Cape Youth Council to host panel discussion

Apr 3, 2026 By MEGHAN BRADBURY 4 min read

The Cape Coral Youth Council will host an open-to-the-public panel discussion, Mental Health Matters, next week.

The meeting, which will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 7, in the City Hall Council Chambers, will focus on mental health awareness, challenges and resources available to support both youth and adults.

Youth Council Oasis High School Senior Lexie Skorzak said the Youth Council does a project annually and this year there was a lot of passion behind mental health needs and awareness. She said Member Claire Johnson worked hard on the project — a mental health survey.

“We came together with questions — 10 questions — and sent it out to Oasis High School,” Skorzak said.

They received more than 215 responses.

“After we got all the responses and read through them, we created a presentation and presented it at City Council,” she said.

Johnson, who attends Oasis High School, said she was kind of the lead on the project.

“It’s really personal to me. I am really excited to talk to these people and see what we can do,” she said.

Although the topic is nerve-wracking to talk about, Johnson said it has really opened up conversations.

“My superintendent is now listening,” she said, adding that now more people are aware. “I am really excited about this panel and talk to the people to make a change.”

With Cape Coral Councilmember and liaison Jennifer Nelson-Lastra suggesting the project should be presented to people who are more experts in the field, she said they got in contact with mental health behaviorist specialists, counselors and representatives from the School Board of Lee County.

The panel discussion will include their mental health presentation with the most prominent data and responses to questions, Skorzak said.

“People are struggling and don’t have the material they need,” she said, adding that she is “hoping with the discussion it will get a lot of answers and work together to establish a project to start helping issues we are finding.”

Nelson-Lastra said mental health was discussed during a joint Youth Council and City Council meeting.

“The kids asked questions about mental health. Sadly, I was the only one that answered,” she said.

With limited resources in the city, the students wanted to know more about what is offered, which resulted in setting up a panel discussion to find out about the regional resources.

“Cape Coral specific, we don’t have anything,” Nelson-Lastra said, adding that SalusCare went away after Hurricane Ian and the building was repurposed for emergency operation center extension.

“We have nothing. I said to the kids, why don’t we bring in the experts, so we can learn what resources we can use throughout Lee County until we can think of a permanent solution.”

Panelists will include:

• Collaboratory President & CEO Dr. Dawn Belamarich, who is a licensed mental health counselor and master’s clinical addiction professional;

• Lee Health Behavioral Health System Director Nicole Liberto, LCSW, who has served as a clinician, leader, director and system director specializing in inpatient, detox, residential and crisis stabilization;

• The Center for Progress and Excellence CEO Heather Cross, who leads crisis response services across a five county region;

• A Lee County School District representative

• Cape Coral Police Department Officer Shawn Frazin, who is a liaison to NAMI SWFL and lead of agency’s peer support team. 

Nelson-Lastra said they have a great variety of panelists whom she trusts.

“They are all resident experts on what they offer and what is available,” she said.

Nelson-Lastra said a lot of children do not have health insurance coverage. She said it is important to share what is offered currently that kids can utilize when they are economically challenged.

“A lot of these kids – they don’t know about free resources we have available throughout Lee County. The purpose is for the kids to ask questions and get answers and have a better understanding of what is available in our region,” she said.

City Hall is at 1015 Cultural Park Blvd.

To reach MEGHAN BRADBURY, please email news@breezenewspapers.com