Bike (organization)

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Der Drahtesel (from 2005 to 2014 Gump- & Drahtesel) is a Swiss non-profit organization based in Bern's Liebefeld , which is active in the field of professional integration. The project has been accompanying people on their way to the primary job market since 1993. To this end, unemployed people are provided with temporary jobs as well as coaching, application and educational opportunities. The founder is Paolo Richter, who has received awards for his commitment. The bike is supported by Sinnovativ, the foundation for social innovation.

organization

The high unemployment rate in 1993 gave Paolo Richter the idea of ​​setting up a work integration project. In contrast to conventional employment programs, the bike realizes a new approach, on the one hand combining the integration of the unemployed with development cooperation and ecological tasks and on the other hand linking meaningful work assignments with professional coaching. When it was founded, the bike consisted of a bicycle recycling workshop in which the unemployed reconditioned disused Swiss bicycles for export to Africa. The first container full of recycling bikes soon left the workshop for Ghana. Velorecycling for Africa was later developed into an independent organization called Velafrica .

As a social enterprise, the bicycle is still involved in professional integration to this day. Under the name Dreigänger, the bike also runs a shop and restaurant and organizes cultural events.

The bike is one of three companies supported by Sinnovativ, the foundation for social innovation. Other Sinnovativ companies are Weges Weierbühl and Velafrica. The name of the company has changed over time: after the merger with the toy recycling workshop “Gumpesel” the company was called “Gump- & Drahtesel” from 2005 to 2014.

activity

The primary goal of the bike is to integrate unemployed people into the primary labor market as quickly and sustainably as possible. For this purpose, the bike provides unemployed women and men with a temporary job as well as coaching and educational offers. This opens up new opportunities and perspectives on the job market for them. Apprenticeships complete the offer.

What began in 1993 with four jobs, in 2018 included 155 jobs and apprenticeships with around 900 participants annually. They are assigned by institutions such as the social service, the RAV, the IV or the youth institutions. The bike offers young people individually accompanied and supported training. These vocational training courses are aimed at people who, due to their current life situation, have limited opportunities to find an apprenticeship in the primary labor market. The bicycle offers training for people with mental and / or physical impairments or a learning disability.

Awards

The bike and its founder Paolo Richter have been honored with numerous prizes for their commitment. For their work they were awarded the North-South Prize of the Romero House in 2002 and the Social Prize of the Bürgi-Willert Foundation in 2007. In 2009, Paolo Richter received the “Swiss Social Entrepreneur of the Year” award from the Schwab Foundation and in 2015 was recognized by Ashoka as a “Swiss Changemaker”. In 2016, Velafrica was selected by Swiss Re as Charity of the Year and awarded the Seif label for its innovative model for promoting social enterprises in Africa. In 2017, the Drosos Foundation honored Velafrica for innovative work integration of people from the migration sector and young adults, and in 2019 the “three-year-old” was awarded the Prix Lions 2019 for its commitment to learners.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Claudia Gnehm: A bridge builder with «bikes». Handelszeitung, December 16, 2009, accessed on February 11, 2020 .
  2. ↑ Organizational development and milestones. In: Fahrradesel. Sinnovativ Foundation, accessed on February 11, 2020 .
  3. ↑ Rachel Honegger: First successes in job search for refugees from Bern. In: Schweiz Aktuell. Swiss Radio and Television (SRF), January 4, 2016, accessed on January 14, 2020 .
  4. ↑ Selina Stucki: Training instead of disability pension. Der Bund, November 2, 2014, accessed on January 13, 2020 .
  5. ↑ Dominik Galliker: Bikes got his life rolling. Berner Zeitung BZ, June 16, 2014, accessed on January 14, 2020 .
  6. ↑ First North-South Prize awarded against forgetting. Neue Zürcher Zeitung, October 24, 2001, accessed on February 11, 2020 .
  7. ↑ Social award. Bürgi-Willert-Stiftung, 2007, accessed on February 11, 2020 .
  8. ↑ Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurs (ed.): Outstanding Social Entrepreneurs 2010 . Cologny / Geneva 2010.
  9. ↑ Awardees 2009. Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurs, 2009, accessed on 11 February 2020 .
  10. ^ Swiss Changemakers Program: The 2015 Changemakers. Ashoka, 2015, accessed January 13, 2020 .
  11. ↑ Olalla Linares Segade: New Label Awardees. Seif - Driving Social Innovation, January 22, 2016, accessed January 14, 2020 .
  12. ↑ Velafrica - Innovative work integration in Switzerland with global impact. Drosos Foundation, 2020, accessed February 17, 2020 .
  13. ↑ Prix ​​Lion: Awards 2019. March 19, 2019, accessed on January 14, 2020 .