Students earn honors for film work supporting mental health
EL CENTRO — Students at Southwest High School are among the regional and statewide finalists of the 10th annual Directing Change Program & Film Contest.
Finalists were announced Friday. They included “Bridging Support Among Friends,” a film produced by SHS students Sidney Garcia, Jocelyn Camacho, Enrique Alonzo, Aliyah Amaro and Jenyl Plascencia. It takes the audience into the minds of concerned friends who are making sure to provide support and affirmations to their loved ones. The production, advised by Southwest teacher Jackie Valadez, won third place in its category and was a Region 1 Mental Health Matters finalist for Imperial County.
“Be the Change,” a short film produced by Arlin Alzate, Yvette Paez, Luna Andrade and Joselyn
Paez, was awarded honorable mention in the Mental Health Matters category. The video focused on a student dealing with the transition of coming back to in-person learning and highlighted the lack of mental health awareness due to stigma in her community. In the end, the student received help and spreads the message that mental health matters.
The program is part of statewide suicide prevention and mental health efforts funded by county agencies and administered by the California Mental Health Services Authority. It encourages young people to create short films and art projects about suicide prevention, mental health, managing through tough times, the impact of the pandemic and returning to in-person education.
The annual art and film contest goes beyond encouraging artistic endeavors to encourage young people to be mindful of their mental health and seek help for themselves and their peers.
“Our youth filmmakers created unique and educational films, expressing the importance of mental health awareness, while remaining hopeful and reminding their peers they are not alone. Youth are experiencing a time unlike any we’ve ever been through, and we are grateful that we create space for them to process and express how they feel, while learning valuable coping and suicide prevention skills,” said Shanti Bond-Martinez, senior program manager at Directing Change.
Programs like Directing Change raise mental health awareness and empower youth to have difficult conversations, look for mental health warning signs, and know when and where to get help, she explained.