Sixth annual BRAVE Summit on teen mental health set for March 25

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — The sixth annual BRAVE Summit, an event aimed at breaking down stigmas around teen mental health, will be held Wednesday, March 25, at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre. Hosted by UF Health St. Johns, the summit is free for high school students throughout Florida.

This year’s program features a performance by musical artist Daya and a keynote address from bestselling author and speaker Sam Demma. High school students in St. Johns County can also earn four community service hours for participating. Students attending can sample free food and drinks from local vendors, take part in giveaways, snap photos in a booth, view art and poetry installations and join a range of interactive activities.

“Each year, the BRAVE Summit brings our community together around an issue that affects every family,” said Wayne Marshall, president of UF Health St. Johns. “Events like this help build understanding, reduce stigma and support the mental health of the next generation.”

The summit offers students a welcoming space to talk openly about mental health with peers and trained professionals. By encouraging these conversations, BRAVE aims to normalize mental wellness and help students feel comfortable seeking support when they need it.

“Last year, we welcomed more than 2,000 high school students from 24 Florida school districts and five counties in Georgia, and we’re excited to build on that momentum,” said Paige Stanton, founder of the event and executive director of UF Health St. Johns Care Connect. “Watching these events grow year after year has been nothing short of inspiring. It reminds us why we do this work. We’re deeply proud to reach more teens each year and to help them see that support, hope and real mental‑health resources are within their reach.”

The BRAVE Summit is the flagship event of the BRAVE program, founded in 2019 to connect high school students with mental‑health support. Before BRAVE launched in St. Johns County Schools, only 35% of referred students reached a mental‑health provider. That number has climbed to 90% due to this program. Despite the pandemic, BRAVE has expanded to 10 school districts statewide, now positioned to assist nearly 300,000 students.

Visit bravesummit2026.eventbrite.com to learn more or register for the BRAVE Summit.

About UF Health St. Johns

UF Health St. Johns, a regional division of UF Health, is dedicated to building healthier communities throughout Northeast Florida. The region includes UF Health Flagler Hospital, with a 130-year legacy of caring for the community, and multispecialty practices at UF Health Nocatee and UF Health MuraBella, as well as primary care and specialty practices in neighborhoods throughout St. Johns County and beyond.

About UF Health

UF Health is the world-class academic health center of the University of Florida. UF Health combines leading-edge research at campuses around Florida with outstanding clinical care at a network of hospitals throughout the state. The flagship is UF Health Shands Hospital, part of Florida’s preeminent health system, which is perennially ranked among the nation’s top hospitals by U.S. News & World Report.

With main campuses in Gainesville and Jacksonville, as well as satellite sites in Central Florida, St. Johns County and other locations, UF Health provides exceptional, compassionate care to patients from all counties in the nation’s third-most populous state. UF Health consists of six health colleges, 10 research institutes, six licensed hospitals with 12 locations, 283 physician practices and more than 140 outpatient locations. For more information, visit www.ufhealth.org.