What HAPE Means to Me
This is what the HAPE community means to me.
Everyone with different backgrounds, culture, interests, talents, values, and beliefs coming together and celebrating their diversity – perhaps my favourite part about the community, and BIPOC thus became my one of favourite channels. I still remember the first day this channel opened up and how amazed I was to read everyone’s stories and how much I was able to resonate with them. Some brought tears to my eyes and made me feel the totality of the human experience.
Stories of triumph. Stories of heartbreak. Stories of hope. Stories of perseverance. Stories of hardships that through them I saw my own tears and struggles. Stories of inspiration that motivated and humbled me to face a life that’s not always going to be easy. Through them this community is able to thrive with deeper rooted connections.
This is a community that represents people from all walks of life with so much wisdom to offer – I have witnessed so many people doing incredible works ranging from events to donations to showcasing their skills and talents. The amazing people whom I have met have motivated me to become a better version of myself, to keep on pushing forward despite all the odds, and to fulfill the goals I am passionate about. It made me think that perhaps I too can contribute something unique to the community. It made me think outside of the box, to push my own boundaries, and perhaps more importantly, to be honest with who I am.
Being an Asian girl that suppressed my voice and has been quietly struggling, I have found a part of my voice where being in the community has opened my eyes on the interconnections between mental health issues and the issues faced by the BIPOC community. It made me realize how much I want to help others with their own mental health struggles and to embrace what I am passionate about through the form of proactively helping others. Inspired by all the amazing people on the server – My friend and I, who are both equally as passionate in mental health, will be starting a blog of our own to chronicle our own experiences, address mental health stigma, and provide daily mental health care tips to reach out to people around us. As long as we can impact one person, we are satisfied.
I want to dedicate this art to the BIPOC server and to all the HAPEs in here, to celebrate the addition of this channel for supporting people like me. To me, art is my most powerful form of self-expression. When I came to a new country only knowing very simple words of English, art liberated me and gave me a voice. I was able to tell my own stories through art, and I wanted to do the same in this server that inspired me to embrace the entirety of who I am.
For me, this art encapsulates my experiences on the server, where every HAPE with their own unique talents and contributions come together to celebrate under the same sky with the country flags in the background representing diversity.
Thank you for creating a place for us to share our stories, to feel comfortable in being vulnerable, to find our common struggles, and to embrace inclusivity. Thank you to all the mods for keeping this space safe and to the founders for this amazing project. I was talking to my friend yesterday and he said he could sense a change in me. I walked into the space wanting a NFT, but will walk out a more hopeful person.
Thank you for taking the time to read this <3 and I wish everyone an amazing day ahead~