FEATURE STORY
The Next Generation by Willie Weir
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ADOPT-A-LIBRARY FOR THE FUTURE
I'd like to propose a question to the members of the Adventure Cycling Association. How many of you have had your life change, or at least your perspective of life change, as a direct result of a long-distance bicycle journey? If so, please raise your hands. Now that we have about 44,500 hands raised, how many think that this country would be a better place if more of our inhabitants went through the same experience?
I mean, how many times have you been on the road and had someone approach you with an enormous grin on her face and say, "I cycled across the country in (fill-in any year from 1976 to the present). What can I do for you? Do you need a place to stay?" This is not normal. It is extraordinary. Simply amazing.
People do not approach a family in a Ford Windstar and say, "Hey, we drove our station wagon across the country in the 70s. What can we do for you? Do you need a place to stay?" They don't because driving a car across the country doesn't change anybody's life.
Wouldn't it be great if every high school student who was physically able had to pedal across the United States in order to graduate? Just think of how the attitudes and perspectives of this up-and-coming generation would change; how our energy and transportation and environmental and fiscal policies would be affected by this enormous group of physically fit and socially aware young people. Wow! I get goose bumps just thinking about it.
The only problem is... the number of young people traveling (not just recreating) by bicycle is declining, not increasing.
In my January/February 2000 column for Adventure Cyclist I wrote about my fear that there isn't going to be a next generation of adventure cyclists. We are a dying breed, unless we share our passion and excitement for this unique form of travel. The media isn't doing it. The government isn't doing it. And for the most part, the schools aren't doing it. We need to do it.
That column got the staff and several members of Adventure Cycling thinking and discussing what to do, which is the finest compliment a columnist can get, by the way. And I appreciate it. From these discussions came the new "Adopt-a-Library Program." This program will only be a success with your help. Here's how it works.
The best way to introduce the next generation to the wonders of adventure cycling is ... this magazine. Adventure Cycling Association will foot the bill for half the subscription price of Adventure Cyclist when you donate it to a school or public library. That means that for $20.00, you can put Adventure Cyclist in the school or library in your neighborhood. To make things even better, call the school librarian ahead of time and let him know that you are going to be donating a subscription to his library. Then ask him to let the teachers at the school know that this new publication will be available.
The initial goal of the Adopt-a-Library program is to place Adventure Cyclist in 100 school libraries A noble but conservative number when you consider that there are approximately 45,000 middle and high schools in the United States. I think we should shoot for 1%, or 450 school libraries. Then there are all those public libraries. Let's just say that we won't run out of libraries to adopt any time soon.
Adventure Cycling has started the wheel turning by donating Adventure Cyclist to all the schools in Missoula.
So choose your local library, your neighborhood school, or your alma mater (or all) and send them a gift of inspiration. You'll be doing no less than helping to save our country, our world and the very existence of bicycle travel.
$20.00 is all it takes to inspire young cyclists by adopting a library near you. Go to:
Adopt-a-Library
Willie Weir, Bike Traveler, is a columnist for Adventure Cyclist and the author of Spokesongs: Bicycle
Adventures on Three Continents; he welcomes visitors to his site at www.willieweir.com and email at willie@willieweir.com.
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