Program at a Glance
GFF runs on two tracks that work together: large community events open to everyone, and a structured monthly program for teen ambassadors running the full school year.
3 large-scale Community Events Per Year
Open to All
Three times a year, GFF gathers the wider community for high-impact, in-person experiences rooted in the GFF pillars. These events are open to all — students, parents, educators, and community members of every age.
Into the Light Sunrise 5K
Fall
Movement, nature, and community before the sun comes up. A celebration of resilience and a reminder that we are not in this alone.
Goldfinch Wellness Summit January
Education and experiential learning that translates the science of flourishing into everyday action.
Illumination
Spring
An evening of art, music, and creative expression celebrating the power of creativity in mental and emotional health.
Monthly Teen Ambassador Meetings
August through May
GFF's monthly meetings are open to all high school students and run throughout the school year in small, device-free, in-person sessions designed to build habits, deepen relationships, and develop leadership. Sessions alternate each month between two formats, both grounded in the Fill up the TANK framework:
Education + Discussion months
Guided conversations on topics like technology and attention, anxiety and resilience, pressure and identity, and how to check in on the people around you. Supported by a volunteer health professional who brings credible, evidence-based content and stays available for follow-up questions.
Activity months
Hands-on TANK experiences: creative arts, physical activity, time in nature, and kinship-building through service or mentorship. Because the best way to build a habit is to actually do it — together.
Ambassadors then bring what they learn back to their school GFF clubs, led by their peers and supported by a faculty sponsor — extending the reach of each session across the broader student community.
GFF's monthly curriculum is currently active in high school communities across the Nashville area, with plans to expand into college campuses and young adult organizations in the near future.
Student-Led Impact
GFF's High School Ambassador Program currently reaches students across 6 area high schools. These young people aren't just participants — they're co-creators, peer mentors, and community leaders shaping the program from the inside out.
Growing Reach
Through community events, speaking engagements, and school outreach, GFF has connected with an estimated 10,000 individuals across the Greater Nashville area — and our reach continues to grow.
Grounded in Research
GFF's approach is anchored in Harvard's Human Flourishing Program and its Flourishing Index — a framework that measures wellbeing across five scientifically validated domains: happiness and life satisfaction, physical and mental health, meaning and purpose, character and virtue, and close social relationships. When we talk about wellness at GFF, this is what we mean.
What Our Members Are Telling Us
GFF tracks participant wellbeing using the validated Adolescent Flourishing Measure — the same research tool developed through Harvard's Human Flourishing Program. In our inaugural cohort of 28 student members:
7.5 out of 10 — average life satisfaction score
7.7 out of 10 — average happiness score
8.0 out of 10 — average score on friendship and relationship contentment
8.0 out of 10 — average score on having people to talk to about things that really matter
75% reported being content with their friendships and relationships (score of 8 or above)
79% reported overall life satisfaction of 7 or above
More than half of our members have attended 4 or more GFF events or meetings — and 82% read our newsletters regularly.
This is early data. We're just getting started — and we're measuring what matters.