Thousands of students tackle mental health during BRAVE Summit

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — Over 1,000 students had the opportunity to learn about mental health resources and how to navigate their emotions during this Wednesday’s
third annual “BRAVE Summit.”

The idea behind the BRAVE (Be Resilient And Voice Emotions) program was born during COVID, when leaders at Flagler Health noticed a need for a safe space for teenagers.

“Teenagers really needed that space to understand what is, you know, appropriate? How do I cope with any, you know, thoughts or feelings with what I’m seeing,” Paige Stanton, the executive director if Care Connect+, said.

Leaders say before brave, only 35% of students in St. Johns County schools who were referred to mental health provides were then seen by a medical professional. But since brave, that number has jumped to 90%.

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“We know how important it is to have that when you feel like you’re having a moment of crisis or you’re not sure where to go or where to turn, you don’t feel like you have somebody there are resources and there are agencies out there for them that are more than happy to receive them and hear them,” Stanton said.

The BRAVE summit was free for all Florida high school students and aimed to be a place where they can go table to table picking up resources, while also having fun.

“They’ll take something tangible away that they can use the same day, share with their friends, share with their families. As well as provide them with new resources that maybe they didn’t know about, something that they can lean on and go to for support in the future,” Stanton said.

The event was held inside the St. Augustine amphitheater.