About the program
Pedalea con Conciencia
Caminos Nativos is a Colombian-led organization based in Santander, founded in 2017 by Paola Arenas Duarte. Its work centers on social, cultural, and entrepreneurial projects that give children, adolescents, and women in rural, under-resourced communities new ways to spend their time, new possibilities for their future, and a stronger connection to their cultural roots.
One of its programs, Pedalea con Conciencia (Pedal with Conscience), is a mountain biking program in Cabrera, Santander. Since 2022, children have received bikes and ongoing coaching from a professional cyclist and a child psychologist. The same two people have been with the program since day one and have built real trust with the kids and their families. Participation requires staying enrolled in school.
Since launching in 2022, the program has supported stronger academic performance, closer family relationships, and better physical and emotional well-being among its participants.
