See how this younger group of kids managed to ride through the hardships of life, having this life-changing experience, the Front Page Sections, translated…
In the process of growing up, are you lonely? Did you ever feel, that all the adults had, given up on you? Were you once, labeled, because of youru family background, because your poor grades, or your descent? Do you know, that a lot of bullying of labels are still, happening, to a lot of the kids today? If you can, would you tell the past versions of yourselves, “Don’t be afraid”?
footage of these young people riding, courtesy of the UDN papers…
The Dreams Network of UND Papers had its first documentary film, “Riders Who Turned Their Lives Around”, a story of sixty children who rode together around the island, but not only that. These children had, faced the challenges that the heavens endowed them since birth, our camera lens followed them, captured the look of excitement in their eyes, as they spoke about their dreams, and saw how those eyes filled with tears, as they, looked back at their own families too. Last year around this time, in the heated month of July, they’d rode around the island in eleven days, traveling a thousand kilometers total, they’d rode through the heated temperatures of over 105, or faced the level ten strong winds daily, there was also, the raging rains, this, was their bar mitzvah, a rite of passage for them, and, they’re all just fourteen and fifteen.
The documentary film crew from the UDN Papers followed them around the island, and got deeper into the families, the communities they grew up in. On the day of the movie premiere, a lot of the audience were crying, as they walked out of the theatre. There was a younger protagonist, whom his neighbors called, “misbehaving kid”, seeing how he’d smiled as he told of it, the audiences felt the heart wrench, another older man responded, “I too, was a misbehaving kid”, others believed they wouldn’t amount to anything in life later on, a nd yet, they’d all become, very successful in what they do later on in life. And, these fifty, sixty year olds turned their lives around, so can the kids.
the adult sponsors of the movie…
Poverty is not the problem, but if you’re willing to work hard in school, work hard in job, and still, you’d come up, short, or allowing your own young to get raised in poverty, then this, would be a problem, also, a misfortune of our country, aren’t we, faced with this structural problem for the last decade of so endlessly? Thankfully, there’s always those in Taiwan who’d helped others, to make up for the lacking in support from the government. The “Turn-Around League”, the group that took these kids to cycle around the island, is such people, one of the founders stated, “This is no easy task”, and because of how difficult this task was, they’d, taken it on.
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And, maybe our own young do not need to turn anything around now, but they too, can become, riders. Letting them see how the kids their age needed to work so very hard in the fields, fighting hard with their own destinies, our children can become someone who’d given those kids encouragements; look at how those kids longed for the family, how when someone gives them a hug, they’d acted so grateful, and, our own will learn, the values of cherishing what they already have, and the values of sharing what they have with the less fortunate.
riding out now…
“Don’t give up”, “If you can make it through, then, it shall be, yours”, these mottos for life, the young cyclers of “Turn Around Riders” had experienced, they’d constantly encouraged one another, took the headwinds on their own, these values of helping others and oneself, is it not, just what our country needs more of now?
We thought we were the ones who helped htem, but, actually, these children of Taiwan, are, teaching us a valuable lesson. “I’m stronig, don’t underestimate myself”, this, was what one young rider, after riding hard through Shouka, Hualien said to himself, so, R.O.C., Taiwan, BE, a turnaround rider too!
So, this, is an experience we can all take from, watching these younger generations face the challenges thrown at them by nature and the environment, and look at how they’re still, standing tall. The strengths of these young people are truly, amazing. And no, I have not seen the film yet.
four of the young riders, with the producers of the film, from UDN.com…
Life, the Obstacle Course 