Some of the greatest lures for teenagers are drugs and alcohol. The pressure to join the drinking party culture becomes even stronger at the college level. As we look back at some of the people who have benefited from 360 Youth Services programs, we’re focused on prevention education this month. We recently caught up with Zac, who had attended several of 360’s Snowball prevention education and leadership development retreats.
Zac was a freshman at Neuqua when a few of his friends from middle school began experimenting with alcohol and drugs. Fortunately for him, his older brother had attended a Snowball retreat and encouraged him to do so, too. Zac said the timing was perfect. The weekend taught him to be comfortable with himself, and make the healthy decisions he had chosen in spite of peer pressure. Throughout high school Zac attended six Snowball retreats; he also held the highly regarded position of Snowball teen director.
The self-assurance he had acquired and the healthy path he had chosen were sorely put to the test in college, and even more so when he joined a fraternity. Zac said the Snowball experiences taught him to step back before he acted, and to have confidence in himself so he could make smart decisions in spite of ribbing by others. The leadership component also served him well as he was quickly promoted in his career in the health education field. Now 24 and eight years after his first Snowball retreat, that’s where Zac is now.
