Freedom Machine

Feb 1, 2006 12:00 PM

Richard Drorbaugh has found what he calls his “freedom machine” — a bicycle. Now, he's taking his message of tolerance and empowerment to students around the country, with an “around-the-world” program designed “to help diffuse anger and to empower students to channel their anger into positive healthy actions, thereby helping schools to be safer.”

Drorbaugh, founder of the “Go The Extra Mile” assembly program for K-12 students, imparts wisdom he gained from a bicycle ride around the world, which he participated in for the fight against cancer. Drorbaugh's parents both died of the disease, including his mother when he was only 6 years old. “I take audiences with me from Mt. Fuji to the streets of Nepal; from the Rock of Gibraltar to the Acropolis,” he says. “But as panoramic as the visual elements of the program are, as informative as the narration is, and as thrilling as it is to travel around the world, I am not ‘taking the students away’ from their lives.”

Instead, Drorbaugh uses his experiences to serve as instructional metaphors for the greater journey — the one everyone takes inside his or her own heart and mind. “Not everyone will ride around the world, but everyone faces adversity,” he says. “And so, a significant piece of the program involves interaction with the students, to give them the chance to identify their challenges and successes, the ‘flat tires’ they face in life and the tools they might use to make repairs.”

Goals of the program include the reduction of bullying and violence and the building of self-esteem. “I know the scope of problems many students face at home — due to loss, neglect or abuse,” Drorbaugh says. “I know the ways they act out these problems — by taking drugs, cutting themselves, drinking, bullying or becoming withdrawn. I want to make it clear how important it is to reach out for help and to model for them how it feels to be in a safe place, where they can be heard without fear of judgment.”

Drorbaugh encourages students to find their own “freedom machine” — some activity that calls to them. This activity can then be used preventatively to keep the students from ever becoming at-risk, as Drorbaugh says he was.

Drorbaugh closes the program by challenging the students to see beyond themselves, to include others in their journey and their purpose in life.

The program has visited 20 states across the United States including California, New Jersey, New York, Virginia and Illinois. Current corporate sponsors include Honda North of Danvers, Mass., and Sun Life Financial. The Gillette Company sponsored the program from 1997 to 2001. Drorbaugh is currently seeking sponsorships in the Massachusetts area. For a security dealer company, Drorbaugh says, sponsorship would help to reach new customers, generate positive media coverage and showcase good corporate citizenship. Drorbaugh can be reached at Richard@gotheextramile.org.

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