Sunshine From Darkness launches Youth Resiliency program

Recent data reveals that nearly one in five Florida high school students have seriously considered attempting suicide. One in three reports feeling persistently sad or hopeless – a sign of the heavy emotional burdens they are carrying. Additionally, 50% of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by age 14, and children with serious cases of mental health conditions could have their lifespan shortened by as many as 25 years.

Unfortunately, in the State of Florida, there are significant barriers to mental health funding and access to care. According to a Florida Hospital Association report, Florida ranked 49th in the nation for per capita mental health funding and 46th in the nation for access to mental health care. A study by Forbes Advisor in 2024 affirmed that Florida is in the bottom five worst states for mental health care.

Mental health nonprofit organization Sunshine from Darkness (SFD) understands that mental health resilience starts with awareness, education and support. Its Youth Resiliency Program, which officially launched this year, is designed to equip young people with the emotional literacy, coping strategies, and mental health awareness they need to navigate life's challenges with confidence.

• To develop emotional literacy (to understand and express their emotions in healthy ways);
• To strengthen coping strategies (providing tools to manage stress and anxiety);
• To encourage mental health awareness (breaking stigma through education and open conversations); and
• To create a supportive environment (ensuring youth feel empowered to seek help and build connections).

In 2024, in collaboration with Herrera Psychology, SFD launched its Youth Resiliency pilot program in partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota and DeSoto Counties, targeting middle school youth enrolled in Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota and DeSoto Counties (BGCSDC). SFD provided four Youth Resiliency workshops embedded into the Boys & Girls Clubs’ summer camp program. SFD conducted two-hour workshops for five days at four different BGCSDC locations, engaging a total of 42 students, and a staff workshop with 20 participants.

Building on the success of the Youth Resiliency pilot initiative, SFD expanded its Youth Resilience programming across Sarasota County in 2025, reaching 70 youth through powerful partnerships with Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota and DeSoto Counties, Innovation Academy SRQ, and Margwine Organization’s “Flourishing” program.

Thanks to its expanding collaboration with the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee, the organization is now empowering even more students with the skills to navigate stress, communicate effectively, and cultivate inner resilience. This past spring, SFD Resilience Collective workshops reached 17 college students, equipping them with practical strategies to strengthen their well-being.

Post-program reflections revealed a significant boost in emotional coping behaviors, with students actively journaling, using stress relief tools, communicating more effectively, and recognizing how their brains respond to stress. They also demonstrated increased use of calming strategies — clear evidence that the tools shared are becoming part of their daily lives.

Now SFD is building on that momentum by partnering with USF’s College of Education to pilot transformative workshops for a broader campus audience.

"By investing in youth mental wellness, we are dedicated to cultivating a future where resilience is nurtured, stigma is erased, and every young person has the opportunity to thrive," said SFD Executive Director Marlene Hauck. "We are committed to ensuring that every student has access to tools that foster confidence, self-care, and success."

For more information, visit sunshinefromdarkness.org.

About Sunshine From Darkness
Founded as a subsidiary of the Lee and Bob Peterson Foundation, Sunshine from Darkness is dedicated to supporting mental health wellness through programming, education, collaboration, and advocacy, as well as fundraising for impactful research and effective community engagement. Sunshine From Darkness committed to creating a community where mental health challenges are met with understanding, support, and resilience. Its mission is to enhance and promote mental health wellness in our community. Visit sunshinefromdarkness.org.