Monthly Prompt

2023/2024 Monthly Prompt Calendar

April 2024: Decoded

This month, we’re teaming up with our partners at Decoded to invite you to show us how you cope when life gets tough. Use whatever creative lens moves you: craft a poem, create a visual art piece, or produce a short-format video or social media graphic. Show us your hacks for dealing with setbacks or keeping hope alive when things look dark. Understanding yourself – discovering what works for you and what motivates you – can help you make more intentional choices on a path to a healthier, happier life.

Decoded is an educational campaign funded by counties and cities throughout California that aims to support young people in their overall well-being both physically and mentally. The more you know about your body and mind, the more you can understand how to stay healthy from the inside out!

Here are some ideas to help you get started:

  • Hope is powerful medicine for your mind, body, and the world. Create an art piece about what gives you hope.
  • Where do you find support when things get tough? Create a poem, a short film, or painting that shares where you go for help, or helps others to find help when they need someone to talk to.
  • Life can be… a lot. Use your favorite mode of creative expression to show us how you stay grounded and present in your life – instead of numbing out – when things get overwhelming.
  • When things feel extra challenging, where do you go when you need someone to talk to? A friend, a parent, a coach, or counselor… It can be really helpful to have someone to talk to, but not everyone is sure where to go. Create a poem, a short film or painting that shares where you go for help, or encourages others to seek out help when they need someone to talk to.
  • Life is full of changes and curveballs that can create overwhelming feelings. But you can reduce the impact of unpredictable changes by creating “foundations” that help you manage those feelings. What are some ways you can create space and time in your life to enjoy and have a sense of comfort when things feel overwhelming? Paint, draw, or write down a few activities that help you to cope. Think of it like the activity version of a weighted blanket! 😊

Additional Resources:

  • The foods we eat can impact our physical health as well as help boost our mental health. Check out a list of mood boosting foods here  and use your art to educate others.
  • Even on a normal day, challenges can add up which can leave us experiencing feelings of stress and anxiety. Anxiety is real, and it affects us all differently, but there are resources that can help. Check out resources like GritX Self-Care Toolkit where you can create ‘self-care tools’ that you can access anytime you experience anxiety or need some extra support.  

Share the April prompt flyer and submit your entry by April 30th!

May 2024: Snap, Filter & Swipe

May is Mental Health Matters Month and a great time to take action for mental health. This month we are paying special attention to the impact of social media on our mental health, the good, the bad, and everything in-between. Imagine if social media was more focused on how we feel than how we look. What changes would need to be made? What sort of posts, filters and trends would you like to see?

💚 All submissions should incorporate the lime green ribbon as a symbol for mental health awareness.

💚 Photo and Digital Art Challenge: Incorporate the lime green ribbon in unexpected ways and places (the sand, chalk on a sidewalk, food, and more.)

💚 TikTok Challenge: Every TikTok about the lime green ribbon as a symbol for mental health receives a $20 gift card and a chance to win a $100 grand prize.

Here are some ideas to help you get started:

  • If you could invent a filter that would more realistically express your true feelings and mental health, what would it be?
  • How would you change existing social media filters and trends so that they could allow us to share about our mental health more honestly and authentically?
  • Imagine if social media were more focused on how we feel than how we look. What changes would need to be made? What sort of posts, filters, and trends would you like to see?
  • We often show our happiest moments on social media, so what would we post if we were being totally honest about where our mental health was at?
  • Share the changes you hope to see in yourself, in your family, or in your community when it comes to mental health and acceptance of young people who are experiencing a mental health challenge. Incorporate the lime green ribbon!

Share the May prompt with our flyer and social media posts (in English and Spanish). Submissions due May 31st!