Youth Mental Health Campaign
Your voice and creativity can help improve youth mental health.
Learn about “Create Resilience Youth Art Contest for Suicide Prevention.”
*Be sure to read the information and guidelines before submitting your work. Thank you.*
Campaign Summary & How-To Guides
Campaign Materials
Thank you to our program funder
Thank you ASHA International and the Arts & Healing Resiliency Center at Mind Matters, PC for your support.
“Congratulations to you and your team for the “Create Resilience Youth Mental Health” Campaign!
You are such an amazing advocate for mental health and I am so glad that you are using your talent to approach this problem with a different lens.”
Interested in the “Create Resilience Youth Art Contest for Suicide Prevention?”
“The “Create Resilience Youth Mental Health Campaign” is absolutely wonderful. As a parent and an educator, I am so grateful.”
Open for submissions:
May 1st - August 1st, 2025
Winners receive cash awards:
1st Prize- $350
2nd Prize- $300
3rd Prize- $250
Honorable Mentions - $50 each for two awardees
Oregon youth ages 13 yo - 21 yo are invited to share their ideas on why and how we can improve youth mental health. Submissions can be: an essay, a poem, story, play, song, artwork, photograph, dance, and more. Be creative! One entry per person. Winners will be selected by a panel of judges.
Have questions? Contact Dr. Kaufman at diane@holdoncampaign.org
The Importance of Mental Health
Mental health impacts our quality of life each and every day and impacts our very ability to stay alive. Suicide is a leading cause of death for youth in Oregon. Please read the “Did You Know?” infographic. While we all need to work together to improve youth mental health, the voices of youth are especially important.
Why Participate? Because You are Important! Your thoughts, feelings, and lived experiences are valuable. You can help break through the silence, shame, and stigma surrounding mental health.
What if your ideas could truly help reduce the number of suicides in Oregon? What if your ideas could help improve the life of just one person?
Would it be worth it? Definitely, yes!
Your participation helps save lives
“Create Resilience Youth Art Contest for Suicide Prevention” improves youth mental health by sharing what needs to happen to encourage help-seeking behavior, eliminate silence, shame, and stigma surrounding mental health. Increase family and community support, and enhance the availability of effective treatments as well as discovering new ways to help those at risk for suicide.
Why is suicide a leading cause of youth death in Oregon? We want to know your ideas and solutions!
The goals of the “Create Resilience Youth Art Contest for Suicide Prevention” are:
To provide youth an opportunity to express their creative ideas that illustrate how to improve and better address the mental health needs of youth.
To offer mental health professionals insight directly from youth on how to better address youth mental health concerns.
To encourage mental health professionals to implement positive change inspired by the ideas of youth.
Participating schools and each person entering the contest will receive the “Create Resilience” poster as a free digital download.
Your Creative Voice Has Power
Our voice - courageously expressing ourselves - helps not only our own self but can help others.
Sharing our ideas we learn that while we are unique we are also not alone.
Ideas have transformational power to create change when we listen and act.
Speaking up for what we believe is right helps create the better tomorrow.
Speaking against what we believe to be wrong is a truth that needs to be told.
When we express ourselves honestly, creatively, and courageously, we are empowered to be part of the solution.
One voice when joined with other voices is powerful and manifests change in the world.
