Youth art contest to spotlight mental health

By THE STAR STAFF

A youth art contest on mental health has been launched as part of the partnership between San Juan Capestrano Hospital and the Puerto Rico Museum of Art.

The event, announced earlier this week, is part of the initiative leading up to World Suicide Prevention Day, for which the San Juan Capestrano Hospital System (SJCHS) announced the third edition of the “Colors of a Healthy Mind” art contest, a project that seeks to inspire adolescents throughout Puerto Rico to express, through art, messages of hope, well-being and mental health care.

In the contest, for young people from ages 12 to 17, participants are invited “to capture in their works the importance of talking about emotions, resilience and unity in times when mental health has become an urgent challenge,” SJCHS CEO Marta Rivera Plaza said. “Our institution has a serious commitment to creating spaces for dialogue and creative expression. This contest is not just an artistic call, it is a call to recognize that every young person has a voice and a story that deserves to be heard.“