MLI 2012 will be held Friday, May 4th - Sunday, May 6th at the 4H Memorial Camp in Monticello. This site is the original location of ITI... where the magic all began! We are excited to have MLI at this fantastic location and look forward to sharing it with you! Click here for a sneak preview of the location. Applications and promotional materials coming soon!

Wisconsin has the highest rate of underage drinking in the nation. A UW Health Risk Assessment survey shows 39 percent of people under 21 say they drink alcohol. 49 percent of high school students say they drink, also the highest rate in the U.S.

On average in Wisconsin, teenagers begin to drink at the age of 14. Some Green Bay area teens are joining together to stand up against that alarming trend.

At a weekend retreat, teens from many different backgrounds come together. One common goal bonds them: to not drink or use drugs. Dominique Bayee, a junior at Green Bay Southwest High School says, "You realize that a lot of different people have the same outlook on a look of different things as you. And, it makes you feel like you're not as alone."

"Everyone just comes together," adds Jacob Monigal, a senior at Green Bay West High School. "There's no such thing as a social class."

The teens are at a weekend-long retreat called Operation Snowball. "They've learned by coming to a Snowball event that next time they might be thinking of picking up alcohol or something worse, maybe they know how they have someone they can pick up the phone and talk to instead," explains Andrew Becker, founder of Green Bay Area Operation Snowball.

Read more.

One of the activities offered in the Search Institute's I-Time curriculum is titled Rare Birds. The activity provides a unique opportunity for students to learn about one another (with the teacher leading the activity) in a way they are not likely to encounter elsewhere in the school setting.

Download the Rare Birds activity

The instructor and students use the handout to provide information about at least 2-3 (and as many as all 7) of the prompts offered. The instructor then reads a few of the descriptors from randomly selected worksheets one at a time and allows everyone to guess who this "rare bird" might be. The entire group can then explore their new-found knowledge about that person with additional questions and discussion. A detailed description of how the activity is led in a classroom setting is included with the link provided above.

 At the end of this school year, John Schwaller will retire from the staff of Homewood-Flossmoor High School. But for many in the community, his last Snowball retreat (held Nov. 19 and 20) marked the unofficial celebration of his career.

The Homewood resident and longtime social worker is best known for his involvement with the Homewood-Flossmoor Snowball program. According to the Operation Snowball website, the non-profit institution provides awareness and prevention resources to promote leadership skills, confidence building and social support that contribute to a drug- and alcohol-free lifestyle. At its center is an annual weekend retreat that includes presentations, workshops and substance-free social activities.  Read more.  

DHS Prevention Grant Submitted