With our webinar series "CA Exchange" we highlight great activities in our network and foster interaction and exchange between colleagues from different member institutions and beyond. On 9 December 2025, Giulia Sonetti introduced the project Cycling to Care (C2C) and shared emerging findings from pilot interventions in Barcelona, where young volunteers cycle with older residents to explore emotional, social, and environmental transformation in everyday urban life.
"Cycling to Care (C2C) – Intergenerational Well-being and Climate Resilience on the Move" is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie funded project exploring how intergenerational encounters, active mobility, and connection with nature can strengthen mental well-being and climate resilience among young people. Leveraging on the international Cycling Without Age movement, C2C combines citizen science, art-based inquiry, and urban sustainability research to co-create practices that alleviate eco-anxiety and promote care-based community engagement. As a community-based slow mobility and learning program C2C brings together young adults (18–35) and elderly residents through:
- Intergenerational trishaw bike rides
- Workshops on emotional resilience & sustainability
- Community storytelling and co-creation
- Research on health and well-being benefits
Giulia Sonetti (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya – Barcelona Tech & ISGlobal) gave an overview of the project’s theoretical framework, its goals and current challenges. She showed how young volunteers in Barcelona cycle with older residents to explore emotional, social, and environmental transformation in everyday urban life. The participants reflected on the role of affective and experiential learning in sustainability transitions and how universities can foster well-being through place-based, intergenerational collaboration.
