Run With Silva
13-year-old Silva (pictured above), was born in Syria but grew up as a refugee in Iraq after her family fled the war when she was just a baby. Joining Free to Run last year, Silva had always been the quiet one in her family, too shy to speak up or express herself. Fast forward to today and Silva has not only found confidence through running with her peers, she's also stepped up to become a leader and mentor for her new teammates.
Silva says, "Looking back at my time with Free to Run, I see all the things I’ve learned along the way. I learned how to communicate, use my voice, and express my emotions and feelings when I’m not comfortable. Most importantly, I learned how to change a situation if I’m unhappy with it. I never expected to see these changes in myself, but I feel very proud of what I have achieved.”
To better understand her story, we’re thrilled to give you the opportunity to go on a run with Silva. Next time you lace up and head out the door, check out our audio recording on Soundcloud (linked on this page) to hear Silva’s experience of joining Free to Run, and what the sport of running means to her today.
“I used to think I didn’t have any big dreams. I just wanted to get through the day. But after a few months with Free to Run, I found something, I really loved—running. It wasn’t just about the exercise; it was about the freedom I felt when I was out there, moving, pushing myself. I started to dream about becoming a strong runner, maybe even competing in races.
I started setting goals for myself—little ones at first. I wanted to get faster and run longer distances. And as I trained, I could feel myself getting better. It was like every run was a chance to prove to myself that I was capable of more than I ever thought.
I started talking about my dreams with my sisters, especially Falak. She had always been there for me, and now I wanted to show her that I could be strong, too. I wanted to be someone she could look up to.”