse, extend your boundaries of friendship with the people of other cultures. Also I try my best to eradicate racism from the youth. I extend to our C4D team my full cooperation in their good work.

 Kulwinder Singh Dhillon

Self Employed/Entrepreneur

Underlying any of my endeavours is the desire to include all people.  I've continually observed a wealth of ingenuity, intellect, and willingness in our communities that is unrecognized, untapped, and unharnessed because of things like sexism, racism, and numerous other forms of discrimination.  These barriers sustain marginalization and exclusivity, and they are unacceptable.

C4D is a group with ideals that align with my beliefs about diverse people working together to spark a change in the attitudes surrounding all of our differences.  Everyone has something to contribute; everyone is valuable.  Of all of the qualities we strive for, the thing I find most valuable in people is an openness and kindness of heart: something that surpasses all of our differences, unites us, and let's us celebrate diversity.
 Anoop Tatlay
Student of Life

 Very humbled to be included in such a diverse group of individuals to share the message of diversity.  Personal experiences throughout my life have shown me that people have the greatest ability to overcome challenges and diversity, when give the encouragement.  Young people are our best hope to change old habits, and old fears. We, as adults, need to step up and be examples of that and to share that even when faced with hardships, we do have the power within us to change the negative in our lives. Diversity isn't just about race, religion or culture, it can also be about gender, disability, or mental health challenges as well.  We, as a human race, need to practice ways of being more compassionate to our fellow human beings, and I believe that this initiative, Cycling 4 Diversity, is one way for us to start making that change...one step at a time.
 Terry Stobbart
 Community Activist

 Cycling4Diversity is an initiative that has been supported by everyone who it has been presented to, from citizens, to schools, to municipalities, to the provincial government, and to the generous donors who help make it possible. The reason it is so widely accepted a project is that no one can deny the value of promoting the integration and development of relationships between the vast variety of backgrounds that we as Canadian's represent.

Beyond our race, religion and ethnic background, lie a world of invisible characteristics that make us all unique and valuable and important for the success of inclusive and successful communities, driven by the desire to provide a better present and future, and to achieve more understanding of the meaningful struggles and accomplishments of our past. 

Without dialogue, the development of diversity is impossible, and the grass roots networking of Cycling4Diversity between the different groups represented on the ride, and in the communities and groups visited, helps to encourage that dialogue and promote that ideal in a pure and effective way. By telling our own stories, and listening to each others, we can demonstrate what the benefits of diversity and integration are to people who may only be starting to understand it, and ensure that the positive effects of diversity in our communities will be felt and built upon.

Aaron Levy
Station Manager
101.7 FM
CIVL Radio www.civl.ca

 

University of the Fraser Valley
Abbotsford, BC