Mental Health Awareness Video Contest
Santiago High School’s digital film crew was chosen to compete in the annual Directing Change Program and Film contest. As a group, the digital film crew decided to commit to the “Suicide Prevention/Mental Health Matters” category. In this category, students are asked to create a sixty-second video in which they advocate for the importance of mental health and preserving one’s mental well-being. Each one of Mrs. Heiland’s digital film crew students is challenged to create a one-minute video and in February of 2024, one month before Directing Change’s due date, three student’s videos will be chosen to be sent in to compete in the contest. In addition to being featured on the Directing Change website, the prizes of the contest include $500, a trophy for the school, travel stipends to attend the award ceremony for 1st place and $250 for 2nd and 3rd place. However, the Department of Education is working with Santiago High School to sponsor our Digital Film crew and award all participants with a ceremony at the Bowers Museum. Although highly competitive, Santiago’s digital film crew is having heaps of fun planning, recording, and editing their videos which will be sent in on March 1st, 2024.
To plan for the recording of their video, Directing Change’s team came to Santiago to present a seminar regarding the facts of mental health. As a group, the digital film crew identified the goal of their videos to be how to accurately and carefully educate students about what mental health is and looks like. Directing Change’s team made sure to supply the film crew with facts about suicide and suicide prevention, including the suicide rate in teens and how to combat suicidal ideation. Santiago’s Digital Film crew learned that if they or someone they know is experiencing suicidal thoughts, they should reach out to a trusted adult such as a parent, teacher, or counselor to receive the help they need. Directing Change also discussed the importance of phrasing when it comes to mental health. It is important to avoid certain loaded words when describing something or someone. For example, instead of saying “She’s so bipolar”, it is encouraged that one says “Her mood seems to be frequently changing”. By refraining from using mental illnesses as adjectives, we eliminate the stigma surrounding the illness as well as separate the individual from their illness. Directing Change also offered our students a plethora of resources such as 988, the Suicide and Crisis