Children's designs to help North Carolina kids have healthy minds

On June 2, ECU’s College of Business (COB) hosted the award ceremony for the 3-D community house design contest, which was part of the United Health Foundation (UHF) funded mental health care for NC Children project, organized by COB’s Center for Healthcare Management Systems (CHMS).

In the community house design competition, a total of 96 submissions were received. From these submissions, the top 10 winning children’s designs were selected based on three criteria: creativity, aesthetics & presentation, and user experience & functionality.

A $100 gift card was awarded to the winning design.

“During the event, all the remaining top 10 children’s designs were acknowledged for their achievements and creativity,” said Dr. Yajiong (Lucky) Xue, event organizer. “Furthermore, five designs were given an honorable mention, highlighting the efforts of these young participants.”

The purpose of the virtual 3-D community house, or “Healthy Mind for NC Kids Community House” is threefold: (1) introduce mental health basic knowledge and resources to children, (2) encourage them to speak out about their mental health problems, and (3) motivate them to actively seek help when needed.

Interim Dean Mike Harris warmly welcomed the participating contestants and their families, emphasizing the significance of engaging in such important initiatives to support the mental health development of North Carolina children.

Dr. Sy Saeed, the executive director of the NC STeP program, provided the audience with background information on the project. An expert judging panel of professionals from COB’s department of management information systems, CET’s construction management, arts, and philanthropy carefully assessed and ranked the children’s designs.

During the event, Xue showcased the 3-D community house using the Roblox platform.

“The meeting received a highly positive response from those present,” said Xue. “In the feedback sheets, parents expressed their appreciation, stating that the event positively impacted their children. They also thanked the organizers for making them feel special.”

During the event, all the remaining top 10 children’s designs were acknowledged for their achievements and creativity. Furthermore, five designs were given an honorable mention, highlighting the efforts of these young participants.