Brittney Brackett> The world tells girls to compete.

Community teaches girls to soar.

Hello everyone.

I'm Brittney Brackett, and welcome to SCETV's "Safe Space".

Today's episode focuses on the importance of building community and the importance that it makes in a young person's life, how they view themselves and their future endeavors.

We joined in the annual celebration at the 2026 Safe Empowerment Summit for girls, held at Claflin University, where young women are learning an important truth: Success isn't built alone.

Today, on "Safe Space": Building Community, we'll hear from inspiring young leaders, mentors and mental health professionals about how building community can strengthen confidence, improve well-being, and help young women discover that they never have to navigate life alone.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Brittney> What happens when a conversation becomes a lifeline?

Mental Health America of Spartanburg's, May 2026: Be Kind to Your Mind, event was an immense success, highlighting successful student leaders, families, and mental health advocates coming together to talk openly about something that affects all of us, Mental health.

For many young people, asking for help can feel overwhelming.

But here, conversations, replace silence.

Local resources replace uncertainty, and community prevents isolation.

♪ Throughout this segment, you'll hear from students who are sharing their experiences and meet their organizations committed to ensuring that no one tackles life's mental health struggles by themselves.

♪ Speaker> They need to hear that it's okay to talk to somebody.

♪ Speaker #2> Don't be afraid to talk to someone.

Speaker #3> If you need help, ask for it.

Speaker #4> And once you say it, it doesn't own you anymore.

Speaker #5> "more good days together", highlights the need to work together to create awareness and take meaningful steps toward improving mental health in our communities.

Cathy McCabe> I saw the community, and particularly M.H.A., we have, one of our planks is that we reduce the stigma.

The committee came up with "Be Kind to Your Mind", from surviving to thriving, because somebody that has mental health issues, they're barely surviving.

Some of them... that can't even survive, they commit suicide.

But once they get that help and they talk about it, they can thrive and be a normal human being.

When we thought about creating the event, we didn't want it to be a Debbie Downer.

We want it to be family oriented.

We want it to be free.

We want it so that any walk of life could take advantage of being here and seeing these survivors to thrivers.

Our first group of awards are our youth awards.

It's given to a youth who has reduced the stigma, of mental health by sharing their struggles.

>> I struggled a lot early on in my high school career with rumors, with bullying, with false allegations of some really terrible things, and what got me out of the hole that I was in, the mental health spiral, was my friends.

I don't, I think if I didn't have them, I don't know where I'd be today.

I certainly wouldn't have won this award.

(applause) Trinity Taylor> Teenage years are a really important time in people's lives, and if they don't learn how to grow at this age, then they might not ever.

(applause) Cathy> My last award is called a Bailie Award.

Bailie is an artist.

but Bailie never really dealt with his mental health until he was an adult.

And when he finally dealt with his mental health, it changed his life.

Bailie> When I did the art show, I didn't mean to tell the whole world, what it was going on inside my head and it just turned into this giant, art extravaganza.

Once I've done the art show for a year and a half, I had people walking up to like, you don't know me, but I saw your exhibit, and I just want to thank you for being the voice for all of us.

I had no idea how much of an impact it was going to have on everybody else.

Sue Towne> We do what we do, to save even just one person from going through what we've gone through the last 14 years.

♪ Our story started March of 2012, when our son took his life, and from that point on, we've been a part of American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Being in a community with mental health awareness, prevention, we get to share what we know to help others.

Cathy> There's help everywhere, but you have to not be afraid to ask for it.

And that's what this is about.

I see it growing.

I like to see a lot more people come to it.

I'd like to see people come and realize that if you've got a mental health issue, that's okay.

Get help.

You can have hope.

And reducing the stigma is so important.

♪ Brittany> The conversations we've heard in Spartanburg remind us that healing often begins in community spaces, where people feel safe enough to share their stories.

When young people have access to support, mentorship and meaningful relationships, they begin to recognize their own value and potential.

♪ Next, we travel to Orangeburg, where the Women and Girls Empowerment Summit at Claflin University is helping young women build confidence, find community, and discover the power of their voice.

♪ ♪ Ursula Robinson> I will love.

(I will love.)

I will own up (I will own up) I will no longer apologize for taking my place.

(I will no longer apologize for taking my place.)

♪ ♪ ♪ Shanika Aiken> This event is all about giving back to our women and young girls, letting them know how valued they are, providing them with resources, tips and tools to live their best life, to tap into their genius that's on the inside of them, awaken those gifts and dreams on the inside of them, and also to expose them to other women that are doing great things.

♪ Poet> So celebrate with me.

Let your laugh dance around the room, like confetti Ursula> What I want you to do today is get prepared to step into your reality.

Shanika> We had Ursula Robinson as our future speaker.

♪ We had Gabby Goodwin here, entrepreneur.

So now they're able to see someone from their community doing great things.

♪ >> When I was a teenager, I went to the Department of Juvenile Justice for truancy, and it opened my eyes to a lot of things.

There were a lot of girls there that were heartbroken, disappointed, without parents, misunderstood.

And it really tugged at my heart.

And I said, I never want another young lady to go through that.

♪ Raven> But then we ignore our signs of burnout.

We ignore our... that our body has depleted.

Desiree> I can't pour from an empty cup.

Audience> I can't pour from an empty cup.

So with the things that will help you refill or reset, you have to really be intentional about knowing what those things are.

Kaliyah Wright> I think mental health can be uncomfortable for some people to talk about, because they never know how someone is going to take you.

If a person is having a conversation with somebody that they trust, they will feel a little bit more comfortable and like just not listening to listen and listening to answer and giving them good feedback and how they should operate, with their thoughts.

♪ Poet> They tell you, you ain't enough.

Just smile.

It's shrinking your invisible crown.

Radiant girl, don't you know that you're beautiful?

Speaker #2> ....just to be you.

So learn how to be you and be the girl who you are.

Speaker #3> No matter what, always chase your dreams.

No matter what, cause it's only your life, and you have to live it.

Gianni Grove> Yes, I would say that this is like a good experience and you should come and experience it for yourself.

Raven> Yes.

Because you know, sometimes, we have people that... Ursula> Today we are here to celebrate women.

>> It was just put in my heart.

I believe that, that was something that God placed inside of me to give back to my community.

♪ Brittany> I am enough, I am loved, I am blessed, and I'm valuable.

♪ These are just a few of the nuggets of knowledge that Ms Allen's vision has given us today at Claflin University's Women and Girls Empowerment Summit.

This is the third year in a row that SCETV has shown up to be able to support the community and highlight how empowerment makes a difference, in young people and young women in this area.

We look forward to more of what Ms.

Allen has in store.

♪ Nobody should have to walk through mental health challenges alone.

In Greenville, South Carolina, hundreds of individuals, families, advocates and supporters gathered for NAMI walks in upstate South Carolina, a community event dedicated to mental health awareness, education and hope.

Each step taken, represented a story.

Some walked for themselves, others walked for their loved ones.

Many walked to reduce stigma and remind others that support is available.

Throughout this segment, you'll hear from participants who share why mental health advocacy matters, why they continue showing up, and how community becomes an important part of the healing process.

Because when people walk together, it reminds us that support can look and feel like having ♪ boots on the ground.

(applause) Tiffany Davidson-Parker> Hello NAMI walkers (applause) We are empowering the future.

We are educating the future.

Ana> I think it's very important that people are able to tell them and say that it's okay.

It's a safe space to talk about these issues.

Blakely> Being able to be in a community with people who shared similar struggles, and just working with people to really break the stigma against mental illnesses and just spread more awareness and education has just been a really great experience.

Prisha> And doing it by walking is like often a mental health strategy, coping strategy is great.

Tiffany> I have a resolve that we are doing the right work at the right time for our community today.

...and encourages all residents to join NAMI Greenville in promoting hope, healing, mental wellness and support for all members of our community.

We are here to really do a great work by providing our cost free programs and doing it in honor of Sergeant Ashley Munoz We honor her by continuing the mission forward Today, we honor her by making sure that we are providing preventative intervention cost free for our youth, for our families.

♪ NAMI Greenville, South Carolina provides no cost programs, support groups, peer services, and community outreach while collaborating with schools, health care providers, organizations, faith communities, and local leaders to promote early intervention and mental wellness.

We have started NAMI on campus programs at high schools to again create a safe space that our youth can convene and break the stigma... That's right!

...and break the stigma around mental illness and promote mental health.

This is our first year and we were able to create this Youth Advisory Board in partnership with the Dabo Swinney Fund, so that we can support our youth.

Blakely> Being a part of NAMI has helped my mental health so much, just being able to talk to other people, knowing I have other people I can connect to through my own, not even just my own mental struggles, but you know, they're the same age as me.

So being able to connect with kids my age is just, it's just been really helpful.

Ana> Having this community with me, I'm able to help people who think the same way I do and I can, They know that I can confide in them and I can help them through their hard times, as well.

Paige Harris> I've learned a lot from the teenagers.

And these advisory boards, the way they're so willing to open up about their stories and their struggles with mental health have really encouraged me to be more vulnerable with people.

♪ Brittney> Our walks have grown steadily since they started in 2003, and we are now one of the largest fundraising events in the country.

(applause) Yeah.

Tiffany> so what are we going to do?

You ask.

We're going to continue to recruit donors, engage them and retain them.

So, our support groups, our educational classes and letting them speak, right, letting them share their story so then they can bring in more youth.

This is a necessary work.

♪ Mental health is not a reward.

It is a right.

And we remain committed to every step.

And NAMI walks to realize our mission of mental health for all.

Brittney> NAMI Walks upstate, showed us that awareness, creates understanding and understanding, opens the door to connection.

Participants share their stories, honor their loved ones, and help break down the stigma that often prevents people from seeking much needed support.

Mental health affects individuals, families, schools, and entire communities.

But when communities choose empathy, education and advocacy, healing can become possible.

To learn more about NAMI Greenville and its many dynamic free resources, visit NAMI GreenvilleSC.org and every step taken reminds us that hope grows stronger when we walk together.

♪ Throughout today's program, we've seen what happens when people feel supported, encouraged, and connected.

Whether through advocacy walks, mentoring relationships, or open conversations about mental health, community creates opportunities for healing and growth.

But what happens when young people are searching for a fresh start?

Next, we'll visit the Will Lou Gray Opportunity school, where students are finding environments that help them feel seen, heard, valued and capable of creating a new path forward.

♪ Terri Tiernery> My safe space here at Wil Lou Gray would be the JROTC because being in JROTC, it feels like family.

Jomar Outler> Reading is actually really good.

I'm like genuinely love reading now and I feel one, that it's more productive, more safer.

Diane McNinch> Wil Lou Gray is an amazing safe space for adolescents.

We provide them with all we can to make them feel safe and secure.

From an outside world standpoint.

>> When I turned five is when like things started changing, like kind of like kind of drastically really quick.

That's also when my older brother passed.

My mom, my dad got divorced.

I didn't really have any like really good coping mechanisms.

I was like, you know, especially being five.

So like growing up in like elementary school, I would have like a lot of anger issues.

I used to get in fights, with like older kids and stuff like that.

And then when I hit middle school is when, I was diagnosed with like severe depression In seventh grade got sent to like a mental institution.

It was only for like five days though.

♪ and I learned a lot about myself and realized that, you know, things could be like worse than how I thought it was.

That's when I gained a mindset where like, anytime I'm like in a bad situation or if I'm feeling bad, I always think there's people out there that's going through worse than me.

Freshman year, I started playing football, gained a little bit more discipline.

I got rid of my depression completely.

Some of the choices I was making while I was in high school, marijuana smoking and stuff like that, getting high a lot, like it wasted a lot of time.

Like it was fun like at the moment, but then when I look back, it was like I could have been doing something productive.

I got kicked out of school, I was going to go to Job Corps but then, I don't know, I didn't.

My mom just decided, no.

She was like, she was taking me here instead with here, I actually got to focus.

I got to learn more about myself actually, as well.

I learned more about the real world than I ever did in high school.

So now I'm starting to prepare for stuff that is going into adulthood, for me, recently turning 18, that I would need when I get out there.

Talking to my counselors have really helped more because like, especially when everything's like closing in and you have like kind of feel like you have no one to turn to because so much other people your age that you just met, you don't really want to open up to them like that, and you don't have your phone so you can't call anyone from home.

So it's like coming, like coming to like the counseling room especially.

It's like, is like a good place where you can relax and unwind.

>> There's a lot of mental health issues this day and time.

And instead of minimizing them, we need to come alongside our adolescents and support them.

We need to give them safe spaces.

We need to show them that it's their work to learn how to live in this society and work around what their struggles are, instead of figuring that the world has to come alongside them and acquiesce to them.

So I think where a lot of us fail is not giving them the tools and the opportunity, and hearing their stories and their journeys, I believe Wil Lou Gray does that very, very well.

♪ Terri> Growing up, I was like ahead of everybody in class.

So I would always try to help other people.

I would be like, oh, hey, this is how you do this.

This is how you do that.

And it started to become a, I guess, not really a problem, but they would always want me to sit down and do work.

But I was always wanting to help people because I was ahead and I was already done with my work.

So in high school, I started taking college classes.

And so then I realized I wanted to graduate early and I wanted to get ahead in my, on my career.

So I decided to come to Wil Lou Gray and finish it off.

Diane> I think if most schools realized that our kids have varied stories and backgrounds and tried to meet them where they're at and see what their needs are to give them a hope and a future.

Brittney> When we create spaces where people can speak honestly about their mental wellness, we create opportunities for healing, understanding, and hope, because community support doesn't begin with having all the solutions.

It begins by saying, I'm listening, and those conversations can change lives.

A basketball team has its playbook.

A poem has verses.

But life?

Living life requires people.

Hello, I'm Brittney Brackett, and welcome back to "Safe Space" on SCETV.

For many young people, community can be found in unexpected places a locker room, a classroom, a journal, or even a conversation.

Today, we meet Mattie Miller, a promising basketball player, at USC Upstate in Spartanburg, South Carolina, as well as the author of a book of poetry centered around mental health.

She's a young lady who's discovered that community is built both on and off the court.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Madison Miller> When you actually have trust within each other and like, when you're vulnerable, like, it just, like I'll have these friendships for, like, the rest of my life.

♪ ♪ >> It means the world to me as a, as a person, to be able to be a part of these kids lives for their duration, to be able to help them learn, grow, and be a part of a safe environment that they can just be, themselves.

Macy Wike> They're people like on a team, like, everyone's not always going to get along like we're going to class that's, that's like athletics in general.

But like, once you find, like your people, like, you know, like, when we were just talking about trust, once you like can trust people like, it goes both ways.

And, you know, for sure like this person has my back.

♪ Jessa Troy> At least speaking for myself, those like car rides to places like that are some of the like, I find myself, like, laughing the most.

It's just like having the best memories.

So I think that also... like all those little things.

Jason>...produced individuals of high quality, high character that better have the ability to be able to navigate this world.

They need to be surrounded by the community that's going to push them and develop them in the right way.

Or I'm going to catch this shot.

Right.

...a better place from there.

Aubrie Kiersht> I know, each and every one of these girls that are here, right, like with me right now, like have definitely helped me through a, through a time and hopefully like vice versa.

So I just think having new people, is definitely important.

Jason> And so like for me to be a college coach and to be a part of their lives and to be able to develop them through sport has been absolutely amazing.

Madison> Once you get past the actual basketball and you have the connections that like that I have with these girls and the whole team, like when you're going through those hard moments and like those tough times, because we have that trust and because we do have that connection, like it makes those times so much easier.

♪ >> I would ask, well, who is the person that makes you feel the safest?

What friend, what friends' parent?

What school counselor?

What teacher, do you feel like can contain a space for you that they can hold, and then you'll feel comfortable sharing?

If you don't find that yet in a person.

How about we find it in a journal?

How about we find a creative way to express it in a way to where you don't have to suppress it?

Sometimes just going out in nature, just looking.

All of us are trying to seek and understand.

All of us are trying to be flexible in finding what can I give, what can I take.

So, I just hosted my first event, it was called "Unlock the Mother-Daughter Conversation."

And this was specifically for adult mothers and adult daughters.

♪ We're able to really help rebuild, fill gaps, have hard conversations, but also gain tools to work through them.

My safe space is my relationship with God.

It is where I feel whole.

It is where I feel seen.

I want to share with the teens and everyone who is a follower and member of "Safe Space" that you belong.

From our higher power to the therapy to the community resources to back to you, you belong.

Brittney> Mattie Miller showed us that community can be found in teammates who become family in poetry that gives voice to our experiences and the courage to be authentic.

And through our conversation with Dr.

LaToya Taylor, we were reminded that mental health deserves the same attention, care, and support that we give to our physical health.

For young people, especially, the pressure to perform, succeed, and appear strong can sometimes make asking for help feel really difficult.

But as we learned today, vulnerability is not weakness, it is connection.

Whether it's a teammate checking in after practice, or a trusted adult who allows you to vent, or a friend who simply asks, "You okay?".

Community can become one of our greatest sources of healing because no one is meant to carry life's challenges all alone.

I'm Brittney Brackett, and thank you for joining us for "Safe Space".

Until next time, continue building community, continue checking on your strong friends and remember that asking for help is one of the strongest things a person can do.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪