Guest Author: Lani Lopez-Logan

The Wakulla County 4-H Community Pride Project took a powerful step toward youth awareness and prevention this year with “Prevention Before Intervention,” a teen town hall created by youth, for youth. Led by Emily Zak and co-hosted by Caden Gruebel, the event opened honest conversations about substance use, mental health, peer pressure, leadership, and the importance of connection within the community.

The Importance of Positive Choices

Throughout the evening, members of FLOW shared personal messages focused on challenges many teens face today and the importance of making positive choices. Emily Zak opened the discussion with a presentation titled “Social Media vs. Reality,” reminding attendees that the lives people portray online are often far from perfect.

“Most of what people post is just what they want people to see or think about their lives,” Zak explained. “And most of the time, it makes you compare yourself to them and makes you think you’re not enough. But that’s not true.”

Zak encouraged youth to remember that struggles are a normal part of life and growth. “Real life comes with struggles and challenges,” she shared. “Those things are like a package deal. If you have struggles and challenges, you get growth.”

Mental Health

Lani Lopez-Logan followed with a discussion on mental health and stress, speaking about the importance of acknowledging struggles that many young people experience but often keep hidden. Destyn Kohn then addressed peer pressure, explaining that it does not always come in the form of direct force or obvious persuasion.

The conversation continued as Gage Hand emphasized the importance of safe spaces where youth feel comfortable opening up without fear of judgment. Edison Zak spoke about leadership and finding your voice, explaining that leadership is more than just having good manners.

Leadership

“Leadership isn’t about manners,” Zak said. “It’s about being willing to speak up and realize your ideas and opinions matter.”

Closing out the youth speaker portion, Kynthia Yoshioka shared a message about positive choices and overcoming challenges. She reminded attendees that while life does not always go according to plan, struggles do not define a person.

“Making positive choices can be hard,” Yoshioka explained, “but always remember, your struggles don’t define you. How you deal with them does.”

Prevention

Following the youth presentations, Caden Gruebel shared a moving testimony about someone who had passed away, helping transition the evening into a deeper discussion about the realities of substance abuse and overdose prevention.

Emily Zak then introduced special guest speakers from the Drug Enforcement Administration in Miami, DEA agents Keith Barker and Gretchen Rovira. Barker spoke about his work preventing drugs from reaching consumers and arresting drug dealers. Through personal stories and experiences from his career, he emphasized the importance of teamwork, trust, and communication.

The DEA: Stories from the Field

One story Barker shared involved a major chase as a new DEA agent that led him across a city and onto an airplane in pursuit of a suspect. Relying entirely on his partner to contact the Chicago DEA office, Barker recalled the uncertainty he felt during the flight until another agent met him upon arrival and informed him the area had already been secured.

Rovira delivered the DEA’s “One Pill Can Kill” presentation, highlighting the dangers of fentanyl and counterfeit pills. She explained that more than 80,000 overdose deaths occur annually in the United States and demonstrated how only two milligrams of fentanyl, an amount barely the size of the tip of a pencil, can be deadly.

She also introduced attendees to “The Faces of Fentanyl” memorial wall, which has since become digital after the physical wall in Arlington, Virginia, ran out of space.

“I really appreciate the opportunity to be able to share the message that one pill can kill,” Rovira said.

The Expert Panel

After dinner, attendees participated in a Q&A panel featuring Michelle Peltier of the Florida Department of Health, Stacey Bian of DISC Village, Sheriff Jared Miller, and Gretchen Rovira. The discussion allowed youth and community members to continue the conversation and ask questions openly.

“No matter what, always be a leader,” said Stacey Bian of DISC Village. “Recovery is possible for everyone.”

Sheriff Jared Miller praised the youth organizers and the effort behind the event.

“This town hall meeting was a special event for the youth to put on,” Miller said. “The organization of such great future leaders makes me proud to be in Wakulla County.”

Closing Thoughts

Caden Gruebel also reflected on the impact of the evening.

“It was great to see everyone come out in aid and support,” Gruebel said. “I am grateful for our speakers helping open eyes with what dangers are really out there, and great job to Emily and the youth for putting it together.”

For Emily Zak, the event represented more than just a town hall , it was an opportunity to create meaningful conversations among local youth.

“I was so excited to be the lead for this event because I’m very passionate about this topic, and I believe it’s important to youth,” Zak said. “Thank you to everyone who came out, talked, and supported the Teen Town Hall and Sunset Social Dance.”