On the occasion of the World Bicycle Day, the Municipality of Chania organizes the 1st School Mobility and Education Festival “Move It Now – Let’s Move Now”, which will take place on Thursday 5 June at the “Mikis Theodorakis” Theatre, as well as the 1st Conference on Road Safety and Sustainable Mobility, which will take place on 17 June at the Centre for Mediterranean Architecture.
The World Cycling Day finds the Municipality of Chania completing an initiative that brought together, according to the Municipal Authority, schools, institutions, services, teachers and the local community around a common goal: The shaping of a new perception of mobility, road safety and the relationship between the Municipality of Chania and the public space.
“Cycling is at the core of this effort. Not only as an environmentally friendly means of transport, but as a symbol of health, freedom, autonomy and active participation in the daily life of the city. As the UN also recognises, cycling contributes to health, education, social cohesion and sustainable development, making it a valuable tool for more humane and resilient societies,”
With this philosophy, more than 35 schools, over 40 institutions and more than 10 municipal services joined forces during the school year, offering more than 3.500 students with hands-on activities and experiences around road safety, cycling, walking, sustainable mobility and people-centred city planning.
The “Move It Now” initiative seeks to foster in children knowledge, skills and life attitudes that will accompany them beyond their school years. To give them the opportunity to experience cycling not only as a means of transport or sport, but also as part of a broader way of thinking linked to responsibility, respect, cooperation and care for the place where we live.
The Festival on 5 June and the Conference on 17 June are the culmination of this journey and an opportunity to showcase the work of a large collaborative network that has demonstrated in practice that education can be a powerful driver of change for a safer, more humane and more sustainable city.
