The 2nd annual National wellbeing & resilience SUMMIT
february 16, 2027 | Tampa, FL
Who’s the summit for?
Educators and school leaders: support student wellbeing without adding one more program to your plate, and earn CEUs!
School counselors, social workers, and mental health professionals: gain new approaches you can use in sessions right away
Child welfare, juvenile justice, and systems of care professionals: hear how this work changes outcomes for the youth and families you serve
Nonprofit and community leaders: reconnect with your own wellbeing while you lead others
What You'll Leave With:
A new way to understand stress, burnout, and resilience, and where they actually come from
Practical tools and activities you can use with students, clients, staff, or yourself
Real stories from youth and practitioners about what changes when children and adults tap into their innate potential
Connections with peers across schools, agencies, and communities
7 CEUs approved by the Florida Certification Board
NEED TO PAY BY PO OR HAVE AN INVOICE SENT?
Email: orders@thesparkinitiative.com
NEED SUPERVISOR APPROVAL?
What if it all works out?
A question worth asking, especially when you can't answer it yet.
This isn't a promise. It's a simple question, and asking it changes something! We've found that when we stay curious about an outcome, we think more clearly, notice more options, and meet setbacks on steadier ground. Worry narrows attention. Wonder widens it.
How would you know?
This year, we're turning the question around. What tells you you're on the right path? We tend to reach for the measures that are easy to count: a bank balance, test scores, client outcomes, a performance review. Those numbers matter. But are they the whole picture, or just the part we know how to measure? Throughout the day, we'll look at the quieter indicators too: the calm you bring into a hard conversation, the student who finally asks for help, the moment you stop bracing for the next crisis.
What if it all works out, together?
None of us does this work alone, and none of us thrives alone either. We'll explore what shifts when a group of people shares a sense of possibility. Does a room full of people asking the same question steady each other? Can that shared feeling become a launchpad for what comes next in your school, your agency, or your community?
Come curious. You don't have to believe it will all work out. You only have to wonder what might happen if it did.
SPEAKERS
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![Headshot of Brooke Wheeldon-Reece, President and CEO of The SPARK Initiative]()
Brooke Wheeldon Reece
President & CEO of The SPARK Initiative
Leads SPARK's work helping people of all ages and backgrounds find the resilience they already carry.
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mc: ROB COOK
Internationally Renowned Speaker & Coach
I bring soul to the stage and room to be human.
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KEYNOTE: LAURA DUKSTA
New York Times bestselling author, TEDx speaker, and “Ambassador of Love”
You are loved. Always. Beyond measure.
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![Headshot of Anita McGinty, PhD, Co-Founder and CEO of Innate Health Research]()
Anita McGinty
Co-Founder and CEO of Innate Health Research
Asks what it would take to measure wellbeing, not just wish for it.
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![Headshot of Jeanne Catherine-Gray, PhD, Co-Founder and COO of Innate Health Research]()
Jeanne Catherine-Gray, PhD
Co-Founder & COO of Innate Health Research
A scientist who measures the thing most research overlooks: the wellbeing already inside us. -
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Ashley Hunt
Director of Partner Engagement & Success at The SPARK Initiative
Every partner I work with already has what they need. My job is to help them see it, in themselves and in every student they serve.
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Stephanie Fox
Director of Strategic Growth & Partnerships at The SPARK Initiative
Created Curious the Dragonfly to help kids learn about the source of their feelings.
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Jordan BRIMLOW
Army veteran, faith-driven father of three, and founder of Jay McKinley Consulting, serving incarcerated veterans and civilians.
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VERONICA KIRBY
Senior Coordinator of K-5 School Counseling Services at Polk County Public Schools
Helping students discover their strengths today so they can shape their future tomorrow.
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SUZANNE ELDER
Assistant Principal at Hillsborough Academy of Math & Science
A champion of children.
Hear from youth voices
Some of the most powerful moments at the Summit come from young people themselves. Youth from our SPARK programs will share what wellbeing and resilience mean to them, in their own words and their own art: poetry, song, personal essays and more!
a look at the day ahead
(SCHEDULE AT-A-GLANCE)
7:30 AM to 8:30 AM | Arrive and Settle In
Check in, grab a coffee, and meet the people you'll be learning alongside.
8:30 AM to 12:30 PM | Opening Keynote and Morning Sessions
We open with keynote speaker, Laura Duksta, and the question at the heart of the day: What if it all works out?
12:30 to 2:00 PM | Lunch on Us featuring Youth Voices
A full sit-down lunch, not a boxed sandwich at your seat. Over lunch, youth from the SPARK programs share what wellbeing and resilience mean to them through poetry, song, personal essays and more. Stay for dessert. Last year's cheesecake earned its own fan club.
2:00 to 4:00 PM | Afternoon Sessions and Closing
Hands-on workshops and a closing that sends you home with something to use Wednesday morning.
4:00 to 6:00 PM | Closing Reception, Hosted by SPARK
End the day on a high note with complimentary hors d'oeuvres, free drinks, and time to connect with fellow attendees and speakers.
accommodations
Where: Hilton Tampa Airport Westshore – only steps away from dining, shopping, and all the energy Tampa has to offer. Free shuttles from the Airport are available. Book your stay at our discounted room rate!
what are 2026 participants saying?
DISCOUNTED PRICING FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY!
DISCOUNTED PRICING FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY!
2nd Annual National Wellbeing & Resilience Summit Ticket
$250.00
Your ticket includes the opening keynote, morning sessions, hands-on workshops, a sit-down lunch with youth voices, & the closing reception!
Your organization paying? We accept purchase orders and send invoices: orders@thesparkinitiative.com
Need a supervisor's approval? Download our approval letter.
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We know the value of having your team at the Summit with you! We have group pricing available at a discounted rate for groups of 5. Receive $250 off your total! That’s one whole ticket, for free!
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Send us an email at info@thesparkinitiative.com with your name, school, district or organization and your group size. We’ll provide a code just for you!
GROUP PRICING OPTIONS are available!
Come for the summit, stay for the week
Explore all that our training week has to offer! From February 16th-19th, 2027, experience SPARK in action from Foundations Training to Train the Trainer sessions.
Training Overview
Foundations Training | Feb 17th
Summit week only, we’re opening the first day of our exclusive two-day training, typically reserved for SPARK and Insight to Wellbeing license holders, to the public. This powerful one-day experience introduces the core foundations of all of our work at SPARK and helps participants to uncover their own SPARK!
Implementation Training | Feb 18th
Experience the curriculum in practice and explore proven strategies for effectively applying it — whether you're implementing the Insight to Wellbeing Program or SPARK Mentoring Programs. Participants will leave equipped with practical tools, a deeper understanding, and the confidence to deliver both programs with fidelity and genuine connection in their own settings, while earning 14 CEUs
train the trainer | February 19th
Designed to equip you to bring our programs to life within your own organization, this session puts you in the trainer role — experiencing the curriculum in action, practicing delivery, and gaining proven tips for effective implementation and staff training — so you leave fully prepared to train your own team with fidelity and impact.
SPEAKER RFP’S are now closed
The SPARK Initiative invites educators, systems of care professionals, and mental health practitioners to submit a session proposal for the 2nd Annual National Wellbeing & Resilience Summit, taking place February 16, 2027, at the Hilton Tampa Airport Westshore. The Speaker RFP Window closed on November 1st, 2026 and speakers will be notified by November 15th, 2026.
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS
ab studios
AB Studios was created to help afterschool programs deliver meaningful, experiential learning without the heavy prep time that often burdens educators
THE RISSER FAMILY FOUNDATION
The Risser Family Foundation is a small, private, family‑governed grant maker in Clearwater, FL, with a diversified but modest giving profile. The Community Foundation Tampa Bay connects donors, nonprofits, and community partners to drive lasting impact across the Tampa Bay region.
Interested in becoming a sponsor?
The need for wellbeing and resilience support has never been greater. Across the country, the demand for mental health resources is growing, yet the systems designed to meet that need are often stretched thin. We continue to see that schools, organizations, and systems of care are navigating an increasingly complex landscape with limited resources and funding for mental health programs and professional development. By becoming a sponsor, you help bridge that gap by giving educators, community leaders, and caregivers the opportunity to attend this transformative event and bring its impact back to their schools, workplaces, and communities. Your support ensures that cost is never a barrier to igniting wellbeing and resilience in those who need it most. In return, your organization receives prominent recognition across our print and digital materials, visibility in front of a passionate and growing community of changemakers, and the satisfaction of knowing your investment is fueling real, lasting impact where it matters most.
