A week today (May 25), the Cycling4Diversity team will be finishing its annual ride at the Mission Sikh Temple at 630 p.m. and the public is welcome to attend the closing, where food (Langar) and a little history of Sikhism will be presented.
I often have been asked by community members for tours of the temple and I thought this year we would wrap up our journey there and encourage visitors to come and ask questions.
The sole purpose of this gathering during Cycling4Diversity Week – in B.C. and the District of Mission from May 20-26 – is for Canadians to reach out in their neighbourhoods, workplaces and schools and break barriers and make new friends from different religious and cultural groups.
As a columnist coming up on 23 years, I have been constantly hearing that our diversity is divided and, as a population grows, it will get more difficult to correct. This is one of our primary goals of the C4D ride – to gently encourage the young and seniors to embark on intercultural relationships.
One thing I do notice is that some people can be quick to point fingers at each other rather than finding solutions. For example, some automatically assume our team is speaking about racism and the Caucasian folks are always the culprits.
That is not the case, actually, when it comes to racism. Every group has a finger in the cookie jar and no one group is more racist than the other.
When it comes to ethnic soccer or sports leagues, I am totally against it. Sports is the easiest way for young people to get to know each other and at a young age this is extremely important.
Cycling4Diversity seeks to foster intercultural relationships by encouraging students and citizens to expand their circle of friends and connect with people from various backgrounds by showing respect for differences and encouraging inclusion in their schools and communities.
Every year for the past seven years, we have been honoured to do this ride and speak to thousands and thousands of students along the way, and I believe we have made a difference in communities in B.C.
Everyone is always welcome to join our team. It’s about delivering an important message of inclusivity and also having fun doing so.
“At Khalsa School Mission our educational guiding principal is based off the Sikh concept of prem (unconditional love). This unconditional love for God is expressed by seeing all as one,” explained Sundeep Kaur.
“We teach our students to not see anyone for their colour, gender or race but to see a human heart and to accept everyone. Additionally, love for God is expressed by taking care of nature. Our school is situated on 160 acres in Miracle Valley. Our students maintain and learn from their environment.
“We will be helping host the closing ceremonies at the Mission Temple on May 25. Our students will be hosting tours, providing explanations, and performing religious hymns for our guests to enjoy.”
kenherar@gmail.com