My submission highlights the importance of taking care of our mental health and compares it to taking care of a plant. Our mental health is a delicate system that requires careful attention, just like a fragile plant. When we provide the right conditions, it can flourish remarkably.
This entry is made by one our youths from the Eastern African Community of San Diego. In the Video they, the youth member portrays what it’s like to view oneself from a negative view based of the today’s social media standards. However, the Youth in the video switches scripts and starts providing positive affirmation and focuses on social media from a positive lens.
This piece supports people asking for help and also reminds people that they are brave for asking for help.
My entry is a watercolor painting of a person helping a friend climb up a hill. I decided to show these two people in the outdoors because, a lot of the time when I don’t feel great, being outside is the best way to ease any stress on my mind. […] Sometimes we can’t do everything by ourselves, and it is important to both provide and ask for help when times are tough.
I was once deeply affected by my appearance and often used filters to try and hide what I looked like. Now, I have come to accept myself for who I am, and I choose to not use filters anymore. I allow everyone to see who I am, and I am proud to show my true self
My entry is a poem about the relationship people have with technology.
I wanted to inform people about the importance of choosing to forgive yourself for past mistakes. These mistakes do not define you, and letting go of the resentment that you have for your past self ultimately allows for healing. But of course you cannot forgive on command, I just want people to know that whenever you are ready, it will be there for you.
The drawing is about how I cope with stress and life’s dilemmas – by listening to music, drawing, and seeing the beauty of nature. With all of these combined, the world seems to be more colorful. Without them, my world always seems to be in black and white.
This piece is about the importance of self reflection, and how it can even be therapeutic at times. Whenever I am braving a difficult time it can be really refreshing to just sit down and process it. It’s really just talking to yourself and showing yourself compassion like you would any other person going through difficult times. This strategy helped me a lot with self love and processing my emotions. In the end it made me a lot more honest with myself and I learned that if you learn to love yourself and be friends with yourself you’ll never be lonely.
Our purpose is to remind our peers they are not alone.