Second Annual BRAVE Summit Scheduled, Aims to Help Teens Collaborate and Advocate for Mental Health

St. Augustine, Fla. January 24, 2022 -- Care Connect+, a social health organization led by Flagler Health+, announced that the second annual BRAVE Summit will be held March 30, 2022 at the St. Augustine Amphitheater. The Summit aims to open a dialogue with teens to address the stigma associated with mental health and encourage teens to learn about how to foster mental wellness.

The event is free and accessible to all high school students in Putnam, Clay, Flagler, St. Johns and Nassau Counties. There will be free food, entertainment, music and speakers, including some of TikTok’s most popular mental health advocates including keynote speaker Johnny Crowder, a leading mental health advocate and national public speaker.

Be Resilient and Voice Emotions (BRAVE), founded in 2019, is a program that encourages area youth to get in touch with their mental health early on, be open to receiving help and supports access to behavioral health services via care navigation and technology. As part of Care Connect+, the program works with the whole family to address social determinants of health to ensure delivery of the right care, at the right time, in the right place.

The aim of the BRAVE Summit is to open a dialogue with teens to address the stigma associated with mental health and encourage teens to learn about how to foster mental wellness for themselves and their peers. The mission is to provide pathways to support systems for those young people who are struggling, or know someone who is struggling, so that they feel equipped to ask for and provide the support that is needed.

“The BRAVE Summit is an important initiative for the mental well-being of the youth of our community. The tools provided through the BRAVE Summit will help us achieve the goal of eliminating the stigma attached to mental health and increasing much-needed access to care,” said Jason Barrett, President and CEO of Flagler Health+.

Initially launched by UF Health Care Connectin partnership with the St. Johns County School District and with support from THE PLAYERS, the program has already made significant progress. Prior to BRAVE’s implementation in St. Johns County Schools, only 35% of students who were referred to mental health provider were actually seen by a medical professional. With the BRAVE program, that rate has increased to 95%. Since its founding three years ago and despite the pandemic, BRAVE has expanded into more school districts including Clay, Nassau, Putnam and Flagler Counties with the ability to assist thousands of students in Northeast Florida.

To register, or to learn more about this year’s BRAVE Summit, visit bit.ly/BRAVE2022. For information about sponsorship opportunities, visit bit.ly/BRAVEgive.