Fifth annual BRAVE Summit hosts more than 2,500, focuses on teen mental health

The fifth annual BRAVE Summit welcomed 2,500 high school students from across Florida on Wednesday, March 26, breaking down stigmas and normalizing conversations around mental health. The free event was hosted by UF Health St. Johns at the St. Augustine Ampitheatre.

Mental health advocates Emma Benoit and Charles Clark inspired students with their powerful, personal stories, and more than 50 vendor booths, including Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation, supplied attendees with information and resources. The afternoon also featured art and poetry submitted by student attendees, giveaways, interactive games, photo booths and nationally recognized music artist Paul Russell.

“Each year, it’s heartening to see the important work being done at the BRAVE Summit to create a welcoming and safe space for teens to discuss mental health,” said Kerry Watson, interim CEO of UF Health St. Johns. “Creating a path for a generation that prioritizes mental health as a vital aspect of overall well-being supports our commitment in creating healthier communities.”

The growth of the BRAVE Summit has been inspiring, said Paige Stanton, the event’s founder and executive director of UF Health St. Johns Care Connect.

“Each year the event grows exponentially. Two years ago we welcomed approximately 1,000 students, then nearly 2,000 attendees last year and to have more than 2,500 join us this year brings us so much joy and tells us that we are filling a need of these students,” Stanton said. “Our goal is to reach as many young people as possible to let them know that it’s OK to talk about mental health, that there are resources available if and when they need help, that there are people who care and that they are not alone.”

BRAVE Summit is a centerpiece event of the BRAVE program. BRAVE, which stands for Be Resilient and Voice Emotions, was founded in 2019 and has already made significant progress in connecting high school teens to mental health resources. Before BRAVE’s implementation in St. Johns County Schools, only 35% of students who were referred to mental health providers were seen by a medical professional. With the BRAVE program, that rate has increased to 90%. Since its founding and despite the pandemic, BRAVE has expanded into 10 school districts across the state, with the ability to assist nearly 300,000 students.