Wide-eyed and inquisitive preschoolers at the Otago University Childcare Association Castle St Centre flowed away from their ball games, sandpits and other playground equipment, and gravitated toward the new point of interest.
Southern Youth Development (SYD) staff and some year 10 students from Trinity College brought about half a dozen balance bikes and small two-wheel pedal bikes to the centre, to show the children how they had repaired the bikes.
And once they were given a final safety check, they were left at the centre for the children to learn to ride.
"The point of the programme is to give young people aged between 12 and 24 a purpose and teach them so they can actually go out into the workforce with skills that they wouldn’t have had prior.
"The other side of teaching them how to fix bikes is it is helping to keep them [the bikes] out of our landfills.
"It’s helping to create a circular environment for the bikes as part of Southern Youth Development’s waste minimisation plan."
Trinity College student Cooper Pauley said he loved the programme because it brought smiles to other people’s faces.
"It feels great, just having a chance to make somebody else feel better and give them the sense of freedom that a bike can give."
He said the programme had sparked a genuine interest in learning, and they had embraced the chance to acquire practical skills related to bike mechanics.
"I’ve gotten into general mechanics, working with my hands and stuff like that.
"I like it."
Mr Newbury said SYD staff were now working hard to establish the programme in other schools and community organisations.
