Born and raised in Hong Kong and fluent in Cantonese, Indian-born Hong Konger Rohidi and Tiffany, a mixed-race Hong Kong-Pakistani, who are studying in Form 5 and Form 4 respectively, have faced a lot of discrimination since childhood because of their skin color and appearance.
However, the two did not become depressed, but actively developed their interest in running. Later, they joined the "Leading Home Run" youth long-distance running training program, and met more like-minded "runners". Discover the beauty of community and give back at the same time.
He was discriminated against and bullied because of his appearance and re-entered the community across the shadows
From childhood to adulthood, in addition to various verbal attacks, Sidi and Tiffany were also bullied during school.
"The public has stereotypes about our race and skin color, thinking we are 'dipped in taste', or worse. The worst thing is to say that we are 'Acha', or we may think we don't understand Cantonese, and say we are not. ” Tiffany said.
Heidi also pointed out that he was bullied by words and behaviors in elementary school. He thought it would be okay to be patient, but the situation became more and more serious. In the end, the school had to stop it, which became a shadow in his growth.
"Originally, I was very active in meeting new friends, but I felt very uncomfortable when others felt contempt for my skin color." Because of all kinds of discrimination and labels, the two had resisted socializing.
As they get older, the two gradually find that choosing to "bury themselves" will only make it more difficult to integrate into the community.
In addition, there is nothing wrong with skin color and appearance, so I stood up again and participated in different activities according to my own interests and preferences, "Don't despise yourself, it's their problem that others despise me, I can only do my best to complete every task. Take responsibility for yourself," Sheidi said.
Join the running team, find close friends, inspire each other, exercise physical fitness, and explore the beauty of the community
Heidi and Tiffany, who also like to run, are members of the school's cross-country running and track and field teams, respectively.
Tiffany pointed out that running not only brings her satisfaction, but also a channel to vent her emotions. "You can adjust the speed by yourself. If you are sad, you can rush. If you want to relax, you can jog and run as you like." The two are currently the community running team "General" Ohhh and the members of "Tuen Mun Snails" not only practice running regularly with coaches and teammates, but also plan community routes, using road running to explore and discover different attractions in the area.
"When participating in the road running in Kwun Tong District, the team members in charge of leading the road were very attentive and tried their best to introduce every scenic spot and lead us to explore the community. Going to Chi Lin Nunnery is like traveling to Japan, with a large group of people "checking in" and taking pictures I was reluctant to leave.” The coach described Tiffany as enthusiastic and active, and would take the initiative to meet new friends, and she was quite familiar with the local roads and shortcuts, and would suggest different attractions when planning community routes, and lead the team to collect information: “Tiffany often Take care of other classmates, train hard in every class, and be very conscientious and conscientious when doing online physical fitness classes.”
Xu Zhiqi (Tiffany) pointed out that due to the impact of the epidemic, her running performance has dropped slightly, and now she hopes to improve her physical fitness and break the best results.
Heidi also admitted that because of running the team, he had the opportunity to "hunt for treasures" from different angles in the community, and he felt it was worth it: "It was so beautiful to go to the beach to watch the sunset... At that moment, I realized that I didn't know anything about Tseung Kwan O." The two described The running team is a big cohesive family, getting along well with coaches and teammates, practicing and exploring together, and no one will look at themselves with tinted glasses.
And being able to achieve each running goal one by one with like-minded friends of the same age can inspire each other's enthusiasm for running. "I used to run for a long time, and I would feel that I lost my goal and direction. But after joining the running team, because Coach, because of teammates, the fire is back," Tiffany said.
As a pistachio of the running team, Heidi will "make the atmosphere" from time to time to make everyone more happy.
In addition to participating in community road running, Loshidi also led running team members from other districts to explore the attractions in Tseung Kwan O district while running.
Joining a running team often requires training and physical fitness. Sidi joked that she used to run out of breath after running 3 kilometers, but now she can run 10 kilometers while chatting with her teammates.
Although the training process is hard, most of the motivation to persevere comes from the running teammates.
Tiffany continued: "Seeing that everyone is still working hard, if I stop, I will feel guilty. Originally, I was very tired, but my teammates encouraged me to continue to cheer, don't give up, and said that I would do it, so I can get through it." Di added that completing training with teammates and achieving goals will give you a greater sense of satisfaction, and you will be more motivated to exercise your physical fitness and constantly break your own records.
Unconsciously, I became more and more involved. Tiffany's attendance rate in the class was as high as 90%, and Sidi attended every practice 100%.
Both Tiffany and Sheidi pointed out that the running team gets along well, and every time they run to different attractions in the community, they will always "check in" for souvenirs.
During the running process, they will encourage each other and insist on running the whole process together.
Running can also contribute to the community by exchanging hours for epidemic prevention packs for the elderly in the district
For Heidi and Tiffany, participating in the community running team is not only helpful for physical fitness and social interaction, but also contributes to society through this interest.
The exercise hours accumulated by the running team members in "Leading the Race and Showing Their Vitality at Home" can be converted into an "epidemic prevention sports bag" every 8 hours, which will be donated to those in need in the district.
At present, the accumulated exercise hours of community classes have reached 4,977 hours, or 622 anti-epidemic exercise kits.
Running is not only a medium to connect young people with the community, but also to give back to the society and care for the underprivileged, adding more meaning.
"I see social problems on weekdays, and I don't know how to help. It turns out that running can also do good deeds. I think it is more meaningful. Thank you sponsors for giving us this opportunity." Tiffany said.
Promoted by InspiringHK Sports Foundation and supported by Link's Love ‧ Convergence Project, the "Leading Home Run" youth long-distance running training program is held in five districts in Hong Kong (Kwun Tong, Shatin, Tseung Kwan O, Tuen Mun and Sham Shui Po) There are regional running teams, professional long-distance running training courses for grassroots youth, and community sports classes for children, families and the elderly to promote the sports atmosphere for everyone.
The "Home Run" youth long-distance running training program is led by Asia's No. 1 cross-country runner Huang Hao-chung and his team "The Peak Hunter", including 20 professional training sessions, community route running, open competition opportunities, value-added and career planning activities.
The team members use road running to explore the community. They will also design community running routes and introduce local attractions to the public, so as to facilitate local residents who also like to run.
More information about the "Leading Home Run" youth long-distance running training program: https://sportslink.inspiringhk.org/#/
(Photo provided by customer)
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