November Students4Good Recap

By Anvita Ambardekar

November is a month filled with kindness and gratitude. It is a time when we take a step aside from our busy lives to spend time with those we love. As life goes, it is not always possible to see our friends and family in person, but the digital world comes to the rescue. Social media such as Instagram, Snapchat, and FaceTime can make things and people far away seem like they are right next to us. On the other hand, it is also so simple to be addicted to these platforms and let them interfere with our lives. Even so, we should strive to keep a balance between these two things, which is exactly what Supriya Change and Elliote Von Roden are doing! Motivated by the need in their community, and passion to help others, these young women aspire to flood the digital world with positivity.

Supriya Chang is a 19-year-old from Connecticut who is currently a sophomore at Amherst College and the founder of the Spread Love Project. This is an Instagram page that is dedicated to sharing affirmations, advice, and information about mental health. As a teenager, Supriya struggled with anxiety and depression. The Spread Love Project started when Supriya had a lot of extra time during the pandemic and she designed posts for fun. Soon, she realized that these posts helped her cope with her own issues and were a way for her to tell her story and provide others with the resources and knowledge that she wished she had acquired earlier. “Retrospectively, I wish I knew how to spot the signs of my deteriorating emotional stability, reach out for help earlier, or properly take care of myself,” Supriya said. The Spread Love Project also seeks to combat stigma related to mental health topics and create a safe space online for anyone who needs that extra love and comfort to know that they are not alone. 

Through her Instagram page, Supriya shares advice regarding various mental health topics. This includes the 4-7-8 breathing strategy, which was one of the first things taught to her to help manage anxiety and sleep better, as well as what to say and not to say to someone who is suicidal. She also encourages simple and random acts of kindness such as giving someone a hug or holding the door open for someone. “Those little acts might mean more than you know,” she says. Through her work, Supriya has spread love to over 13 thousand people, and that number continues to grow. In the future, Supriya hopes to open a small business that sells mental health apparel, and donate the proceeds to foundations that raise awareness for mental health and suicide prevention.

Elliotte Von Roden is a 7th grade student at Adel DeSoto Minburn Middle School in Iowa and a Going Vintage Challenge Advocate. This challenge calls for students to delete all social media and games from their phones to reduce cyberbullying and decrease screen time. “We decided to start this effort due to online bullying and encouraging a break from technology,” Elliote said. To expand her reach, Elliotte did a three month kickoff that included the 7th grade classes at her school. 

Additionally, Elliotte went from business to business in her town asking for sponsors and donations to fund her challenge. At the end of the kickoff, she had brought in over $5000! This money went towards a celebration marking the end of the challenge and an assembly with speakers from #ICANHELP. The celebration was open to everyone, regardless of their participation. Elliotte wanted to make sure that each student felt welcome. The assembly from #ICANHELP continued to support her mission towards a safer online experience for youth. Seeing as they are already excited about the challenge, Elliotte hopes to target the 6th grade population in the near future.   

Both Supriya and Elliotte have fun and innovative projects that are making a difference in their communities. Guided by their enthusiasm for helping others, they are spreading so much kindness and love throughout the world and using digital for good.

Here are our top 3 takeaway activities from this event that we encourage you to engage with:

• Take some time to evaluate your own mental health and don’t be afraid to reach out for support
• Think about how you should balance your time on social media and everything else in your life
• Do something kind for someone, it might mean more to them than you know

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