3 years, 5 camps, and nearly 70 new best friends later I found myself in a leadership position for the organization, my entire life revolving around this actually very very cool club. See Idaho Drug Free Youth never preached; never judged. The group was a place for kids to find themselves and find ways to live happy, healthy, free lifestyles away from substance abuse.
I never drank in high school. It was never because I was against it. I just never had any interest or curiosity. Because of this, though, I was excluded from a social life in my school. iDFY gave me everything I wanted in this time of my life. I witnessed kids' lives be saved and it was amazing.
Since I started college I have been very lucky to find friends that are just as supportive and great as the ones that I found myself with in the past chapter in my life. I also have grown to be a little more openminded when it comes to things like alcohol or marijuana use. This is all very separate from the chapter of my life that was iDFY. Just because I see things with different eyes doesn't mean I abuse and I most definitely do not depend on substances to have a good time; in fact I rarely partake.
None of that matters. Or it shouldn't.
Yesterday, by someone who was supposed to be considered my iDFY family, verbally attacked me and said I was betraying and letting down the organization that saved me.
iDFY isn't about telling students not to party. They aren't teaching students how to party safer either. They are teaching students to live healthy, to be themselves, to stand out from the crowd, to eliminate pressures from their lives and to never feel uncomfortable in a situation.
iDFY was an amazing chapter in my life. I recommend it to any student any child and any person to get involved in. It saved my life. I use the knowledge and things I learned through the program every single day and I hope to instill that inspiration and what I learned through them in my own activism efforts.
No one can tell me that I'm following a "path" or that I'm not standing out. I've worked hard to be able to use my voice and to stand up for what I believe in. I'm an individual and I was and always be apart of Idaho Drug Free Youth; Or as I like to call it-- Idaho Gives Youth Hope.
