Local & National Stakeholders Convene Comprehensive Conversation to Address the Youth Mental Health Challenge
Coalition to Empower our Future Hosts Youth Mental Health Roundtable in Miami; Brings Together Range of Perspectives Including Clinical, Community, School, Parents and More
For Immediate Release
October 8, 2025
Contact: [email protected]
MIAMI — The Coalition to Empower our Future (CEF), a growing partnership focused on understanding the many contributing factors surrounding youth mental health and wellbeing, today convened a roundtable discussion in Miami to discuss the need for comprehensive solutions to address this challenge.
The roundtable, which featured a broad range of voices and perspectives, was moderated by CEF Board Member and former U.S. Congressman Carlos Curbelo and CEF Executive Director Glen Weiner. The discussion highlighted the importance of addressing the full range of issues contributing to the state of youth mental health and building solutions that reflect the complexity.
“This conversation brought together leaders who understand that the youth mental health challenge is not something we can fix overnight or with a single solution,” said former U.S. Representative Carlos Curbelo and CEF board member. “It is a complex problem that deserves a comprehensive conversation. By listening to those working with young people every day, and to young people themselves, we can begin to craft smarter, more comprehensive solutions that reflect the realities our young people face every day.”
Speakers included a mix of national and local organizations and nonprofits, mental health professionals and clinicians, and other regional community leaders, including:
- After-School All-Stars of South Florida Executive Director Sean Prospect
- American Academy of Pediatrics National Center on Social Media and Youth Mental Health Director Nicole Owings-Fonner
- Amigos for Kids President and CEO Karina Pavone
- Bipartisan Policy Center Research Analyst Gabriel Loud
- Children’s Bereavement Center CEO Debra Albo-Steiger
- Coalition for Student Wellbeing Executive Director Carson Domey
- Coalition to Empower our Future Board Member Congressman Carlos Curbelo
- Coalition to Empower our Future Executive Director Glen Weiner
- Community Health of South Florida Behavioral Health Medical Director and Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist Dr. Howard Pratt
- Media Literacy Now Digital Wellness Project Lead Tamara Sobel
- Mental Health Association of Central Florida CEO Marni Stahlman
- United Way of Broward County Vice President of Community Impact Janine Ribeiro Chow-Quan, MS, LMHC
- University of Miami Miller School of Medicine Assistant Professor of Psychiatry Dr. Felicia Gallucci
“Youth mental health is an urgent and complex challenge, and it requires more than one-size-fits-all solutions,” said Glen Weiner, executive director of CEF. “Today’s roundtable underscored the importance of bringing together a range of perspectives to better understand the many complex factors shaping young people’s wellbeing. The Coalition to Empower our Future is committed to continuing this conversation so that we can better identify the meaningful and long-lasting solutions our kids need.”
This event is the first in a series of regional roundtable discussions where CEF will go into communities across the country. The goal is to engage and listen to a range of voices and perspectives to better understand the many dimensions of the youth mental health challenge and to identify tools and resources parents need to support their children.
About the Coalition to Empower our Future
Coalition to Empower our Future is a newly formed organization bringing together a range of voices to fully inform solutions that empower youth, parents, communities and society. The Coalition to Empower our Future supports solutions that are inclusive of the full spectrum of factors impacting youth mental health. Former Montana Governor Steve Bullock, former assistant secretary for the Administration for Children and Family Services at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services January Contreras, and former U.S. Representative Carlos Curbelo serve on the board of directors of the Coalition to Empower our Future. Dr. Caroline Carney, a board-certified psychiatrist and internist, is a health executive and clinician who serves as an expert advisor to the coalition.
To learn more, visit empowerourfuturecoalition.com or follow Coalition to Empower our Future on Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.
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