Homeless lead city tours regaining hope for new life

With a blue hat and grey hair, 64 year-old tour guide A-Qiang (阿強) was formerly homeless on the streets. Giving personal narratives of his life experiences while conducting tours, A-Qiang provides a whole new view of the Monga (艋舺) area. Hidden Taipei (街遊) is an alternative walking tour organization that employs tour guides who were all formerly homeless. The tour content is not famous historical buildings but the true-life experiences of the tour guides from their days living on the streets.

While attending the initial tour guide training program, A-Qiang was convinced it would be impossible for him to pass. Over time, however, through the encouragement of social workers and teachers he gained confidence and became the first tour guide at Hidden Taipei. A-Qiang displays a calm and steady attitude in what can be a tough job, and hopes to encourage other homeless people to believe that as long as they have the heart, then there is hope of changing their lives for the better.

Homeless lead city tours regaining hope for new life

URL:https://www.peopo.org/news/250059

(以下是中文對照)

街友帶導覽，重拾希望新生活

藍色的帽子，灰白的頭髮，他是64歲的導覽員阿強，曾經在街頭流浪的他，一邊述說自己的經驗，一邊帶著遊客，看見不一樣的艋舺。「街遊」是一個另類的旅遊組織，所有導覽員都曾是街友，講的內容也不是名勝古蹟，而是自己在這裡所經歷的點滴故事。在剛參加導覽員的培訓時，阿強曾覺得自己不可能達成，但慢慢下來，這些社工及老師們的鼓勵，讓他產生了自信，也成為了台灣第一位的街友導覽員。雖然日子辛苦，但阿強的心很踏實，他也希望自己能鼓勵到那些街友，只要有心，就能擁有希望，並且逆轉自己的人生。