Renovation of two-wheeled vehicles in Sandy Ground
Meet Jason, Ronel, Keevan and Helyan, who live in Sandy Ground and are between the ages of 12 to 15. During the summer break on Tuesday August 16, 2016, they were calmly riding around on the MadTwoz Family Organization scooter used for delivering the SXM Friendly Mag. Indeed, on that day, they didn’t have a bike available. At a glance and by opening their ears, they saw that the spark plugs needed to be changed. In two or three turns of a wrench, the small group of young people dismantled the frame. Then a humming sound drew our attention: the scooter was already repaired.
There’s no time for idle chitchat here. The ones who watch learn from the ones who do. And how did the latter learn?”All by ourselves” they replied as if it were obvious. ”We spend our time repairing our machines…”. In a few days, Jason will begin the certificate of professional competence (CAP) training program specialized in auto mechanics at the lycée professionnel des îles du Nord, while Ronel, though crouching under the engine, has chosen the professional training program specialized in cooking. At the age of 15, he already cooks at home: what’s his specialty? Rice and chicken. Welcome to the school of ingenuity.
At a time when bicycle repair shops are proliferating in all the European cities, the Sandy Ground youth organization is struggling to make its own work due to a lack of means. On the continent, hipsters and bobos brandish the green argument against the backdrop of anti-obsolescence activism: ”why buy when you can recycle?” Here, this involves both avoiding that young people hang around in the streets, and helping them to build their two-wheeled vehicles all by themselves.
A PROJECT THAT REQUIRES DONATIONS
"When you ride around in the neighborhood, you often see young people repairing their bike or their scooter in the street. For me, this isn’t presentable” said Jérémy Watt the director of the organization, who is tired of hearing Sandy Ground spoken about in terms of delinquency and crimes. This youth which spends its holidays tinkering illustrates how he sees it: ”there’s a lot of talent, a lot of potential”. Since the summer of 2015, the MTF Bike Club is open every Saturday between 3 and 6 pm, and almost every day during the holidays. In all, there are nearly forty young people who come for repairing or just storing their bike. ”Many of them come on their own. For the others, it’s either their parents who make them come, or ourselves when we see them on the road" said Jérémy Watt. "I like creating projects in which young people have fun while improving in something that they already do daily" he added.
In addition to providing them with its premises, the organization has recently acquired two toolboxes. But in order for the project to develop to its full potential, the island inhabitants need to participate and donate their bicycles (or usable spare parts and any kind of tools) rather than throw them away. The Bike Club members could recover the parts for renovating the least damaged bikes and eventually sell them for a few dollars since a lot of parents can’t afford new bikes.
“SHOWING YOUNG PEOPLE THAT BIKES ARE STILL COOL”
The Bike Club also includes a BMX section for which the garage is only the extension. On an island where the fashion of wheeling is the national sport, ”we try to show that bikes are still cool” explained the director. And less dangerous than motorcycles or scooters… Hence the Kids Fun Day no. 1 which was organized in January 2015. Thanks to its sponsors and Thierry Parrot, one of its members, the organization managed to invite the Canadian BMX champion Jean William. The idea is to prove to young people that instead of practicing in the street just for fun, they can become professionals. Jérémy Watt has a dream: ”We would like to send the best members to Canada so that they can participate in international competitions. And so that they realize that with a BMX, you can travel all around the world”.
