Entries for the second annual Look Around Boone Creative Art Contest are due Jan. 31. The Look Around Boone organization encourages middle and high school students in Boone County to participate in the contest, which began Oct. 4, 2019. Contestants may enter both visual and performing arts-related pieces.
Top submissions will be displayed at the Art Gallery Event March 7. All winning entries may be used to create videos, posters, ads and other promotional materials for Look Around Boone’s campaign to create mental health awareness. Winners receive a $50 Amazon gift card and their classroom or sponsor receives a $50 gift card for Hobby Lobby. Last year, junior Hope Schust’s poem was among more than 40 other entries. In total, seven pieces won, including Schust’s piece.
Schust said she wrote her poem to remind people who are upset they are never alone, and it’s okay to feel sad. She said Look Around Boone’s mission is to support teenagers with their mental health and make sure they know they can ask for help.
Family Access Center of Excellence (FACE) of Boone County Outreach Coordinator ShaVon Walls-Taylor said stigma makes it difficult for people to talk about their mental health and ask for support because they feel “blamed, disgraced, isolated and rejected.” She said “one in five teenagers struggle with mental health,” and everyone deserves support and compassion in the face of challenge. Look Around Boone’s motto, ‘It’s not just you, it’s us,’ acknowledges that no one is alone in difficult times and, with the help of their community, can overcome challenges, Walls-Taylor said.
Sophomore Ian Kemey, who entered a spoken word poem last year, said he believes one can conquer mental health issues and should never feel alienated because of them. Kemey said he knows depression affects many students who have trouble finding friends or struggle with anxiety. He said his poem discussed the power of community in helping one recover from dark circumstances, and he hopes the contest “continues to show people that mental illnesses can be common, and it’s always important to get them help.”
After Schust’s poem won last year, she became more involved with promoting mental health awareness. Although she is still deciding whether she wants to enter something to the contest this year, she said she was featured in an ad directed at spreading Look Around Boone’s messages to high school students and continues to support the organization’s cause.
In late 2017, Walls- Taylor said Look Around-Boone transitioned from being carried out by Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services to the FACE of Boone County. She said those at FACE deeply appreciate funding and support from the Boone County Children’s Services Fund and hope to continue to promote mental health awareness through the contest.
“As we talk openly about the challenges we experience, increase our understanding about mental illness and support one another,” Walls- Taylor said, “we are breaking down the barriers that keep those who are hurting from reaching out for help.”
Are you submitting anything for Look Around Boone? Let us know in the comments below.
