A historic moment at an iconic location. National brands, industry leaders, schools, and communities unite for stigma-free awareness, prevention, and innovation. Welcome to the next era in competitive gaming — where esports, music production, and creative media join forces to level up skill, purpose, and collaborative impact.
May 23–24, 2026
Lake Placid, New York
Hybrid · In-Person + National Stream
Esports. Music. & Resilience — Built In.
Hosted by Flourish Foundation Project Inc., a nonprofit community behavioral health organization, in collaboration with the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) at the Olympic Center in Lake Placid, New York. Communities, schools, universities, and national brands unite at an iconic Olympic venue to address the national youth suicide crisis — delivered through stigma-free entry points to care that meet young people where they are.
The Event
What Is Play & Stay — Live™?
Play & Stay — Live™ is a prevention-centered national activation designed to strengthen protective factors for youth ages 10–24. This inaugural annual event integrates competitive esports, music performance, CPR awareness, creative media, and leadership development into one cohesive environment where prevention, awareness, and intervention are seamlessly embedded — not positioned as separate programming.
Resilience
Built into competition — every match, every stage, every moment.
Hope
Built into performance — music amplifies voice and affirms life.
Support
Visible throughout — stigma-free pathways layered into every experience.
Community
Schools, brands, and families united at a nationally iconic venue.
Young people engage through the platforms and activities they already embrace. Within those experiences, positive messaging and stigma-free pathways to care are intentionally layered into the structure — making prevention feel native, not clinical.
Competition & Creative Media
The Next Level in Esports & Music
Play & Stay — Live™ represents the next level in competitive esports and music engagement — where leadership and mental resilience are built in. K–12 and collegiate esports teams from across the nation are invited to demonstrate and develop competitive strategy in an environment designed to strengthen focus, adaptability, teamwork, and composure under pressure.
Esports Activations
Compete in structured, high-stakes esports tournaments that sharpen strategy, communication, and leadership under pressure.
Music & Resilience
Music is the universal language used to engage, inspire, and teach strategic resilience. No lectures — music is the intervention.
Youth-Led Creative Media
SoundQuest Station's youth-run PeerCast captures the event live — youth engage with online interactives, conduct interviews, and connect with industry leaders in real time.
Career Exploration
Explore pathways in esports development, music, STEM, wellness, and technology through mentorship and industry engagement.
Why This Matters
The National Youth Suicide Crisis
The Crisis Is Real
Youth suicide remains one of the leading causes of death among young people in the United States. The scale demands urgent, coordinated action:
Annually, there are 1.7 million suicide attempts, resulting in 51,000 lives lost — that's 1 every 11 minutes. Critically, 23% of the lives lost are children and youth, directly impacting 60% of U.S. households.
The ripple effects extend across industries, workforce stability, and even national security. This is not a single-sector issue — it requires collaborative innovation across communities, education, healthcare, and industry.
Meeting Youth Where They Are
Young people spend an average of 7.5 hours per day outside school hours on digital platforms — gaming, streaming, social media, and music spaces that rarely include visible prevention or intervention messaging.
These hours are opportunity. When positive reinforcement, resilience education, and visible support are embedded directly into the platforms youth frequent most, prevention becomes normalized and stigma decreases.
Effective prevention must be built for youth, not at them — designed to resonate within the environments that shape their daily experience, identity, and sense of belonging.
1.7M
Suicide Attempts
Annual suicide attempts among all ages in the United States
51K
Lives Lost Annually
One life lost every 11 minutes of every day
23%
Children & Youth
23% of the lives lost are children and youth
60%
Household Reach
Percentage of U.S. households directly impacted by suicide loss or attempt
National Reach
A Hybrid Experience Streaming Nationally
Play & Stay — Live™ extends far beyond the walls of the Olympic Center through a live interactive digital twin experience streaming nationally. Schools, families, and community organizations across the country can engage virtually — bringing the energy, the prevention messaging, and the community connection directly to their classrooms and living rooms.
In-Person at the Olympic Center
Student delegations, esports teams, music performers, and industry leaders gather at one of America's most iconic venues in Lake Placid, New York — an environment that signals excellence and national significance.
National Digital Twin Stream
Schools and organizations nationwide participate interactively through the digital twin platform — coordinating watch parties, virtual team engagement, and live access to prevention-centered programming from anywhere in the country.
Measurable Impact at Scale
The hybrid model dramatically expands reach, enabling Flourish Foundation Project Inc. and its partners to demonstrate measurable, data-driven impact across communities, districts, and regions nationwide.
For Schools & Districts
Educational Leaders: Bring Your Students
Play & Stay — Live™ supports prevention-centered youth engagement directly aligned with student wellness, social-emotional learning, and leadership initiatives. Whether your school competes in-person or participates virtually, this is a powerful opportunity to connect students to a national community of peers, mentors, and mission-aligned programming.
Register a Student Delegation
Bring a school delegation of students & esports competitive teams to Lake Placid or register for virtual participation. Open to K–12 schools and universities nationwide. Connect students to leadership, wellness, and career pathways in a nationally recognized setting.
NY Transportation Assistance
K–12 schools within New York State may apply for transportation assistance to help bring students to the Olympic Center. Applications are available through the registration portal — limited assistance is available and awarded on a first-come basis.
Coordinate a Watch Party
Can't make it in person? Organize an interactive virtual watch party at your school or community organization. Engage students in real-time with the national stream and access educator resources aligned to the event's wellness curriculum.
Youth suicide prevention requires visible leadership across industries. Play & Stay — Live™ offers national brands an unparalleled opportunity to stand in coordinated leadership within an iconic Olympic venue and hybrid national platform — demonstrating authentic commitment to the communities they serve.
Why Partner With Play & Stay — Live™?
When youth see consistent signals of support from respected industry leaders, protective factors increase and stigma decreases. Your brand's presence in this space sends a powerful, lasting message to an audience of 10–24 year-olds and their families, educators, and communities.
Together, we can help change the narrative and fight youth suicide at the national level.
Partnership Benefits Include
Demonstrated leadership in youth suicide prevention
Direct engagement with youth audiences ages 10–24
Integration across esports, music, sport, and innovation verticals
National digital exposure through hybrid streaming
Participation in a structured, prevention-centered activation
Alignment with Flourish Foundation Project Inc.'s collaborative impact ecosystem
Flourish Foundation Project Inc. is a nonprofit community behavioral health organization dedicated to preventing youth suicide and strengthening mental resilience across communities. We are known for stigma-free, innovation-driven solutions that improve access to and effectiveness of care for youth, families, and communities nationwide.
Our mission is to help youth and young adults embrace life, avoid self-harm, and build bright futures — fueling safe, caring, and globally competitive communities. We believe that the most effective prevention meets young people where they already are: in the digital spaces, competitive environments, and creative communities they call home.
Stigma-Free Prevention %Innovation
Solutions designed to reduce stigma and normalize help-seeking through familiar, youth-forward platforms and experiences.
Collaborative Impact
We convene schools, brands, healthcare systems, and government partners into a coordinated ecosystem of prevention and support.
Youth-Centered Design
Every program and activation is designed around the needs, interests, and lived experiences of youth ages 10–24.
Beyond the Event
SoundQuest Station™: The Moment Becomes a Movement
SoundQuest Station™ extends the momentum of Play & Stay — Live™ beyond the two-day in-person activation into a year-round force for youth wellness and prevention. Through year-round youth enrichment programs and public health initiatives, SoundQuest Station™ places prevention-centered messaging directly into the spaces youth frequent most — keeping the mission alive long after the final match and the last note.
What begins as a championship weekend evolves into a sustained national infrastructure — connecting youth, families, educators, and community organizations to prevention-centered programming, resources, and a visible culture of support throughout the entire year.
The moment becomes a movement. SoundQuest Station™ ensures that the energy, relationships, and resilience built at Play & Stay — Live™ continue generating measurable impact in communities across the country — 365 days a year.
Media Center & Call to Action
Join the National Response
Together, communities, schools, and national brands can stand visibly in support of young lives. Join us in building a coordinated national response — where competitive excellence, creative expression, and resilience come together to help youth embrace life and build bright futures.
Media Resources
Download official assets and connect with our media team for coverage, interviews, and partnership inquiries.
Whether you are a school administrator, corporate leader, media partner, or community organization — there is a meaningful role for you in this national activation. Reach out to our team to explore partnership, participation, and sponsorship opportunities.
Play & Stay — Live™ Championship: Esports, Music & Wellness Youth Summit · May 23–24, 2026 · Olympic Center, Lake Placid, New York · Produced by Flourish Foundation Project Inc. in collaboration with ORDA · Hybrid In-Person + National Digital Stream
Connect with Us
Contact Flourish Foundation Project Inc.
We are dedicated to preventing youth suicide and strengthening mental resilience. Reach out to us with your questions, partnership inquiries, or to learn more about how you can support our mission.