Poster Contest & Event Information/Forms
Contest
The Children’s Mental Health Matters Coalition will open our annual My Feelings Matter youth poster contest to entries starting on February 20, 2017. Entries will be accepted until March 27, 2017. Finalists will be selected by the coalition and winners will be chosen by your votes on our blog.
Get the Entry Form:
(*More interested in video than art? Check out this alternative opportunity from USA Today for youth to explore mental health through video: usatwi.sc/wibreakstigma)
Event
Winners of the My Feelings Matter youth poster contest are invited with their families to our Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day event in Madison on May 4, 2017, at noon. This event is also open to any interested community members. Please click the flier image below for further details about this event.
We Need Your Help to Keep this Event Afloat!
This contest and the community event that follows is run by the Children’s Mental Health Matters Coalition, a group comprised of individuals from a number of state and non-profit entities around Wisconsin. The funding we have pulled together each year to pay for hosting this contest and event relied heavily on grant funding through one of our organizations that is no longer available to us. In order to set up a more consistent stream of funding moving forward, this year we have devised a sponsorship option for individuals, businesses, and organizations. Your sponsorship will allow us to host this contest and event for years to come, and continue to provide important opportunities to bring the issue of children’s mental health to the forefront. Sponsorship forms can be filled out manually and sent in to the address indicated, or can be filled out online and submitted electronically below. Please contact kelly@supportingfamiliestogether.org with questions.
Sponsorship Information
Who is the Children’s Mental Health Matters Coalition?
The Children’s Mental Health Matters Coalition is a collaboration of Wisconsin non-profits and state entities invested in supporting children’s mental health.
What is the Children’s Mental Health Matters Event?
Once a year the Children’s Mental Health Matters Coalition convenes to organize a poster contest for Wisconsin youth ages pre-school through high school, on the theme of My Feelings Matter. Adults are encouraged to use this contest and the free toolkits provided on the Coalition website to start age-appropriate conversations about mental health with the children in their lives, while participating youth are invited to explore and express their feelings through art. Contest finalists are chosen by Coalition members, and the winners are chosen by public vote. The winners, their families and the community are invited to an event held in Madison on National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day. At this event the winning artwork is displayed, local youth provide entertainment and the importance of children’s mental health awareness is promoted. The goal is for participants and attendees to leave with a stronger sense of comfort in addressing and supporting children’s mental well-being.
Where is my Sponsorship Going Exactly?
The Children’s Mental Health Matters Coalition does not currently have any regular funding sources to host our contest and event. We depend on sponsors like you to help make what we do possible. All of your money goes directly into buying supplies, materials, food and space needed for our contest and event. Items that may need to be funded or donated in-kind on an annual basis are:• Prizes for contest winners
• Poster frames for the winning artwork
• The space to host the event
• Pizza for contest winners and their families
• Marketing materials costs (printing, advertisements, etc.)
Why Children’s Mental Health?
According to the 2016 Wisconsin Office of Children’s Mental Health Annual Report, Wisconsin’s youth suicide rate is almost 40 percent higher than the national rate, and one in ten Wisconsin children qualify as having a Serious Emotional Disturbance (SED). A clear need exists to bring the discussion of children’s mental health into the open and to end the stigma and silence that often surrounds this issue. Only then can children develop the coping mechanisms and support systems they need to deal with their mental well-being in a healthy, positive way. Through our contest and event, the Children’s Mental Health Matters Coalition plays an active role in bringing the topic of children’s mental health to light and encouraging healthy engagement on the subject of mental health amongst children and adults.
Levels of Opportunities for Sponsor Involvement/Support
(We will adhere to sponsor brand and logo requirements. Please note, sponsorship can be monetary or an in-kind donation equivalent to the cost of a particular sponsorship level).
What is the return on my investment?
Aside from increasing your brand visibility, you are tying your brand to an extremely worthy cause and making a positive difference in your community at the same time. There is a true need to raise awareness and support for the issue of children’s mental health in WI. By supporting this event you are helping us put the spotlight on this need, giving children a creative outlet for their emotions, and supporting adults in initiating tough conversations with their children regarding mental health.
Online Children’s Mental Health Matters Event Sponsorship Form:
Thank you for your support!
Please click below to view our sponsorship form in PDF format.
Wisconsin Knows: Children's Mental Health Matters 
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