MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK 2O25

MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK IS A TIME TO HONOUR THOSE WHO NAVIGATE MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES, WHILE ALSO GIVING ADVOCATES A CHANCE TO RAISE THEIR VOICES AND BRING AWARENESS TO IMPORTANT ISSUES. TOGETHER, WE CAN INSPIRE CHANGE THAT SHAKES THE GROUND BENEATH US — CREATING A HEALTHIER, MORE COMPASSIONATE RELATIONSHIP WITH MENTAL HEALTH.

THIS YEAR, WE CHOSE TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT.

THERE WAS NO THEME FOR OUR 2025 MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS COMPETITION.

WE INVITED PEOPLE TO LEAD THEIR OWN PATH — TO WRITE, CREATE, AND EXPRESS FREELY, WITHOUT LIMITS OR BOUNDARIES.

WE WANTED TO HONOUR THE DIVERSITY OF INDIVIDUAL EXPERIENCES, TRUSTING THAT EACH PERSON WOULD BRING THEIR OWN VOICE, THEIR OWN STORY, AND THEIR OWN WAY OF ENGAGING WITH MENTAL HEALTH.

DURING THIS WEEK, WE COME TOGETHER TO SUPPORT ONE ANOTHER IN OUR MENTAL HEALTH JOURNEYS — TO LISTEN, TO OFFER ENCOURAGEMENT, AND TO SPREAD KINDNESS LIKE SEEDS IN A GARDEN. JUST AS AN EARTHQUAKE RESHAPES THE LAND, OUR COLLECTIVE EFFORTS HAVE THE POWER TO RESHAPE HOW SOCIETY UNDERSTANDS AND EMBRACES MENTAL HEALTH.

BY FOSTERING OPEN CONVERSATIONS AND CHAMPIONING UNDERSTANDING, WE ENVISION A WORLD WHERE MENTAL HEALTH IS MET WITHOUT JUDGMENT, WHERE SEEKING HELP IS SEEN AS A MARK OF COURAGE, AND WHERE EVERY INDIVIDUAL FEELS RECOGNIsED AND SUPPORTED. TOGETHER, WE CONTINUE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE — ONE STORY, ONE VOICE, ONE CONVERSATION AT A TIME.

PLEASE BE ADVISED: SOME OF THE WORKS BELOW MAY CONTAIN CONTENT THAT IS TRIGGERING.

HERE ARE THE WINNERS OF THIS YEAR’S COMPETITION:

And the Ocean Called for Me
written By Mewen Beth Woodward

And the Ocean called for me,
for my tears no longer
belonged to the ones who had hurt me.
Where I belong wasn’t on the sand
and beneath blue skies,
but in the deeper levels of the blues
— where no light could touch
nor any noise ever existed.
Whispering how the waves
had yearned for my presence,
to descend into their depths,
and embrace me.
I allowed the waves to crash at my feet,
drawing me from the shore
until the sand’s dry embrace
no longer kissed my toes.
Glancing at the blue sky one last time,
letting the breeze kiss my cheeks,
as it wipes away my final tears,
I leaned forward,
my lips meeting the salty water,
ready to be pursued by a voice,
its melodious tune beckons me far away.
Like a tale of a mermaid meeting a sailor in his boat,
enchanted by her beauty,
for her voice was as attractive as she sang a song,
he met his fate in the deep waters
to be with the creature.
As I never doubt the Ocean’s embrace
to welcome me into a new world.
As the water continued to pull me deeper
into the endless cold blues,
where silence hypnotizes,
and the numbness of my emotions grew.
I dreamed of infinite sleep,
and found where I ended up to be
— I was finally at peace with the seven seas.

Devour
Written by Bailey

Size wasn’t just defined by the bathroom scale.
It was doctors’ office visits and a paper trail.
Countless white coats with their pitchforks and advice,
That said beauty and perfection came with a price.
So, I choked down my words instead of my meals,
Built a bunker, took shelter, and raised up my shields.
But I locked in their violent outcries to “tame her, TAME HER!”
As internalized screams in my own echo chamber.
As my shadow receded to keep up with their demands,
Confessions burned into my throat and bleeding hands.
A restlessness hummed through my body in protest,
As self-doubt climbed and carved the walls of my chest.
I tucked myself away, while this wild hunger raged,
Disease turned obsession, unchecked and caged.
The monster I created swallowed my bones and battle cry.
My eating disorder consumed me and tried to eat me alive.

bridge of freedom
written by Wait N.C

Now I walk on scumbag’s lane
Where hollow preachers hunt for fame
My whispered truth hangs incomplete
As courage stirs beneath my feet

Venom burns through flesh and vein
Each heartbeat pulses raw with pain
My fingers curl to bloodless fists
Through cracked glass, cold rains persist

Polished smiles mask silent shame
Their spotlight grins, a liar’s game
These stones of judgment crushed my will
Left crumpled at the windowsill

Mannequin souls in suits of same
Their laughter echoes, empty, tame
From shadows’ depths where I once fell
The bridge of freedom breaks my spell

Now the bridge of freedom calls my name.






love or fear
written by Solana Wilde

What would happen if you chose differently this time?

Letting the fire on your tongue die,
Pain coursing through veins-alive.

What do you do?

Instead of clenching your fists,
Let the tears just fall.
Allow your pen to kiss the paper,
And art to fill the walls.

Would you prosper in a healing kind of way?
By making better choices, day by day?

You know what happens if you stay the same…
If you are never changing,
Will you go insane?

Do you like wandering in a maze?
Or do you dream of new places,
And love that stays?

It is not far, nor is it near
It will be what you choose:
out of love or fear.

Every choice will get you there,
Or keep you here.

Ignorance is bliss, surrender is sweet.
Despair is like being chained to defeat.

To strike balance is to find the key,
Unlocking your conscious, true and free.

What will you do?
Where will you be?

On the choices you tend, it will depend.