According to University of Utah math student John York, the equation to getting noticed on campus is repetition plus a simple message. From that, he created the “You Are Loved” campaign throughout the U’s campus. “It doesn’t have to be super high-quality or amazing, but if it’s really repetitive, you can kind of broadcast a simple message,” York said.
After watching a documentary on street art, York decided to create his own campaign. After he hung up his first batch of posters throughout the Salt Lake Valley in high school, he felt like the U was a natural community to continue to spread the “You Are Loved” campaign. “One time, I was hanging signs on campus and someone walked up to me and thanked me for hanging the signs and started asking me about myself, and it was really nice to be recognized,” York said.
Remote learning has made it difficult to get the campaign up since York hasn’t been on campus this year. He was still able to spread the “You Are Loved” message this year in collaboration with the U’s Center for Student Wellness. “I paired up with the Wellness Center to get ‘You Are Loved’ stickers that were distributed in self-care kits,” York said.
York hopes that his positive message will become an open-source campaign one day. “I really want it to continue after I graduate, but I’m still trying to figure how to keep the message going. I don’t think people hear these three words enough,” York said.
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