May 2023 – Winners

I drew a digital news article which discusses the bad treatment Palestinians are facing. For the main “article” art piece I drew the Palestinian flag, with the keffiyeh pattern, which is worn by many people showing their support for Palestine, and a child hurling a stone with a slingshot, which shows that children are trying to protect their country against soldiers and tanks that threaten them, inside the silhouette of the country Palestine. I also included some writing explaining some horrific events that have occurred in Palestine. I included an “advertisement” which has the Uyghur flag behind a woman wearing a mask that has China’s flag as a hand covering the mouth, the Uyghur flag signifying how China is oppressing and capturing the Uyghur people. The Chinese government even went as far as saying that they want to “nip terrorist activities in the bud” (China’s Repression of Uyghurs in Xinjiang). Not only is this Islamophobia, but what they are doing is a terroristic act because they have committed the genocide of many Uyghurs.

My entry shows a girl releasing a bird, which flies out from her hands. This drawing conveys how I felt when one of my close friends moved away few years ago. I felt like I had let go of her, and for a while I was sad. However, I soon learned that our connection couldn’t be severed so easily by mere distance. We could still talk over text, and even though it isn’t as good as being able to see each other in person, it is better than nothing. I also hold onto hope for the future. When we become older and gain independence, perhaps we can see each other again. And I’m willing to work hard until that day comes.

My submission Angel Peer vs. Devil Peer compares and contrasts the effects or accepting, or denying peer pressure. One side features an angel peer where the teenager rejects peer pressure and maintains a happy healthy state. The other side features a devil peer where the teenager accepts peer pressure and lives in an unhealthy and depressed state.

My entry is a poem that talks about the struggles of going through any rough part in someone’s life. It serves as a reminder to those who need it that they matter and that their voices are heard and struggles aren’t ignored. Near the end, I focus on how anyone could do their part to help and spread kindness.

My poem tells a story of someone who struggles with anxiety and gets anxiety attacks frequently, but when they go get help, they start to realize they aren’t alone.

The poem is a motivational piece about taking action for mental health. It encourages the reader to seek help and support, to exercise their body and mind, and to adopt a positive outlook on life. The language is lyrical and rhythmic, with a consistent rhyme scheme that adds to its catchiness. The overall tone of the poem is uplifting and empowering, inspiring the reader to take control of their mental health and well-being.

This writing is dedicated to my mothers friend. My mothers friend has a daughter and she has cancer. I hope she sees this. I want her to know that she is not alone and she does not have to hide her feelings.

In this entry, I was hoping to convey a sense of anxiety, struggle, and the difficulty of maintaining a facade of happiness despite inner turmoil. I wanted to show different signs of struggles as everyone has their own. I hope for people to see themselves in my entry and to be able to seek the help they deserve. This is your journey and this is your worth.

My submission is about the different emotions and situations that life throws at you.

My animation, “Reach Out”, is about a person reaching out to another person who is in a dark place due to stresses and anxieties, and brings them into the light and good of the world. I drew this animation because one thing I want to see more of in the world is people reaching out to others just checking if their okay. As humans, it is our nature to just stay centered around ourselves, but in reality we need each other to make things work, and one way we can help others is just by checking in on others, and asking them if they are okay.

Millions of teens, including many at our own school, struggle with their mental health and we want to tell them that they are not alone. With this video, we want to rid the stigma that surrounds mental health problems, and let them know that they are entitled to all the support they can get. The monthly prompt was taking action for mental health, so we showed a few actions that individuals can do, and listed additional resources to support them.

Our film submission is all about taking action for mental health. The opening scene includes the lime green ribbon which is the symbol for mental health month. We feel that when our classmates are suffering, we need to take action to help them get the help they need.

A high school student struggling with ADHD discovers a support group that is able to help him. ADHDis portrayed as a physical person to represent the student’s changing attention span.

In this entry our video shows you the importance of reaching out (like the title suggests) and follows the story of a boy who on the outside seams happy but only him and the people who care about him know his true feelings and intentions and in so leads to a point which things get so bad but before anything bad can happen to him his friends step in teaching us its better to always reach out.

It’s about this young adult named Deangelo who’s experiencing depression. He pushes people away not wanting to waste people’s time and believes he probably deserves to experience these symptoms. There’s a realization towards the end that changes this. It relates back to the required content since it goes over mental health and what many people experience. This feeling of self doubt in yourself or feeling as if your not important. No one should have to feel that way.

This is a story about how a girl’s bestfriend began to notice that she started acting strangely and unlike anything he has ever seen before but starts to realize that he can connect the signs she is giving to those of which who are suicidal.

The red-haired character picks up on her friend’s anxious and stressed body language. because of this, she gently confronts her friend about the tension she has noticed. She even offers talking online as a more comfortable approach to talking about her stress. The two talk online and discuss the purple-haired girl’s stress cause, and how she can be helped. In the end, she is much less stressed, because her friend gave her resources to call when she needs (hotlines), a playlist to listen to, and healthy coping methods, as well as listening to her. This applies to the “check-in-chat” theme, because the friend notices tension, brings it up and talks to her+gives her ways to deal with stress.

As someone who struggles with mental health disabilities, this prompt really spoke to me. I know what it’s like to have depression, anxiety, and ADHD, it can feel overwhelming, as if there’s no hope and you’re drowning from sorrow and fear, with no chance of escaping. I tried to portray these feelings in the drowning girl, who is desperately grasping for help. Above the water is another girl wearing a lime green ribbon in her hair, and lime green dress, this girl represents hope, which is unreachable to depression, but still trying. Around the two girls are green butterflies that stand for freedom, hope, and peace. While making this art piece, I felt what the butterflies represent; at peace with myself, hope for the future, and freedom from my burdens, and I hope that is displayed in my work.

My artwork shows one person handing a “text HOPE” card to another person. The piece is meant to show how offering help, or where to get help and noticing when someone needs it is really important and can shed light on a dark situation. The person at the top of the frame is in bright colors that show happiness and seem to glow. This is in direct contrast to the blue and gray tones on the second person, who, in addition to lying on the table, is drawn in dark colors and surrounded by other shades of gray. The ribbon, bracelet, and card are all references to mental health awareness and resources.

My entry is titled, “Mental Health Matters.” My entry demonstrates that life can be extremely busy, and many things can be overwhelming. Many people don’t realize what may be going through a person’s mind everyday. A person’s mind can get so full that it turns into a bunch of negative thoughts, that are running through your mind. Deep down that someone can conquer what may be going on mentally by listening to their heart, and going to find someone trusted to talk to about what they are feeling inside.

I know that a lot of people experience mental health differently and the things holding people back from being happy can be one thing or many. People can’t just “be happy”, it takes more than that. The person in my drawing is holding a watering can and the flower on there is meant to represent someone’s mental health and the person allowing it to grow and flourish. Drawing this made me really happy and I think that a lot of people feel held back by certain things, but once people realize whatever it is that will make them happy they can grow

My submission shows how mental health can change daily. You can do the same thing everyday but you can still feel like you’re in different worlds. Every day you can feel like you lost a running out of time and your going nowhere but other days you feel free and you have a purpose and you feel the time is right.

My art work shows the different sides of mental health. One side is about when I am feeling strong and confident, I feel invincible. BUT behind that I have lots of insecurities and I overthink a lot.

My art reflects upon the idea of young people being seen and heard with their mental health. I feel as though many young people aren’t taken seriously when it comes to this, especially in younger children. This is an important problem that is overlooked in society. A world where mental health is taken seriously is what is portrayed in my painting, simply a young person being heard by an adult/therapist/person that cares. Communicating and expressing care towards young mental health creates a great impact of a sense of belonging and feeling heard.I feel like this is something the world needs. To represent how this relates back to mental health month, I included a green ribbon on the listener and on the corner table, a stack of cards that show Directing Change’s slogan and logo.

Growing plants is a big part of a world that supports my mental health so I drew a person gathering dirt around a new plant that curls into a green ribbon. I thought that it was a creative way to incorporate the ribbon into the plant showing how plants can help improve mental health. Plants are proven to help improve mental and physical health. Not only is it peaceful to walk through nature but a study shows that trees and plants release phytoncides which not only protect the tree but if inhaled help lower stress hormones. Sometimes the simple act of planting a seed, flower or plant can give someone purpose and something to look forward to seeing grow.

My piece aims to depict a common mental strain that students in particular face a lot of; anxiety. Pressures are piled upon many students, largely from expectations from parents, society, and themselves. Anxiety often goes ignored until it reaches a breaking point for many students though, as there is a culture in pushing oneself until burnout. This is not a healthy practice, and the youth should be educated in the fact that they should allow themselves time to step back, reflect, and get help for any negative emotions they accumulate. The splash of color in my painting, incorporated through the lime green ribbon, represents the help that is available in a sea of warped and grim emotions, show through perspective and monotone colors. It is my hope that through increased mental health awareness, more adolescents will be able to recognize their own mental hardships, and find help in the communities around them.

It is a poster with graphics of people talking to each other, along with a Green ribbon representing mental health awareness, a quote from Lauren Fogel Mersy, and a text box saying that you can talk to each other about Mental issues.

My project shows the green ribbon, representing mental health awareness, and on it are ways that I help my mental health. It shows ways to calm down and how to help with your mental health.

My entry shows a mental health toolbox. This is supposed to reflect ways/ tools to help improve mental health. I drew a toolbox with tools in it to represent the mental health toolbox. On the tools I wrote a few ways that people can check in with themselves and find ways to improve their mental health. A few things I wrote on the tools were to talk with friends and family about any problems you are experiencing, to be well rested, and to eat healthy food, etc. All in all my project is a Mental health toolbox to show ways of achieving great mental health.

My poster is about how to make sure you stay mentally healthy and what to do to stay healthy. My poster provides 4 ways to stay healthy and it has a website name if you want to learn more about mental health. Anyone who has trouble staying emotionally healthy can read this poster and understand it.

My submission is about two friends sitting on a bench and one is going through mental health problems. The one on the right struggles with stress and anxiety which has caused him to feel depressed. The person on the left wants to help out his friend by talking to him about what he’s going through and how he can help. This shows that young people can take action by reaching out to the ones they care about who are going through mental struggles and giving them support.

My submission, “Floating into Better Health” details a community striving to connect and help those around them. As depicted, community members are giving those in need balloons in the shape of hearts, tied with a green ribbon, emblematic of the Green Mental Health Ribbon. The heart balloons are symbolic of a community’s willingness to devote resources, and more importantly heart and love, to the ones around them, allowing them to “float” into a better mental health. My piece shows the willingness & passion of loved ones helping those in need. In this way, it calls on a community wide effort to help those who are struggling the most.

This is how I see me, and how I see my friends. Instead of how they look, see them as they are. Some are quiet, some are shy, but we are all creative and confident. we accept each other as we are… funny, loyal, smart and a bit goofy. We can share about anything, even reach out if we need help. That gives us all hope.