The OK Challenge Calls on High School Students to Transform the Mental Health Crisis into a Youth-Led Wellness Movement

PORTLAND, Ore., Jan. 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- How can we inspire teens, 40% of whom report feeling persistently sad or hopeless (cdc.org), to transform their mental health experiences into positive, healing action for themselves and others? The nonprofit OK You has come up with an innovative idea: The OK Challenge.

Now through March 31, high school students across the country are invited to submit their creative ideas for sustaining inner wellbeing for a chance to win cash prizes and, more importantly, create more "OKness" in their lives and communities. Entries must be expressed on an 8.5 x 11 piece of paper or digital document.

"Through so many challenges, young people have amassed a ton of wisdom and some pretty incredible coping strategies," said Kathleen Lane, Founder of OK You. "We believe they belong at the center of our conversations about mental health."

OK You, a nonprofit that provides free creative wellness resources to youth and youth supporters, first launched The OK Challenge in 2023 as a regional competition with partners Wieden+Kennedy and The Portland Art Museum. Student submissions ranged from planting worries in a garden, to breath painting, to peace jewelry.

2023 OK Challenge winner, Alyssia Menezes, worked with partner Maddox Alto to create art out of dozens of crumpled worries. She said: "It's nice to look at when I have bad days because I'm reminded that while things might not seem great right now, when I zoom out from an individual worry and see the big picture, life is still beautiful."

In alliance with the Portland Art Museum, Caldera, Destination Imagination, the Regional Arts & Culture Council, and the Awesome Foundation, OK You has expanded this year's OK Challenge into a national call to action, encouraging high schoolers to draw inspiration from their life experiences and interests—whether gaming, baking, writing, painting, hiking, or dancing—to design self-care strategies.

As reported by the National Library of Medicine, creativity can be an indispensable resource for meeting the challenges of our increasingly complex world, giving youth greater perceived control over problems, and resilience in the face of stressful and traumatic circumstances.

Anya Li, who took third prize in 2023 with her Affirmation Monster project: "The design of my monster was something I was able to control, and that helped me feel a little more grounded in a world full of things out of my control. Through my project, I hope others will not only feel more in control, but also see themselves, complex emotions and all, in a more positive light."

Finalists of this year's OK Challenge will have their projects included in an e-book to be published on OK You's website for use by youth and youth supporters across the country.

"The OK Challenge recognizes the knowledge that high school students carry," says Hana Layson, Head of Youth and Educator Programs at the Portland Art Museum, "and provides a platform for them to share that knowledge."

Dr. Heather Hadraba LPSC, School Counseling Program Director at Lewis & Clark College and Oregon School Counseling Association Board Member, adds: "Mental health matters, and OK You is ensuring young people are at the center of the conversation."

Submissions are open until March 31. For more information and to apply, visit okyou.org/ok-challenge-2025. For updates, subscribe or follow on Instagram @okyou_org.

[High resolution images, videos, and student quotes are available in the OK Challenge Media Folder]

Contact:
Kathleen Lane
[email protected]
503-349-4482

SOURCE OK You