Riding to Break the Cycle

About Me

NEW WEBSITE!!!
www.agentsofchange.ca
***Agents of Change will soon be accepting applicants for the 2008 ride team - applications reviewed and riders added on a rolling basis!***
Hello all - welcome to our little "change the world" initiative! Riding to Break the Cycle is a 7 week, 3000 kilometre cycling tour from Vancouver to Tijuana (yes, Canada to Mexico) to raise money and awareness for microcredit initiatives in poverty stricken areas. Over time, we are building a $1,000,000 microcredit lending fund to be managed by the youth that are creating it.
Our first crew of 21 riders left May 3, 2007 and cycled, cooked, camped, bonded, debated, presented and made connections alllll the way down the Pacific Coast for more than 5 weeks and raised $30,000!!!
Riding to Break the Cycle is more than a bike trip, its a mobile leadership experience with riders giving presentations, communally planning and implementing trip objectives, and interacting with local communities and groups fighting poverty along the entire route.
We're partnering with Kiva (www.Kiva.org) to deliver the funds. Our registered non-profit, Agents of Change (www.agentsofchange.ca), is dedicated to youth engagement in social issues, and seeking sustainable long term solutions to global poverty and inequity. Along with growing Riding to Break the Cycle we are taking on other projects, speaking in schools, and generally trying to make our world a better place! Check out the website and come say hi :-)
We are accepting donations for the ride, 100% of which will be loaned through Kiva to people trying to EARN their way out of poverty. There are several ways you can help:
1) Donate at www.agentsofchange.ca to help fund loans.
All donations go through our secure and well known charity partner GiveMeaning.com as they provide online fundraising capabilities for us at NO cost - 100% to those that need it!
You may also mail cheques made out to "Agents of Change" to our address at:
14312 18th Ave
Surrey, BC
Canada V4A 7G2
2) We are seeking sponsorship to ease the costs of the trip. Each rider is fundraising $3000 to take part - bikes, gear, travel, food - it all adds up and whatever we don't spend goes into the fund!
3) Spread the word. Please invite your friends, tell your mom, and phone that relative that works in media. We CAN do this, but we need your help!
Thank you for your time,
The "Agents of Change"
2007 Riding Team:
Shawn Smith, Bronwyn Cass, Gabrielle Blackburn, Kelli Smith, Nigel Wilson, Sean Peters, Christina Wu, Aaron Cawker, Dylan Weil, Janine Zuppiger, Annie Burns-Pieper, Christine Yeung, Lisa Lopez, David Peters, Amy Vandervelde, Keely Burton, Meagan Wilson, Laird Herbert, Mark Stephens, Camilo Ruiz and Calen Rucastle
Part of the team, Gaby, Shawn, and Bronwyn...

My Interests

Its estimated that some 30,000 children a DAY die from poverty - preventable diseases and malnutrition largely. 1.3 BILLION people have no reliable clean water, another 1.3 BILLION are trying to scrape by on less than the equivalent of $1 USD a day. Tough stats, but somehow seems...far away. Lets try a little mental game...

If the world were a 100 person village...could you live here, and comfortably look around the village at this travesty, with a clean conscience? Keep that in mind and watch this video

One of the leader's of the Microcredit movement and winner of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, Professor Muhammad Yunus on the Daily Show

UN Video for the 2005 Year of Microcredit

Managed to meet up with all the Kiva kids at the Global Microcredit Summit in Halifax, Canada. That's me, Shawn, between a couple of the INCREDIBLY hard working Kiva staff at the Summit, should have seen the HOURS these people put in!

I'd like to meet:

All comers, everyone has their story...

NEW WEBSITE!!!

www.agentsofchange.ca

Check it out, leave lots of comments, be an Agent of Change!

Heroes:

Anyone acting to change their world, in big or small ways.

My Blog

Riding to Break the Cycle ’08!

Applications are ready for the 2008 ride! Check the website for details and get in touch for the world-changing experience of a lifetime :-) The 2007 ride has so far raised well over $30,000!!! --Shaw...
Posted by Riding to Break the Cycle on Mon, 06 Aug 2007 11:52:00 PST

Blogging from the road...

Check the website for ALL the latest! Simply no time to update so many blogs and sites but we check this one all the time so please come by and say hello. Much appreciation for all the support, Agents...
Posted by Riding to Break the Cycle on Sun, 27 May 2007 02:02:00 PST

Sponsorship and Information Package

Agents of Change Riding to Break the Cycle Do the problems of poverty and international development seem overwhelming at times? Do you ever wish you could do something and KNOW it was making a re...
Posted by Riding to Break the Cycle on Wed, 22 Nov 2006 11:26:00 PST

Launched, woot!

Just a quick update on the official Agents of Change and Riding to Break the Cycle launch event last night (Saturday the 3rd). The event was an overwhelming success, with inspired and inspiring guests...
Posted by Riding to Break the Cycle on Mon, 05 Feb 2007 08:54:00 PST

UPDATE - ok, so things have been a little crazy!

Just want to give everybody an update on how things are going, and there's a LOT going on: 1) We have FOURTEEN CONFIRMED RIDERS!! This is getting huge, and with this kind of energy we're going to be p...
Posted by Riding to Break the Cycle on Fri, 12 Jan 2007 12:52:00 PST

How it works...

For all those of you that have been writing to ask for more info on Microcredit, here's the basic idea: Hundreds of millions of people around the world have no assets, no collateral, no employment rec...
Posted by Riding to Break the Cycle on Sun, 10 Dec 2006 11:05:00 PST

Hi all - just a quick update, and thanks so much for your early support!Its been a big week with:- Decisions on departure date (May 5th)- A time line and end point (5 weeks, Tijuana)- The launching of...
Posted by Riding to Break the Cycle on Fri, 10 Nov 2006 07:42:00 PST