Adults ask children how they feel, then wait for sentences. Nearly half of children say they are not comfortable talking to school adults about their mental health, even as most young people want those conversations normalised. 

We gave them a different route. Bridge the Gap asked children to draw what hope looks like, their definition, their variation, and let the pictures start the talk among grown-ups. Hundreds flooded in.

Art lowers the threat a direct question raises; it is how children say what they do not yet have words for. 

The work went to a gala dinner presentation, then a public gallery. Hope, hung where adults had to look, started the conversation and empowered countless young people.