TORONTO — Azam Abowath didn’t really have a set of wheels to call his own, using his brother’s bicycle and sibling’s guidance in helping him with fixer-uppers.
His fortunes would soon change after taking part in a program teaching the basics of bike repair and maintenance to youth from Toronto’s Regent Park, home to Canada’s first public housing community.
With the help of mentors and mechanics at Charlie’s FreeWheels, Abowath selected a donated bike he was able to transform — but he had his work cut out for him.
“It was completely broken down,” he recalled. “The cranks, the pedals, they were so rusted we couldn’t take them off, the mechanic had to saw them off. I had to get completely new tires. It was a mess.
“Now, it’s fantastic. I always get compliments with it. It’s amazing,” added Abowath, who gave the bike a new look with a fresh paint job.
The 19-year-old continued to be involved with the program since first taking part in the summer of 2009.
He’s gone beyond just repairs, most notably lending a hand with the latest big initiative: the launch of a new bike shop being used to house Charlie’s FreeWheels — and more.
In addition to offering jobs and training to youth, Charlie’s Bike Shop will be offering repair service, parts, accessories and sales of refurbished bikes to the public.
All proceeds generated from the shop will be funnelled back into youth programs.
The program was conceived by friends of the late Charles Prinsep, who was struck and killed while on a cross-country bike trip in 2007.
Following his death, some of Prinsep’s friends wanted to do something in his honour that combined two of his loves — cycling and the city, said program co-ordinator Caitlin Carlisle.
They also wanted to do something within the downtown Cabbagetown neighbourhood where Prinsep grew up.
Two of the people interested in starting the initiative had been volunteering at the Pathways to Education program in Regent Park.
The program offers support to help ensure young people will successfully complete high school, continue on to post-secondary programs and become actively engaged in their career development.
“The idea of the program is that youth come and get a bicycle, an old bicycle, and they strip it down, and then in a series of lessons they learn about the bike and they build the bike back up,” said Carlisle.
“In the process of that, they learn how to sort of work on their own bike and learn a bit about the science behind things, and just sort of gain a confidence in bikes and bike riding.”
Carlisle said not all of the youth who have come through the program have ridden bikes before. She believes cycling is both an affordable means of transport and a great way to see the city, while the program helps teach youth to be self-reliant and capable of fixing their own bikes.
“It’s not so much about becoming a mechanic,” Carlisle said. “The point of it is to sort of learn how to do something on your own, get into biking, meet new people.”
Youth receive a bike, lock and helmet. They also take part in CAN-BIKE safety certification to learn how to ride safely on the road, Carlisle said.
Each year at graduation, they’ve taken part in the Critical Mass bike ride where they lead a group to Regent Park, she said.
Since its launch two years ago, 30 youth have gone through Charlie’s FreeWheels.
Carlisle said having their own dedicated space with Charlie’s Bike Shop has been a big draw in helping to expand the program and to have a central location for youth to walk to within their neighbourhood, in addition to providing affordable repairs and bikes for those in the community.
They rely on support from local businesses and volunteers donating their time. Carlisle said many people also pitched in to help in the renovation of the newly opened shop.
She said they’ve also had a “huge response” since opening their doors, with people calling up with donations and walking in off the streets with bikes in tow.
As for Abowath, the recent high school grad is looking toward a possible future career as a teacher.
He said he’s gained many skills from his current experience, like helping set up and design the bike shop, assisting in the office and helping customers at the storefront.
“There are so many different aspects and there are so many experiences I’m learning through this bike shop — not just working on bikes — which I’m hoping I can take into whatever career I want because it’s making me so flexible as to what I want to do.”
Online:Charlie’s FreeWheels, www.charliesfreewheels.ca