Our family is involved in cycling advocacy and
placemaking in our community with our children, who are currently
seven-and-a- half, five, and two-and-a-half. We have biked with them
since each was an infant, and are currently a car-free family, so bikes
are our main transport. We began the group KidicalMassYYJ to encourage
families to cycle more, and to emphasize that “kids are traffic too.” We
also became involved as board members in our local advocacy group, the
Greater Victoria Cycling Coalition.
The children have been integral to all of these
activities, from helping with set up, talking to people, to simply
enjoying various events. As we have become more involved and better
known in our community, our family has been invited to various
consultations with the municipalities, and the Capital Regional
District.
Again, the children are involved, and have had
the opportunity to provide their own input, including the eldest
presenting his drawing of a cycling plan to city councilors and traffic
engineers. We have expanded our advocacy to focus on community and
place, and are founding members of the Greater Victoria Placemaking
Network.
The children are asked for their input during
planning meetings and discussions. Our children attend meetings,
tactical urbanism events that they have input in, and various
presentations put on by our colleagues. Although the activities we are
involved in are often seen as adult ones, our children happily join us,
and are welcomed by the community.
Although initially suggested by us, as the
children were very young when we started our involvement, we now
collaboratively decide what to be involved in, based on the children’s
interests. Activities often start with the children asking questions or
offering ideas.
The main purpose of these activities is to make
our community a better and more welcoming place for children and
families. Not only do the children learn about the civic process and
issues that our community faces, but they have an opportunity to be
heard by and interact with other members of our community. Through our
involvement, the children learn about the world around them, and their
part in it. That includes planning, conflict resolution, diversity,
compassion, environment, and many other facets of the world we live in.
Finally, they learn that they matter, and that their thoughts are
important.
Our advice to other families is to be involved,
share your passions, listen to your children, encourage their passions,
connect with people who respect their thoughts, and show them that their
voices matter, because they are an integral part of the community.
