About Me
Maris is currently a senior at Kowloon True Light School. She is especially passionate about raising awareness for mental health, having been diagnosed with OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder) and chronic depression as a tween. In her high school years, she has transformed herself into a committed mental health advocate. She believes in the power of community building, and is outspoken about the stigma surrounding mental health. In the past, she has been the lead of the development team behind the AI chatbot ‘Smiski Spin’, which aims to provide a temporary emotional outlet for those in the queue for professional mental health services. She is also enthusiastic about the arts, with credentials and honours in filmmaking, film criticism, and theatre, and aims to combine her love for art with her mental health advocacy.
Project Description
Mind & Heart HK is a non-profit organisation aiming to build a community of those diagnosed with OCD through art. It is the first non-profit organisation in Hong Kong that specifically targets those with OCD. It aims to partner with existing community spaces, such as community halls, community centres and independent film screening venues, to host film screenings and performing art courses for those with OCD in hopes of building a long-term community.
