Born in the Silifke district of Mersin, Hakan Örs was inspired by his teachers from childhood, and their influence shaped the course of his education. This journey began at Antalya Aksu Teacher-Training High School and continued with the Geography Education program at Gazi University, followed by master’s degrees in Curriculum & Instruction, Social Studies, Educational Administration, and Sociology. Hakan began his teaching career in 2001 and, after serving in different cities over the years, was assigned in 2010 to Aydın Anatolian Imam Hatip High School, where he has been serving in an administrative role since 2021.

Cycling, which he describes as his greatest passion since childhood, evolved into a transformative journey after he was assigned to Aydın. Hakan Teacher observed increased physical inactivity, screen addiction, eating disorders, and peer bullying among his students following the COVID-19 pandemic and, in search of a solution, turned to his own greatest passion and developed the Bicycle-Friendly School model. However, when he realized that only about 10 or 15 of his students owned bicycles, he set out on a mission to secure bicycles for the rest as well. He began reaching out to local leaders, alumni, and community members to provide bicycles for all of his students. First, he began collecting abandoned bicycles from the yards of apartment buildings. He arranged for his students to learn to repair these bicycles from a local mechanic. A repair workshop was set up at the school for repairing and maintaining bicycles collected from all over the neighborhood.

As the bicycles continued to be repaired, a need for funding to source spare parts emerged. To further support this initiative, Hakan Teacher and his students began to grow seedlings in upcycled plastic containers in the schoolyard. The proceeds from these seedling sales, combined with revenue from student-led bake sales, successfully generated the funding needed to secure the bicycles. Soon, the number of repaired bicycles exceeded the school population, and the surplus of refurbished bicycles was donated to socioeconomically disadvantaged children, with girls given priority.

Initially intended to encourage cycling to school, the Bicycle-Friendly School soon became a solidarity network with active student involvement. The movement extended beyond students to the school staff, and eventually the entire school came together around the bicycle model, which radically changed the school’s climate. Students who don’t know how to ride a bike learn to do so during breaks with the support of their peers, while those who prefer not to cycle take part in other ways such as growing seedlings, organizing bake sales, and planning cycling tours, among other activities. All of these processes are coordinated by the students themselves. By mapping out where each student lives, Hakan Teacher coordinates a system that allows those residing in the same neighborhoods to cycle to school together, ensuring a safe and social commute. This aims to cultivate safe cycling habits among students. Furthermore, this transformation is not limited to students; teachers and administrative staff have also embraced cycling to school, actively shaping a more collaborative school culture.

The Bicycle-Friendly School has so far completed over a hundred city tours and collected litter from the surrounding villages it has visited, promoting environmental awareness. Hakan Teacher notes that no disciplinary cases linked to peer bullying have occurred since the beginning of the initiative. Through his work, he helped his students develop technical skills, involved them in the production process, and encouraged them to become more responsible individuals and more understanding toward their peers.

Citing the bicycle as a social equalizer, Hakan Örs, continues to make a difference in the lives of his students and colleagues through the Bicycle-Friendly School model, having cultivated a more active, connected, and unified school climate with no reported cases of peer bullying.