In the summer of 1999, a coalition of teachers, social service providers, college students, and expert cyclists guided 25 at-risk youth across their nation - on bicycle. Between California and Florida. The group stopped in 6 cities to offer help and hope to communities in need. This 2300 mile journey exposed the young riders to the process of overcoming obstacles and facing challenge as they learned to rely on their own strengths, caring guides, and one another to reach their goals.

Each youth was provided with a bicycle and all necessary gear. Nightly shelter, meals, and return transportation were pre-arranged. There was no cost to the youth who went on the trip; Waking the Village covered all expenses. In addition, each youth spent four months training with an adult guide, preparing mentally and physically for the trip. During the trip, the youth rode with the same guide, counting on him or her for direction and encouragement.

Invited were a variety of youth who would otherwise not have had an opportunity to seize adventure and visit places of wonder. Until the trip, they did not know the joy of cutting through the crisp morning air as the roads unfolds before them and the red fades from the sky. Nor were they familiar with the deep satisfaction of coasting over a peak after a long, slow incline.

We were well aware that this journey would be no trip to Disneyland. We were seeking to provide the youth with an experience that would change their ideas about their own capacities and the potential of living. We were seeking to reawaken hope and wonder in our youth.

It was a great success!