The rules are simple:
Why take the Challenge?
At its heart, it’s just a way of going back to a time when we all knew our neighbours and took the time to talk to them.
There’s much talk around The Hills that change is overwhelming us, particularly as people see the numbers of high rise building projects that have been proposed. Locals are expressing frustration that the changes around us are out of our control.
“It’s changing”, “It’s not the same area that I came to live in”, “It doesn’t have the same feel, anymore” and “If I could, I’d move out of Sydney altogether” are just some of the talk we have heard around The Hills … and not from the elderly!
Besides the obvious road congestion and the feeling that our grandchildren won’t have the quarter acre backyard to play in, people are feeling alienated in the modern world and less connected to their communities.
That feeling of isolation and sometimes hopelessness is often greater for the elderly who have grown up with the independence that motor cars provided only to have it ripped away as ageing took over. They are the first generation to experience what the loss of your own car transport means and at a time when personal mobility can also be failing. You could say that they feel “hemmed in”. Or as we, at HillsCarPal, say they have become Shut-in Seniors.
Taking the HillsCarPal Ride/Selfie Challenge is a small step in getting to know one of your neighbours and giving back by helping a #ShutinSenior in need. It won’t change the development forces at play but it can make a difference, help build community cohesion and resilience and engender a feeling of “We’re in this together. Not just me against the world”.
If we want our community to be one that we like living in, we can take action to make it so. And a proven way to do this is by getting to know your neighbours. HillsCarPal’s Ride/Selfie Challenge is a way of doing just that.
But I don’t have the time
If that is so, sorry but things won’t change and you’ll miss out on the fun that comes with getting involved with your neighbours. Not only that but Seniors who are ignored become more isolated and even more alienated. Just the opposite of how they would like to live out their remaining years as part of a great community.
And, by the way, you don’t need to own a bike to get the fun and enjoyment that comes from getting to know a Senior as is the case in this video.
Actually, if you already drive places anyway it isn’t going to take much extra time on a Ride you offer. And knocking on a neighbour’s door on a weekend, for example, is not very time-consuming either.
Five (5) minutes should do it. So unless there’s some other issue, why not give it a try?
After the Ride comes the Selfie; and the Challenge goes out
The idea is that you shout it to the world (including your “fb “Friends”). The more who you “infect” with motivation to take HillsCarPal’s Ride/Selfie Challenge, the more connected our community becomes. Try it and enjoy!
Those who can’t participate can make a donation, if they wish so that HillsCarPal can attract and train more volunteer drivers. It’s pretty simple really but oh so powerful.
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