Give me one minute: Feeling frozen out at school
A screengrab from Li Mau-wa's video, 'Be Isolated'
My name is Li Mau-wa and I am 17 years old. My one-minute video, Be Isolated, tells the story of a new immigrant to Hong Kong from the mainland. The leading character is a girl who recently moved to Hong Kong and is extremely eager to meet people and make some new friends.
She goes to a basketball court, hoping to play with other children. But as soon as she asks to join in, everybody leaves. The same thing happens in the school canteen; everyone moves to another table as soon as they see the girl approaching.
With no friends to spend time with, she starts to feel very isolated and alone.
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The video is based on my personal experience. I moved to Hong Kong from the mainland, to live in a walled village in Tai Po with my parents and younger brother. Our home is made of iron sheets and bricks, and is far too small and crowded for a family of four. It makes me sad because there are no young people nearby for me to hang out with.
Luckily a social worker has helped me, teaching me how to make friends with new classmates. With the social worker's support, I have made an effort to build friendships. Today I have my own friends, and it feels like I have a brand new life.
I shared my experience in this video for Unicef because I want to encourage people who are going through similar experiences. We need to remember that nobody wants to be isolated. We shouldn't ignore people who are making an effort.
Many people who appear happy to be alone are actually very eager to make friends. We should all be kind to our classmates and friends, and treasure the people around us.