In an environment where students face constant pressure and negativity, a group of Godwin juniors planted their roots in Godwin soil and grew a campaign in an effort to spread awareness.
Petals of Positivity is a student-led campaign by a group of Godwin juniors: Shriya Bandla, Manasvi Kannure, Anaya Kalore, Tanvi Nareddy, Ashna Sureshkumar, and Neha Pillai.
A movement created in hopes of spreading awareness of the toll that negativity can take on a student, “[they] believed it was up to [them] to create the change that was missing.”
The original focus was on Godwin High School, but the campaign has broader goals in mind.
“We envisioned partnering with schools and organizations, hosting workshops, and creating educational materials to achieve this. We wanted to empower our peers and community to be confident and spread positivity in their lives,” said Nareddy.
Students often experience feelings of being unmotivated, overwhelmed, or stressed, so the campaign was designed for students to turn to when in need of guidance.
They utilize social media platforms such as Instagram to share these petals of positivity. “We began by using Instagram and then expanded our efforts to include infographics and posters displayed throughout the school,” said Bandla.
These posts revolve around topics such as self-esteem, self-worth, eating disorders, body dysmorphia, and positive/negative self-talk.
A poster put up in the hallway by the group poses the question, “What is one thing you like about yourself?” They believed the poster would “help people gain inspiration from others and improve their self-esteem.”
In the coming weeks, a Mindful Monday lesson will be hosted by librarian Brooke Davis, where students will make jars filled with positive affirmations. These activities can let students submerge themselves in positive thoughts and reduce stigma.
The members of the campaign took further initiative and conducted an experiment in order to pinpoint the exact stressor that is most common in the lives of students.
133 students were interviewed and asked to rank the top stressors- academics, extra-curriculars, work, peer pressure, relationship issues, health, finances—from one to five, allowing the campaign to compile the data and reach a conclusion.
The results were found and then used to conduct a statistical analysis to show a correlation. Infographics were created from the data pulled from the study to represent the stressors and their magnitude visually.
Overall, Petals of Positivity has impacted the students and the members themselves. “This campaign has immensely impacted us by helping us reflect on our self-worth and recognize the importance of nurturing positive self-esteem. It has been inspiring to see how our campaign has affected hundreds of people on social media and within the Godwin community,” said Sureshkumar.
An inclusive community and positivity-driven school remain a goal for Petals of Positivity as they continue to spread their petals, encouraging empowerment and self-love.
