Wauconda YAC OS hosted OS, Inc. for their Student Facilitation and Adult Implementation. The entire evening was an opportunity for the students and adults to engage in healthy risk-taking while learning about what it means to be involved in OS! Wauconda YAC OS left the evening ready to implement their spring programming ideas and engage with others at CGTI Mid-Year in January!

If your OS Team is looking to schedule your Student Facilitation training, please contact Michaela Price! Every new OS Team should schedule a facilitation and implementation training to make sure they are prepared and supported to begin OS programming. If you are a returning OS Team that just wants a brush-up on the facilitation training, please reach out!

As the spring semester kicks off, OS, Inc. wants to encourage all accredited OS Teams to access the Accredited OS Team's Only Portal. This portal is available to ALL accredited OS Teams or any individual working with an accredited OS Team for the remainder of the 2025-2026 school year.

This portal contains so many amazing resources, be sure to check them out!

• OS, Inc. toolkits and guides
• OS Energizer videos
• Upcoming dates for OS, Inc. events, OS Team events, and awareness events
• OS logos for Team use (printed materials, shirts, etc.)
• Sample social media posts
• and so much more...

Steps to logging in...

• Go to the OS, Inc. website
• Click the button in the top right corner (Accredited Team Login)
• Type in the password (OperationSnowball2025)
• Enjoy all the amazing resources

If you have any issues or questions regarding the OS Team Portal, please reach out to Michaela Price, michaela@ilabh.org!

Has your OS Team accessed the OS, Inc. 2025-2026 Webinar Series yet? Are you looking for new ways to engage with your OS Team in the spring semester? The OS, Inc. 2025-2026 Webinar Series is a great way for OS Teams to kick off their spring programming, this series is available to ALL OS Teams through July 1st, 2026.

With 11 different pre-recorded videos for OS Teams to utilize, the webinar series is a great way for OS Teams to grow as teams and individual leaders, supplement Team meetings, and engage others in prevention efforts.

OS, Inc. hopes that OS Teams and Individuals that utilize these webinars will increase their knowledge surrounding prevention trends, self-reflection, and so much more. The OS, Inc. 2025-2026 Webinar Series was created to provide OS Teams with more education, resources, and connections to continue improving the programming and missions of OS!

Who can register? Any accredited OS Team or any student/adult from a currently accredited OS Team! 



Need a Certificate of Completion? After watching your selected webinar(s) you will be asked to fill out an evaluation of the session and overall experience. Once that is completed you will receive your certificate of completion!

The Cebrin Goodman Teen Institute (CGTI) is slated for July 12-16, 2026 at Eastern Illinois University, and we want to see YOU there! The CGTI summer camp is open to middle school and high school students (incoming grades 7th-12th for the 2026-2027 school year) who are creating positive change, promoting substance use and mental health prevention and developing leadership skills.

At CGTI, participants will attend keynotes and workshops, take part in small and large group team building with peers from across the state, focus on planning, and enhancing, the yearly change they're creating at the local level in action team meetings. CGTI is a family of like-minded change makers with the passion and dedication to permanently impact our communities and beyond! 

Applications will open in March and will start with early bird pricing, before increasing to standard in May. Scholarships will be available for first time attendees and new OS Teams.

Generation Lead has three youth-focused prevention commercials that schools and community partners can request to elevate their digital media outreach. These high-quality videos bring our campaign messaging to life and are designed to resonate with students, families, and community members.

These commercials are flexible and easy to integrate into your existing communication channels. They can be played during morning announcements, sports broadcasts or jumbotrons, podcasts, social media posts, lunchroom video loops, student leadership trainings, or any other virtual or digital space within your school and organization.

We offer multiple video formats and time lengths to help you tailor the message to your audience and platform.

In addition to digital content, Generation Lead offers free printed campaign material, including posters, talking kits, stickers, and banners, that will be delivered directly to you within a week of submitting your request.

To review and request the digital media or print materials, simply click the link below. We're excited to help you bring Generation Lead's statewide campaign to your Snowball team!

Problem Gambling Awareness Month (PGAM) 

Thinking of ways to expand your prevention efforts and add to your action plans? The month of March is Problem Gambling Awareness Month (PGAM) and during this month, the primary focus is to highlight the risks around gambling, prevention techniques, and raise overall awareness. Through trainings and workshops, we aim to empower our youth to understand gambling and to advocate against it to their peers. This month also utilizes the blue ribbon (like Red Ribbon Week) to show others that you care about awareness. If interested, please reach out to ryan@ilabh.org. 

Photovoice Opportunity

Photovoice empowers youth to share their perspective on gambling within their community. This project begins by educating youth about the gambling risks and prevention methods. Students explore their communities to identify and photograph real examples of gambling within their communities. Each photo is paired with a powerful caption created by the youth. There are four offerings for photovoice including: 1-session, 4-session, 8-session, and 16-session. Let Focus Youth Gambling come into one (or more) of your Snowball meetings and expand your prevention efforts. 

If you are interested in any of these programming opportunities or know someone who would be, please reach out to Ryan Aten at Ryan@ilabh.org ( 217-528-7335 ext. 30)