Childhood is a time for exploring and growing; for figuring out who you were made to be. It’s where we begin building the foundation for the rest of our lives…
When a child experiences a parent going to prison, that foundation can quickly crumble. Child-like feelings of joy and safety can be overshadowed by fear and confusion. Many children with an incarcerated parent carry a heavy weight of trauma, shame and a broken sense of identity.
This reality translates into an eye-opening statistic: a child with a parent in prison is six times more likely than their peers to end up in prison themselves.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Cycle to Break the Cycle is a national fundraising challenge that encourages Aussies (young and not-so-young) from across the country to take on a cycling challenge to raise much-needed funds and awareness for kids with a parent in prison. Supporting our Extraordinary Lives programs, Cycle to Break the Cycle helps us reach families with children’s camps, mentoring and other support to remind kids of who God created them to be – helping break the intergenerational cycle of crime and incarceration.
Chris Simmons, the Head of Student Culture at Christway College in Victoria, came up with the idea alongside a colleague in 2024. “Each year at the school we do a ‘Year of Challenge’ for our year nine students, which culminates in them doing a 100km bike ride as a personal challenge. But the ‘Year of Challenge’ is anchored by the scripture Micah 6:8: ‘And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God,’ and so we really wanted to give the ride more purpose.
“We had watched a Prison Fellowship film where a young girl tells the story of having her front door broken down by police. It showed the impact that experience can have on a kid. We felt it would make a great partnership. By fundraising for children with a parent in prison while taking on the cycling challenge, the students are united around a common cause, one that sees them advocating for other children in need.”
Hannah, a Christway College student who participated in the ride, agrees: “The thing I enjoyed most about the ride was that I wasn’t just accomplishing something personally, I was accomplishing something for a greater goal. It was for the good of so many other people.
“Each of us have families we can rely on and who we feel loved by. Some of these kids, they don’t have that. [Programs like Extraordinary Lives] mean that they can feel love. If they feel that, maybe they won’t feel like they have to follow their parents’ [path]. They won’t follow the wrong crowd.”
“Cycle to Break the Cycle is about bringing hope,” says Chris. “We live in a society at the moment where there’s not a lot of hope. And when you’ve got young people that experience trauma like that, and when you hear the stats around how many of these kids end up in prison themselves, it’s quite alarming.”
“Without love, you feel empty,” says student and rider Noah. “That causes kids to try and find attention. That might be following people they think are cool, wanting to be like them. So they start doing drugs or stealing, seeing that as fulfillment instead of love. For kids who aren’t feeling love, I think it’s quite heartbreaking. So being able to show them love and support, that is pretty cool.”
“Some students really connected with the cause,” says Chris. “They wanted to volunteer with Prison Fellowship in other ways, like becoming mentors to kids with a parent in prison. Right now the students are too young and are still developing the full skill set for that, but Cycle to Break the Cycle is something they can do to have an impact. Then, once they’re old enough, there’s the potential for them to become mentors.”
“[If I was able to talk to these kids,] I’d say talk to God whenever you need to, because He is always there for us, and he won’t judge us,” says student and rider Jenelle. “Having Him there is something we’re lucky to have. We [can] rely on Him.”
WANT TO GET INVOLVED?
This year, Cycle to Break the Cycle is hitting the road, Australia-wide – we so hope you’ll join us!
SCHOOLS: Get on board with a whole school or year level ride, a lunchtime spin challenge, or something creative your students dream up.
CHURCHES: Consider putting on a ride as a youth event, a family fun day, or inviting church members to clock up kilometres in a team challenge.
COMMUNITY CLUBS: Head out on a group ride, take on a distance challenge, or recreate the stages of the Tour de France, Aussie-style!
However you get your pedals pumping, rally friends and family to sponsor your ride to raise funds for our Extraordinary Lives programs. We’ll provide you with a fundraising kit and full support. Every dollar you raise will help share the love of Jesus with the children of inmates through camps, mentoring and more!
READY TO HIT THE ROAD? With every pedal you push, you’ll be helping the children of prisoners escape the cycle of crime and incarceration. Visit www.cycletobreakthecycle.com.au to register today!
