09/03/2026
💙 87 TEENS. ONE POWERFUL DAY. A MOVEMENT BEGINS.
On August 29, the inaugural T.H.R.I.V.E. Teen Mental Wellness Summit brought 87 teens ages 13–18 together at the Peter Blum Family YMCA for a day centered on connection, resilience and being heard.
Created by local high school student Zoraida de Souza, T.H.R.I.V.E. — Teen Health Resilience Insight Vitality Education — was inspired by her own experience with grief and her passion for helping teens build resilience before reaching a crisis point.
Throughout the summit, teens participated in interactive workshops covering:
✨ Emotional intelligence
🤝 Healthy relationships
💡 Leadership & gratitude
🎓 College readiness
💬 Mental wellness & resilience
Parents and caregivers also had the opportunity to learn strategies for supporting teens at home.
At the heart of T.H.R.I.V.E. is a simple but powerful idea: teens deserve a seat at the table. The summit gave young people space to speak openly, connect with one another and walk away with practical tools they can use when life feels overwhelming.
And this is just the beginning. T.H.R.I.V.E. is more than a one-day event — it’s a movement to build stronger teens, one skill at a time. 💙
A special thank you to Zoraida de Souza, Jaden Guerra, the youth leadership team, workshop facilitators, donors, families, sponsors, in-kind partners and everyone who helped make this inaugural summit possible.
📸 See photos from the Teen Mental Wellness Summit:
https://ymcaofspbc.smugmug.com/Teen-Mental-Health-Summit
