We checked out the free Vancouver group aiming to make the city friendlier
Thirty-year-old Anoushka D’Souza moved to Vancouver just a few months ago, but it hasn’t been an easy adjustment.
“I have been feeling lonely,” D’Souza told Daily Hive. “I’m on my second month here, and I really wanted to connect.”
That is why she joined dozens of other women on a walk around Vancouver in hopes of making herself and others around the city feel less lonely. The group is called VanCity Girls Who Walk, and we joined on one sunny Sunday afternoon to check it out for ourselves.
@freshdailyvancouver This girls walking group is a great way to make friends in Vancouver this summer š„° #vancouver #vancouverbc #metrovancouver #hotgirlwalk #girlssupportgirls ā¬ KPOP/Girl Crush/TikTok(1516688) – Jasper Lab
Maybe you’ve seen the group of walkers as they band together for their weekly Sunday walk around the city. Founder Maryam Marissen hosts the walks and said she got about six people out when the group started last year, but now “on average, we get like 70 to 80, and sometimes … above 120 to 200.”
Walking is such a low-barrier activity, and the walks are free to attend. “It’s easy to just show up,” Marissen says, noting that participants are from all different backgrounds, ages, and fitness levels.
“You come as you are,” Marissen said.
According to Marissen, many of the people who come out are people who moved to Vancouver from overseas or from another part of the country.
Wendy Zhou, who moved from Alberta, is one of the many newcomers who recently joined the group and said she finds that creating community has been challenging.
“I think it kind of has been hard to find friends here,” she said.
Marissen says that as an immigrant, she experienced loneliness and noticed that even people born and raised here or living in Vancouver can also be susceptible to it.
“You can also live here for many, many years and feel lonely as well,” she said.
“There’s no shame in stating that you’re alone or you feel lonely. I think the more we talk about it, and the more we realize that others also share this same feeling and experience, the more we’re going to contribute to making this city friendlier and funner and warmer and a healthier place to live.”
This is why she told Daily Hive her goal with VanCity Girls Who Walk is to ultimately create an experience where people can make connections with the community.
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Laura Yarwood is one of the seasoned walkers, and she comes out every Sunday.
“It’s like going to church. This is my church group,” she laughed.
Apart from making “a lot of new friends,” the group has also been a source of encouragement to exercise “so you get your steps in.”
VanCity Girls Who Walk has marked its first year, and Marissen said she has plans to keep going and continue offering a place for people to feel less lonely and connect.
“This group just gives me a lot of energy. It fuels me. I love walking with the girls,” she said.
To join in VanCity Girls Who Walk check out its site to find where the group is gathering before they head off on their Sunday hot girl walk.
If you can’t attend Sunday’s meet-up, the calendar has plenty of other events related to sports, food, and yoga.
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