While creating T.H.R.I.V.E., one of our goals was to ensure that the initiative was not only grounded in personal experience and national data, but also in the voices of our own community. 

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For too long, adults have often been the only ones at the table talking about teen issues and deciding what they believe young people need. But T.H.R.I.V.E., Tools for a Healthy Mind, is by teens, for teens, led by professionals. That meant teens needed a seat at the table from the very beginning. 

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So, before designing the summit, we asked. 

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We surveyed nearly 100 South Florida teens from local high schools to better understand what they were actually struggling with, what support they felt was missing, and what they wanted help navigating. 

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We didn't want to build a program for teens without first listening to teens. 

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Their responses helped shape the foundation of T.H.R.I.V.E. The data directly informed the topics we prioritized, the workshops we created, and the overall design of our inaugural Teen Summit. 

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Below are the questions we asked and what teens told us.