On Tuesday, the #SpreadTheLoveProject was officially unveiled at Holy Trinity Catholic High School.
Two girls washrooms within the school have had the stalls painted to help spread positivity and make for a safer environment. The artwork was done by Addictive Design, a local design company.
"Let’s make our washrooms a friendlier space and not a space that is considered unwelcoming,” said Josie Patera who along with resident Lisa Artuso, are the faces behind the project. “We feel that Love is always the answer. There is too much hate and judgement in the world. We can change the world one person at a time by spreading the love.”
Both Patera and Artuso know that the washroom can be a scary place where bullying and negativity happen, particularly for girls, and they wanted to try and flip the narrative with the murals on the doors.
“What we read on a daily basis programs our minds,” they said. “What goes in comes out. We want to provide a safe and loving environment in the bathrooms to serve our students a dose of love each day.”
The #SpreadTheLoveProject is important to them because they have been there before, they explained, and they’re hopeful the murals words can help inspire students to be leaders.
“We were once a student and we know how tough it can be at times so having positive quotes around you allow for positive thinking,” said Patera. "Positive quotes can offer inspiration for the day, or the week, and inspire these students when their normal motivation has lapsed.
“Reading a positive quote can help change the way you are feeling or thinking at that very moment and hopefully it will be carried throughout the day and onto others. Positive quotes provide a quick and timely burst of wisdom to help our students get through the day and get their focus back while offering inspiration to other students.”
Patera and Artuso point to God's words which say to “love on another,” and that’s something they hope resonates with the students.
“We need to spread more love in the world so why not teach this to our students now while they are young,” said Pater. "Let's teach them the power of positive thinking, how it affects oneself and those around us, and how powerful it is to think positively overall which will help them now, in the future, and for their overall well-being.”
The two girls washrooms at Holy Trinity are phase one of a project that they foresee expanding to the boys washrooms at the school as well. They hope other schools join the #SpreadTheLoveProject in the Bradford community and beyond.
