The project “In die Gänge kommen” (Getting Started) is supported by the RepaRad e.V. association and financed by the European Social Fund (ESF), the Free State of Saxony, and the City of Dresden. The project started in April 2025 and will be funded until March 2027.

We want to run a bicycle repair shop, but not just any repair shop. Our aim is to bring people together through shared activities – or vice versa. Where people who don't get enough fresh air here and there can become a little more mobile: with their own hands, their heads, and, with the help of a roadworthy bicycle, their whole bodies.

As part of a classic bicycle self-help workshop, skills and abilities for repairing and maintaining bicycles will be developed, knowledge of traffic regulations will be imparted, and other core competencies for the independent organization of individual mobility will be taught.

Working together in the workshop brings people from different corners of society together. We want to be a place where people can repair their own bikes and break down language barriers and prejudices. When people are empowered to get their own bikes back up and running, it boosts their sense of self-efficacy. They leave the workshop feeling proud—and we watch them go with pride.

The project thrives on the help of volunteers who contribute their energy and ideas to make the workshop a lively meeting place for Friedrichstadt.

The project's target group is primarily residents of Gorbitz, especially the unemployed, migrants, and young people. These people are specifically addressed. However, to ensure the open and inclusive nature of the project, everyone else is also welcome.

The following sub-projects are planned to achieve these goals:

• Establishment and operation of an open bicycle self-help workshop with volunteers from the neighborhood
• Courses on bicycle repair skills and techniques based on the self-help principle
• Teaching knowledge and skills related to bicycle mobility, environmental protection, and resource conservation
• Offers for women to learn how to ride and repair bicycles
• Sewing and upcycling courses for the production and repair of bicycle-related textiles (e.g., transport bags) and other everyday items