Girls be brave

There’s an advocacy that’s gaining ground and it’s called “Girls Be Brave,” a campaign to conquer fear. Miriam College has made it a campus slogan for students to take up subjects they shy away from because they’re difficult. It’s a courage thing and the concept is to take on the challenge of treading in unchartered waters in the 21st century.

The usual most-feared subjects are science, math, technology and engineering. Numbers are often a struggle for students. Early this year, Miriam invited popular influencer and fear facer Michelle Poler to speak before the student body. Poler is the founder of Hello Fears, a social movement that encourages people to step out of their comfort zones and realize their full potential in a chosen field. The Venezuelan is the creator of the project 100 Days Without Fear which has been featured in media all over the world. In her project, Poler faced one fear a day, conquered it and posted the experience on YouTube on a daily basis. Some of her fears were holding a tarantula, skydiving, helping people in need and even posing nude for an art class. Today, her YouTube video has generated over 4.5 million views.

Taking off from the advocacy, the Maryknoll/Miriam College Alumni Association has come up with an undertaking called “BBrave Swim and Run For Fun,” an aquathlon that starts 4 a.m. July 22 at the Miriam campus along Katipunan Avenue.

The race professional outfit Itemhound is organizing the event under three categories – solo, relay open and family pair. The fee to join the solo division is P1,000 with four different age groups – 200-meter swim and 500-meter run for ages 7-10, 400-meter swim and three-kilometer run for ages 11-14, 600-meter swim and three-kilometer run for ages 15-17 and 600- meter swim and five-kilometer run for ages 18-up.

The fee for the relay open is P900 each and welcomes male, female or mixed pairs to negotiate the 400-meter swim and three-kilometer run as a tag team. The family pair also has a fee of P900 each and is open to duos composed of immediate family members to do a 200-meter swim and a one-kilometer run. For this category, the pair must start and end the race together. Floaters will be allowed in the swim leg and there are no age groupings so young kids may participate with a parent.

Students, professionals and families with young children are welcome to join. The event is for beginner athletes and serious competitors alike with the idea of enjoying good, clean fun in sports. Deadline for online registration at www.goorahna.com is July 15. Race kits will be distributed on July 22 at 4 a.m. Each race kit has a swim cap, T-shirt and timing chip. There will be no registration on race day.

The “BBrave Swim and Run For Fun” is a fund-raising project for Project MMARIA, the association’s quick response for calamities mobilization, and for athletic scholarships. For inquiries, please contact the Alumni Office at 930-6272 local 1187 or at [email protected] or send a message to Maryknoll/Miriam College Alumni Association on Facebook.

For those who fear competition or are scared of losing, “BBrave Swim and Run For Fun” is the perfect vehicle to break out of their shell. Everyone’s a winner in this aquathlon and there’s a social benefit to participating, too, because it’s for a good cause. It’s a brave new world out there, as Aldous Huxley wrote in his 1931 novel, and surviving means the willingness to accept every challenge courageously.