The Minga and a Bike Ride of Critical Mass

The Minga Storefront located at 146 Queen Street, Dunnville, Ontario.

The Minga is just a small part of a bigger vision.
The DREAM PROGRAM, since its humble beginnings in 2001 as a community-based organization of volunteers whose mission was to empower youth to reach their academic potential, discover their passions and as a result touch people’s lives in a positive way.
Since 2001, DREAM has seen the growth of youth focus groups concentrated on a variety of social and environmental issues, the Global Literacy Program which invites Grade 11 students to travel to Ek Belam, Mexico to attend field school, and the opening of The Shared Harvest Community Farm.
The DREAM Program hosts a variety of events including a a summer family music festival Turnip The Beets, a Raising Awareness Film and Speaker Series featuring thought provoking speakers, films and student presentations and my personal favourite: The Critical Mass Bike Ride.

The Critical Mass Bike Ride began in 2011 as a way to encourage environmentally friendly transportation and a healthy lifestyle. By relying non-motorized transportation to travel to school, work or for errands increases your level of activity but also your carbon foot print.

This year, on April 22, Earth Day,

more than 50 students from Dunnville Secondary School participated in the Critical Mass Bike Ride through Dunnville. Accompanied by community mentors, teachers, local professionals, friends and family. I was lucky enough to be joined by 4 of the 12 Grade 9 students I mentor and my younger sister who was in DREAM the year it began.

Kevin Hamilton, manager of Shared Harvest Farm speaks of his experience with Critical Mass Bike Rides around the world.

We be departed from Dunnville Secondary School at roughly 4p.m. I was perched carefully on the back of a homemade bike truck consisting of two bikes welded together with a third axel attached to the back of the bikes which supported a flat bed. We were to take up our fair share of the lane as cyclists, and encourage others we pass to join along.
As we began down Lock Street towards the downtown core, I got excited watching the students on bikes fly past and move forward, followed by kids on skateboards and long boards. This wasn't just a day for bikes! We even managed to get some BMX riders, and elementary kids on scooters to join us along the way.

We winded through the side streets in order to reach a destination, something that had never happened in our other Critical Mass Bike Rides. We rolled through to the end of Forest Street to the Silverthorne Refractories building, the home of the old Bick's Support Centre after the factory closed. They had donated their office equipment to be used in The Minga. The group of us escorted the moving van back to the loading dock where we proved many hands make light work. The stacks of chairs were loaded in no time. With one mission complete, we hit the streets again, this time heading for The Minga.

When we reached The Minga, the group took no time jumping off their foot powered vehicles and jumped to work unloaded the moving van and carrying the chairs to the second floor! Again, many hands make light work - I guess its a symptom of a Minga!

For some, it was the first sneak peak at the renovations taking place inside since the fall. There is still a lot of work to be done.

There was a little social break before returning back to the forward foot motion. My sister and two of the students I mentor took the opportunity to lounge on the back of the bicycle truck. *duck face*

 

 

We took to the streets yet again, this time with our sights set on one last lap through down town, and a meandering route back to DSS. As we rolled through the three way stop in downtown Dunnville, our leader kevin chanted

"When I say Happy, you say Earth Day. HAPPY!!!..."

"EARTH DAY!" We chanted.

We aroused the excitement of an elderly woman.

"HAPPY," she quietedly chanted as we rolled by. Unfortunately by the time we caught on to the fact that we were supposed to chant "Earth Day" back un unison, it was already too late. Sorry little lady, maybe next time!

 

 

 

 The students and community members reached DSS with a growing excitement for sharing their passion for a healthy lifestyle and environmentally friendly travel. The group decided that they would be hosting a Critical Mass Bike Ride the last Friday of Every Month this summer.

Please Join Us: May 31, June 28, July 26, Aug. 30, and Sept 27 for our monthly Critical Mass Bike Rides.

We meet at 3:30 at Dunnville Secondary School. All welcome, and if you don't have wheels bring some good walking shoes!