Dozens of high school students around San Diego are midway through a national competition called the Aspen Challenge.
The students from 19 San Diego Unified School District campuses are creating projects to solve their community’s most critical problems: immigration, homelessness and mental health.
An eight-member team from Mission Bay High School has been working since late February on strategies using various mediums of art to lower stress in children.
They hosted a community mental health fair at the Pacific Beach Library this week. It featured poetry, origami and vision boards.
“Art is something that can reduce stress. It's an abstract idea. So, there’s no right or wrong way to do it, and it’s an individual approach," said Yemaya Bruce, 15, who is a sophomore member of the MBHS team.
According to the team’s research, completing an origami-folded paper swan can create self-confidence and encourage serenity. They found the path to positivity is also paved with plenty of coloring books and crafts activities like a vision board.
Tegan Grzyb, 15, helped students at the health fair find their vision for the future. They cut and pasted their way to less stress.
“I’ve already had to start with my college applications. The future is something that stresses people out. Vision boarding is calming. You’re planning out your future. You're planning something you see yourself doing," she said.
All the high school teams will deliver their presentations on May 1, in front of each other and the Aspen Challenge judges.
Nathan Sheehy is the advisor and English teacher for the Mission Bay team. He said it's a teachable moment for everyone.
“They’re go-getters. It's helping them beyond school. They're learning skills that are going to be useful to them in the real world than maybe book learning," he said.
Yemaya said, “It’s not just about the competition. It's about creating a long-lasting memory, a long-lasting solution that will continue to help multiple people.”
