Young people, especially teens, are struggling right now to maintain their mental health. Forty-two percent say they feel persistently sad or hopeless; twenty percent have seriously considered suicide (cdc.org). These numbers are even higher for LGBTQIA+, female, and BIPOC students. Yet, through so many challenges—a pandemic, global warming, school shootings, anti-LGBTQIA+ threats—these young people have amassed a ton of wisdom and some pretty incredible coping strategies.

We believe they belong at the center of our conversations about emotional wellbeing, and we believe they have the creativity and wisdom to lead the way for their peers, younger youth, and all of us.

The OK Challenge, to launch October 1, 2024, will invite middle and high school students from across the country to take their rightful place in the conversation and convert their mental health experiences into positive action for the benefit of their own wellbeing and the wellbeing of their peers and younger students. Youth will be invited to consider and share their ideas for how creative practices can be used to navigate emotions and keep us connected to our OK selves.

To incentivize youth to participate, we will be offering cash prizes along with the opportunity for their arts+wellness project ideas to be included in a downloadable e-book to be shared on OK You’s website for the benefit of youth and youth supporters everywhere. The intent of this e-book is to provide peer-to-peer wellness support and ready-made lesson plans for counselors and teachers. We are especially excited about the impact these youth-designed projects will have on younger students who are just beginning to learn how to navigate life’s challenging moments and emotions, and who are looking to older students for guidance.