Lusófona University lecturer is patron of “Bicicleta Inclusiva Intergeracional”
The project patronised by Professor Paulo Sargento aims to bring generations together on a single bicycle, sharing joy and intergenerational wisdom
Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)
Paulo Sargento, lecturer at the Faculty of Law and at IPLUSO, and Associate Researcher at CEAD – Francisco Suarez, acted as patron of a project created by APS – Jardim dos Pequeninos, chaired by Professor Joaquim Lourenço, in Vieira de Leiria.
The project enables closer interaction between generations, namely between elderly people living in care homes and children from mainstream and special education schools, who go for rides on the same bicycle, pedalled by volunteers, along paths and roads known as routes of joy.
In this way, older participants enjoy the cheerful company of lively children, who help combat their loneliness, while the younger ones learn many things and listen to delightful stories, also coming to understand that there are different life cycles and that we all grow older.
Intergenerational solidarity, a long-standing dream of Professor Paulo Sargento for over 30 years, has found a simple solution to bring generations together and make society more supportive and less ageist. By coincidence, or perhaps not, the inaugural ceremony of the Bicicleta Inclusiva Intergeracional took place on 20 December, International Solidarity Day.
