At the beginning of the 2020 school year, the Directing Change Program created a new submission category called ‘Hope and Justice’. This category provided an opportunity for young people living through history to express their thoughts and feelings related to topics that included mental health, suicide prevention and timely social issues. Issues such as the elections, physical distancing during the pandemic, social injustice and justice movements were explored.

Young people were asked to create art, written narrative and film to express what they were feeling, what gave them hope during tough times and the change they hoped to see in their communities and the nation.