Speak up, check up

For 18-year-old Liao Jiaqi, a student at the UIBE and one of the few male volunteers at the event, participating meant stepping out of his comfort zone — and encouraging others to do the same.

"I hesitated at first when I got the assignment," he said. "But then I thought, why should we avoid discussing health issues?"

Liao recalled a conversation in high school where some of his female classmates discussed the HPV vaccine. It was a moment that sparked his interest in health topics related to sexuality.

"I even reminded my mom to complete her vaccination schedule," he said with a smile.

Now, Liao sees himself as an ally. "We can encourage the women around us to go for checkups, get vaccinated, and speak up about their health. It's the small actions that make a big difference," he said.

As one of the event's coordinators, Liao was responsible for managing the logistics of the games. He was especially impressed by the Pink Health Run Quiz Challenge — the highlight of the day — which transformed breast cancer awareness into six interactive checkpoint tasks.

For example, at the "Myth Buster "station, participants worked to debunk common misconceptions, while in the "Knowledge Relay Race", they teamed up to answer health-related quiz questions together.

"Learning through games makes everything more engaging," Liao said. "It's much more memorable than sitting through a lecture. I hope everyone walked away with greater awareness and knowledge about their health."

For Zhang Jingyan, the event was a chance to face her own discomfort around discussing breast health and to learn more about it.

"I want to tell my peers that breast health is something everyone should pay attention to," she said. "If we talk about it openly, it can gradually become a normal part of conversation — and we won't have to feel embarrassed anymore."