Featuring: Submissions from the Mental Health Week’s Mindscapes Gallery

Written by Marlaine Tagayuna

Contributions of Hans Pangan & Daniela Gilladoga

“Art speaks where words are unable to explain.”

– Pam Holland

Last October 8, 2024, the Guidance Department of Manresa School launched this year’s Mental Health Week. Engaging activities and interactive discussions that promote mental health were prepared for the students and teachers to enjoy from October 9-25, such as the Mindset Reset; Tune In Sesh; Encouragement Store; and many more. 

Another activity of this year’s Mental Health Week was the Mindscapes Gallery. It provided an avenue for interested students to share their interpretations of mental health through various creative mediums, such as spoken poetry, poster making, essay writing, and photography. Let’s take a closer look at some of the submissions for this activity.

First is a poster by Hans Pangan, a student from Grade 12 - St. John:

According to Hans, his work was inspired by one of their lessons in the Personal Development course. The vibrant and holographic design, specifically, rooted in their topics involving dangerous drugs, one of which was ecstasy, which became the backdrop of the poster’s design.

Looking closely, the paragraphs found on the upper right and bottom left corners of his work speak about “mind over matter”–a common saying–and “your mind matters”–a sentiment closer to mental health.

From the design concept to the words written on his poster, Hans successfully weaved together his interpretation of mental health and its importance.

Another submission for the Mindscapes Gallery is made by Daniela Gilladoga from 12 - St. Matthew:

“Honestly I just thought of what related to people having mental health problems. I realized most of them, now, especially in our generation have something to do with sexuality. That gave me the idea to relate mental health awareness with the theme of the LGBTQ+ community. What exactly do they feel? Why do they feel this way? Why do people harass this side of our society? Creating this poster made me think a lot about the LGBTQ+ community and realize that this side of society is not just a “side” of the society but they are still people just like us. From first seeing them as a subgroup of society into accepting them as basically just people like us. I wanted to embody them as kings and queens because they have the bravery to speak out about their emotions and feelings of the like towards others like me and everyone else around me. It makes me realize that these kinds of people are greater than we think they already are. A lot are talented and they know how to truly express themselves for who they are and it makes me happy to see that these people express their side of art through their sexuality,” said Daniela.

Truly, this year’s Mental Health Week’s Mindscapes Gallery successfully provided Manresans with a platform to speak about Mental Health through a new and creative approach, showing how art gives a voice to the mind’s quiet struggles, giving voice to emotions and creating a space for mental health awareness.