Fresno County

Directing Change is an evaluated suicide prevention and mental health program with the mission to educate young people about critical health topics through art and promote social justice and health by changing conversations in schools and communities.

Monthly Art and Film Contest

Open to youth ages 12-25
Deadline: March 31, 2026
Free to participate
Amazon Gift Cards (up to $300)
Use your creativity to record an original song inspired by the uplifting power of music and the importance of mental health
Your song can talk about your experience with mental health, bring awareness to a current social issue, or share a message of hope and comfort to someone who may be struggling
Download the flyer and submit entries here
Learn more at Hope & Justice contest page

Call for Original Music

Submission Categories: Hope, Justice, or Monthly Prompt

Submit to Contest

“Digital Utopia”

John Sutter Middle

Poem by: Gurneet Kaur

View More Art

Submit to Contest

For contest rules, submission category details, entry form
and other information visit the contest page.

Annual Film Contest

Open to Middle, High School and College Students (12-25)
Deadline: March 1, 2023
Free to participate

Cash prizes for youth (up to $1000)
Regional winners advance to statewide round of judging
Award Ceremony in May

Submission Categories

Suicide Prevention
Mental Health
Through the Lens of Culture

Walk in Our Shoes
Animated Short
Hope and Justice

Featured Film

“I Matter”

Clovis East High School

Filmmaker: Theresa-Marie Yuenger

View More Films

Submit to Annual Film Contest

For contest rules, submission category details, entry form and other information visit www.DirectingChangeCA.org

News and Awards

Mini Grant Application Due October 10th

Mini Grant Opportunity! Schools and organizations are invited to apply for Directing Change mini grants this program year. Mini grant teams receive up to $1,500 and commit to creating 5 films for the Directing Change Program, teaching at least one lesson on suicide prevention or mental health, and hosting a student-led event in which their youth films are shared.

Apply here by September 10: http://youthcreatingchange.org/2026-mini-grant-application

Fresno County Youth Place in May Hope & Justice Contest

Our May contest asked youth to create art, films, written works, or audio pieces about how they cope with tough times (Hope); the changes they want to see in their communities (Justice); and the one word they would use to describe what young people need for mental health.

Feeling inspired? Check out more Hope & Justice art and film submissions from Fresno County youth.

Honorable Mention Monthly Prompt: “Friends” by Gurneet Kaur

View the full list of May winners across California here.

Fresno County Students Recognized for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Achievements

Youth Creating Change announced the regional finalists in its 13th annual Directing Change Film Contest encouraging young people to create short films and art projects about suicide prevention and mental health.

First Place Mental Health (Region 4): “You Are Not Alone”

In addition to the films above, numerous other fantastic films from Fresno County also received “Honorable Mention” in their respective categories. View all 2025 winning films here.

Fresno County Youth Place in February Hope & Justice Contest

Our February contest asked youth to create art, films, written works, or audio pieces about how they cope with tough times (Hope); the changes they want to see in their communities (Justice); and the “anchors” that remind them to stay hopeful (Monthly Prompt).

Feeling inspired? Check out more Hope & Justice art and film submissions from Fresno County youth.

Second Place Monthly Prompt (Middle School): “My Little Blue Box” by Gurneet Kaur

View the full list of February winners across California here.

Fresno County Youth Place in October Hope & Justice Contest

Our October contest asked youth to create art, films, written works, or audio pieces about how they cope with tough times (Hope), the changes they want to see in their communities (Justice), and exploring how they’ve been taking care of their mental health during the election, as well as what representation in elected leaders means to them (Monthly Prompt).

Feeling inspired? Check out more Hope & Justice art and film submissions from Fresno County youth.

Third Place Monthly Prompt: “Colors of Love” by Gurneet Kaur

View the full list of October winners across California here.

Fresno County Youth Place in September Hope & Justice Contest

Our September contest asked youth to create art, films, written works, or audio pieces about how they cope with tough times (Hope), the changes they want to see in their communities (Justice), and reminding us that we are never a bother and can always reach out for help (Monthly Prompt).

Feeling inspired? Check-out more Hope and Justice art and film submissions from Fresno County youth.

First Place Monthly Prompt: “You’re Sorry, but You Shouldn’t be” by Gurneet Kaur, 8^th grade, John Sutter Middle School

View the full list of September winners across California here.

Fresno County Youth Place in May Hope & Justice Contest

Our May contest asked youth to create art, films, written works, or audio pieces about how they cope with tough times (Hope), the changes they want to see in their communities (Justice), the impact of social media on mental health (Monthly Prompt). Feeling inspired? Check-out more Hope and Justice art and film submissions from Fresno County youth.

Feeling inspired? Check-out more Hope and Justice art and film submissions from Fresno County youth.

Second Place Monthly Prompt (Middle School): “Digital Utopia” by Gurneet Kaur

View the full list of May winners across California here.

Fresno County Youth Place in April Hope & Justice Contest

Our April contest asked youth to create art, films, written works, or audio pieces about how they cope with tough times (Hope), the changes they want to see in their communities (Justice), and sharing their hacks for dealing with setbacks and mental health challenges (Monthly Prompt).

Feeling inspired? Check-out more Hope and Justice art and film submissions from Fresno County youth.

Third Place Monthly Prompt (Middle School): “Anchors” by Gurneet Kaur

View the full list of April winners across California here.

Fresno County Students Recognized for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Achievements

The Directing Change Program & Film Contest announced the regional finalists in the 12th annual student contest encouraging young people to create short films and art projects about suicide prevention and mental health.

Honorable Mention Suicide Prevention (Region 4): “Breaking the Silence”
Honorable Mention Suicide Prevention (Region 4): “Finding Hope: A School Community”
Honorable Mention Mental Health (Region 4): “To Reach Out”
Honorable Mention Mental Health (Region 4): “United in Support”

View all 2024 winning films from across California here.

Fresno County Youth Places in February Hope & Justice Contest

The February contest asked youth to create art, films, written works, or audio pieces about how they cope with tough times (Hope), the changes they want to see in their communities (Justice), and reassuring young people that they are never a bother and can share their feelings with others (Monthly Prompt).

Feeling inspired? Check out more Hope and Justice art and film submissions from Fresno County youth.

Third Place Monthly Prompt (Middle School): “Not a Burden, A Gift” by Gurneet Kaur

View the full list of February winners across California here.

Fresno County Youth Place in December/January Hope & Justice Contest

The December/January contest asked youth to create art, films, written works, or audio pieces about how they cope with tough times (Hope), the changes they want to see in their communities (Justice), and what they wish their parents and other adults knew about youth mental health (Monthly Prompt).

Feeling inspired? Check-out more Hope and Justice art and film submissions from Fresno County youth.

Third Place Monthly Prompt (Middle School): “What I Wish You Knew” by Gurneet Kaur

View the full list of December/January winners across California here.

Fresno County Youth Place in October Hope & Justice Contest

October’s contest asked youth to create art, films, or written works about how they cope with tough times (Hope), the changes they want to see in their communities (Justice), and the importance of checking in with others, including what a conversation about suicide prevention and mental health can look like in real life (Monthly Prompt).

Feeling inspired? Check-out more Hope and Justice art and film submissions from Fresno County youth.

Second Place Monthly Prompt (Middle School): “Thank You” by Gurneet Kaur

View the full list of October winners across California here.

Fresno County Youth Place in September Hope & Justice Contest

September’s contest asked youth to create art, films, or written works about how they cope with tough times (Hope), the changes they want to see in their communities (Justice), and their “anchor” (Monthly Prompt), which could be a hobby or activity, a form of self-care, or any little thing that brings joy, helps them cope, and reminds them about their reason for living.

Feeling inspired? Check-out more Hope and Justice art and film submissions from Fresno County youth.

First Place September TikTok Challenge: “Find Your Anchor” by Gurneet Kaur

View the full list of September winners across California here.

Statewide Winners Announced in Annual Directing Change Film Contest

Statewide winners in all categories were announced by the Directing Change Program & Film Contest! The student-created film “Nosotros/We” from Fresno County was screened at a red-carpet award ceremony hosted at the Theatre at Ace Hotel in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday, May 16^th. Congratulations to all of the filmmakers!

Statewide Mental Health finalist: “Nosotros/We”
Honorable Mention Through the Lens of Culture: “Dear Lee”
Honorable Mention Through the Lens of Culture: “1^st Generation”
Honorable Mention Walk in Our Shoes – What is Mental Health: “Our Shoes”

Congratulations to the team who created “Nosotros/We” for being recognized as a statewide finalist in the Directing Change Award Ceremony!

Fresno County Schools Participates in Mental Health Spirit Day

Directing Change asked schools and organizations across California to take action for mental health by participating in the second annual Mental Health Spirit Day. Riverdale High School and John Sutter Middle School from Fresno County both participated in the event.

For their Spirit Day, Riverdale High School organized a Mental Health Movie night, where they shared mental health resources and screened their Directing Change films. John Sutter Middle School brought together students and staff to create a green ribbon photo and also hosted activities throughout Mental Health Matters Month. Thank you for planning these amazing events! And a big thank you to the Take Action for Mental Health campaign for sponsoring Mental Health Spirit Day.

Fresno County Students Recognized for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Achievements

The Directing Change Program & Film Contest announced the regional finalists in the 11th annual student contest encouraging young people to create short films and art projects about suicide prevention and mental health.

First Place Mental Health (Region 4): “Nosotros/ We”
Third Place Mental Health (Tie) (Region 4): “I Matter”
Honorable Mention Mental Health (Region 4): “Choosing Recovery”
Third Place Suicide Prevention (Region 4) (Tie): “Just Listen”
Honorable Mention Suicide Prevention (Region 4): “There’s Always Someone”

View all 2023 winning films here.