By positioning Monterrey, Mexico, as a national exemplar of how flourishing can be cultivated at scale through cross-sector collaboration, this project led by Richard Davidson and Leandro Chernicoff aims to promote the concept of "Flourishing Cities." Monterrey, located in the state of Nuevo León, was selected because of the strong commitment of its health and education leaders to advancing long-term wellbeing and character development.

The project centers on convening a high-level, cross-sectoral summit in Monterrey. It will be co-organized by AtentaMente, the Center for Healthy Minds (CHM) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, the Ministries of Health and Education of Nuevo León, and key stakeholders from the public, private, and civil society sectors.

The summit will bring together leaders from health, education, first responder services, government, nonprofits, and the private sector to explore evidence-based approaches to scaling wellbeing and mental health interventions. Complementary pre-summit meetings with state and federal authorities, as well as supporting electronic and print materials, are planned to build momentum and ensure broad engagement.

The event will feature three distinguished keynote speakers, including Davidson, highlighting findings from previous TWCF-funded work, as well as other recent evidence-based interventions. The summit will be accompanied by the development of a cross-sector advocacy toolkit and a set of conference recommendations to support practical implementation.

By leveraging long-standing partnerships between AtentaMente, CHM, and government agencies, this project will showcase Monterrey as a model “Flourishing City,” illustrating the potential of coordinated, multi-sector strategies to scale character development and wellbeing initiatives nationwide. The ultimate goal is to inspire systemic change that leads to sustained improvements in mental health and societal flourishing throughout Mexico.