GGUSD Students Create Videos for Choose Wellness Campaign Contest

Tuesday, March 10, 2020

GGUSD Students Create Videos for Choose Wellness Campaign Contest

Garden Grove Unified School District (GGUSD) students from the district’s eight high schools are participating in a Choose Wellness campaign video contest with a total of $5,000 in cash prizes going to participating clubs. Students were encouraged to create videos that communicate the need to make mental health and wellness a priority and to end the stigma associated with getting help during a mental health crisis.

The contest was open to all GGUSD high school clubs or programs to engage the student voice and perspective about the importance of mental health and wellness. The grant for the contest was funded by BPSOS Center for Community Advancement, a Vietnamese-American community organization with a long track record of community service.

“This is a great opportunity for our students to get involved in the Choose Wellness campaign,” said GGUSD Board of Education President Walter Muneton. “The student voice is certainly the most powerful when it comes to encouraging their peers to seek help during times of need and to know they are not alone in dealing with life’s challenges.”

The videos can be viewed on the district’s website and YouTube channel from March 9 through April 24. The video receiving the most YouTube likes will win the top prize. High school clubs that produced the videos will receive the following grant-funded cash prizes: $2,000 for first place, $1,000 for second place, $500 for third place, and $150 for fourth through eight place. An honorable mention prize of $100 will go toward all high school clubs that submitted a video.

GGUSD received 20 video submissions from a variety of high school clubs and the district’s Choose Wellness committee selected one from each high school to be featured on YouTube for the competition. The eight featured videos were created by Bolsa Grande High School Women’s League, Garden Grove High School Animation Club, Hare High School Video Production Club, La Quinta High School NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Club, Los Amigos High School ASB, Pacifica High School NAMI Club, Rancho Alamitos High School NAMI Club, and Santiago High School Video Production Club.

This video contest is one of many of GGUSD’s Choose Wellness initiatives. The campaign was launched in September after the Board of Education passed Resolution No. 11 reaffirming its commitment to mental health and wellness.

GGUSD launched its Choose Wellness Campaign that same month with the goal of increasing awareness of mental health and wellness, and equipping students, staff, and families with resources that address students’ motivation, socio-emotional well-being, and school climate and culture.

The campaign has also included the creation of committees, video testimonials from students and staff, and community Choose Wellness events hosted by GGUSD Board of Education members – with the next Choose Wellness event scheduled for May 4 at Santiago High School.