Youth Creating Change

Have you started your Directing Change film? Youth ages 12-25 can create films about mental health and suicide prevention to encourage young people to reach out for support! Get started: directingchangeca.org #filmcontest #suicideprevention #mentalhealth #educators

In this film, a student describes the pride and of being part of the Ojibwe and Wintu tribes. She shared, “I am a young indigenous woman proudly asserting our enduring presence and shedding light on the remarkable beauty and resilience of Native American communities worldwide.”

During Movember (Men’s Health Awareness month) and beyond, let’s talk more openly about men’s mental health. Men are less likely to reach out for help, so it’s important to normalize men going to therapy, checking in on others, and taking care of their mental health onscreen.

For mental health support, download the free Soluna App, where you can free write your feelings, chat with a coach, and more! This prompt is offered in partnership with the CalHOPE Schools initiative. Learn more: CalHopeSchools.org. Get started at hopeandjustice.art

How has your culture and the people in your life shaped who you are? For the Hope & Justice prompt, “A Space to Be You,” you can write a poem, create a video, or make an art piece to reflect on who you are.

Today is World Kindness Day! Find ideas to encourage students to foster empathy, compassion, and community at randomactsofkindness.org/for-educators

The film “Macho” shows the pressures put on young Latino men to “man up” and not talk about their feelings. Opening up to a loved one or a counselor is not a sign of weakness - everyone deserves to be heard. #mensmentalhealth #movember

Check out this video by the Ad Council encouraging veterans to reach out for help for their mental health: tinyurl.com/26wsv64r

Happy Veteran’s Day! Did you know there’s a Veteran’s Crisis Line? Receive 24/7, free and confidential support by calling 988 and pressing 1, texting 838255, or by chatting online at VeteransCrisisLine.net/Chat. #veteransday #veteranmentalhealth

Congratulations to Sterlin Harjo for receiving the 2024 MacArthur Fellowship! Harjo received our award for Outstanding Messaging around Suicide Prevention for his television show Reservation Dogs. Learn more about Harjo's work: macfound.org/fellows/class-… @macfound

A student took this photo to encourage those who can vote to do so with youth in mind. “This election is so important because my future is at stake, and I can't even save myself. Everyone eligible to vote in the US has power over my own future,” they wrote. #election2024

This film shares a message to young voters that encourages them to make their voices heard. Watch the film here: vimeo.com/467698735 #election2024 #votingmatters #voting

Today’s election may bring up a lot of emotions - if you’re worried or overwhelmed, you’re not alone. It’s important that you have a space to express yourself and process your feelings. Teens can call or text Teen Line to reach a trained crisis counselor this evening for support.

In this film, Indigenous youth share how practicing cultural traditions can be used as coping strategies. The filmmakers shared, “We have a thriving, rich culture that helps create protective factors and promote our traditional ways of being well.” #indigenouspeoplesmonth

This prompt is offered in partnership with the CalHOPE Schools initiative. Learn more at CalHopeSchools.org. Get started at hopeandjustice.art #ASpacetoBeYou #CalHOPESchools #Solunaapp #mentalhealth #selfcare #YouthCreatingChange #artcontest #teachers #artteacher

For A Space to Be You, explore the free Soluna App to destress and reset, free write your feelings, chat 1:1 with a coach, and more! solunaapp.com

New Hope & Justice prompt! A space to be ourself and a sense of belonging is important for our mental health, so this month, reflect on where you come from, the circumstances or people that helped shape you into the person you are, and what is in the stars for you in the future.

Happy Halloween from the Youth Creating Change Team!

Animals have been shown to help reduce stress and anxiety. We love this entry from Avary about her cat Ora. Comment with pics of your furry stress relievers! #FurBabies #stressrelief

This prompt was sponsored by the Never a Bother youth suicide prevention media campaign. The CDPH funded campaign is implemented as part of the broader California Children & Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI). Get involved at NeveraBother.org. @neverabother

Congratulations to the winners of our September Hope & Justice contest! We asked youth to create pieces sharing how they would let a friend or someone close to them know that it’s okay to reach out for help, that their feelings are valid, and that they are never a bother.