MIAMI -- The 12 years known as the elementary, middle and high school are a time when developing and maturing kids are exposed to a variety of things -- some good, some not so good, and some plain bad.

For many students, the latter sometimes has to do with underage drinking, smoking cigarettes and experimenting with illegal substances.

The temptation to try one or all of these things isn't experienced by everyone of course, but throw in some peer pressure and the combination can become too much to handle.

Luckily for students in many Miami-Dade schools and now some in Broward County, an organization is offering interested youth resources and support.

"DFYIT is my rock, my base," said member Luisa Santos, a student at Coral Reef Senior High in Miami-Dade County.

Santos and fellow Coral Reef student, Elyse Marcado, took part in a roundtable discussion held by Local10.com, which tackled the newest social pressure faced by students in the new millennium.

Like Santos, Marcado joined Drug Free Youth In Town (DFYIT) in the seventh grade, and both have become dedicated members ever since.

"It's about being who you are and that determines the type of people you hang out with, so if you're hanging out with the right people and doing the things you should be doing," said Marcado.

The organization, which began in 1992, works at achieving its goal of making and keeping healthy, drug-free people, by using a variety of tools and approaches.

They include providing drug information, opportunities to decide what activities would best suit the individual club and a support system that reinforces the organizations beliefs.

"If I don’t want to go to a party because I know I'll be pressured to drink alcohol and perhaps engage in other inappropriate activities, I know I can turn to DFYIT and do some community service or take part in some club event," said Santos.

Marcado nodded in agreement and offered her own example.

"Today, drugs and drinking is socially excepted so in school the mindset is you're suppose to do these things, but I know that's wrong and DFYIT has helped me stay true to my belief," Marcado added.

Since its inception 15 years ago, DFYIT has grown to more than 7,000 members and is currently in 57 Miami-Dade and 12 Broward County schools.

And while Marlis Perez's daughter is only 6 years old and hasn't been exposed to many of the peer pressure topics addressed by DFYIT and its supporters, the young mother has already taken an active role in the youth group, becoming a paid employee of the DFYIT a month ago.

Perez said she was encouraged by what she heard from the female high school duo at the Local10 roundtable and hopes to have the same success for her own daughter in the future.

"Hopefully I'll see my daughter sitting in these same chairs, talking as passionately about the social struggles she faces from fellow classmates and friends and knows she can come to me for anything," said Perez.

To listen to the Local10.com interactive roundtable moderated by digital correspondent Alex Alvarez, check out the video in the sidebar box above.

There's also a post-roundtable discussion with a DFYIT program specialist who weighs in on the issues the teens and mother brought up, and offers some helpful hints.

For more information on DFYIT, or to find a local chapters and special event information, click here.