The final station students went to was Youth Mental Health, led by Project Lift, a prevention and social justice agency for Black teens.
Students went into groups and designed masks. On the masks, students wrote down how they thought they were perceived and their emotions on the inside and outside of the mask. The designs portrayed how the students felt both about themselves and to the world, writing those thoughts and feelings on the outside of the mask. Then, they put down how they felt about themselves on the inside of the mask.
The station encouraged students to reflect on their emotions and self-perception. It helped them explore the difference between how they feel inside, how they present themselves to others and how to see other people in the same context.
"The things that these kids were saying at the mental health station, without getting into the stories too much, you could tell that their heads were on the right way," Carter said. "They're heading in the right direction and they're doing the right things."
For Carter, events like the Cleveland Youth Summit represent one of the most rewarding aspects of being part of the Browns organization. He values the opportunity to be in the community and in schools, connecting with the students and making a positive impact beyond the field.
"Me personally, being in the position that I am, being able to come and to give back and give to the youth is definitely one of my favorite parts of the job," Carter said. "I come and I can talk to these kids and they're going to listen, right? And the Browns organization, they host community events consistently and they're very deeply embedded into this Cleveland community."
The Cleveland Youth Summit was the final event in the 2025 'Thriving Youth Series,' the City of Cleveland hosts that aims to celebrate the importance of impactful youth development programming.