The following resources and tools will assist you in conducting your town hall meeting.

Underage Drinking Prevention: National Town Hall Meetings Planning Guide

Media and Outreach

Sharing the Experience Report

Underage Drinking Prevention: Town Hall Meetings Planning Guide

The Underage Drinking Prevention: Town Hall Meetings Planning Guide [HTML] [PDF]

The Interagency Coordinating Committee for the Prevention of Underage Drinking (ICCPUD) supported a series of town hall-style meetings that took place in communities across America on or around March 28, 2006 to help educate young people and caring adults about the risks associated with underage drinking. The Underage Drinking Prevention: Town Hall Meetings (THMs) Planning Guide was developed to help communities throughout the Nation plan their own underage drinking prevention THM.

Media and Outreach

Media tools
These tools can help you engage the media's support.


Downloadable Start Talking Before They Start Drinking Campaign PSAs
Downloadable logo images

Tackling Underage Drinking: Using Town Hall Meetings and Ad Council PSAs

In January, 2006, regional trainings were held in Boston, MA, and Reno, NV, focusing on two objectives: 1) to help local community coalitions convene town hall meetings about underage drinking prevention and 2) to promote the local use of new "Start Talking Before They Start Drinking" public service announcements (PSAs), developed in collaboration with the Ad Council. The Ad Council has originated other notable public service campaign slogans, including "A mind is a terrible thing to waste" and "Friends don't let friends drive drunk." The regional trainings have been condensed into two Webcasts to help local community coalitions and other organizations nationwide get involved in these efforts.


Town Hall Meeting Opening Video [WMV]

Preview the opening video for Underage Drinking Prevention: Town Hall Meetings. The opening video is an effective tool for framing the issues to be discussed in most Town Hall Meeting events.

Sharing the Experience Report [PDF]

This report was developed to provide an overview of the 2006 Underage Drinking Prevention: Town Hall Meetings (THMs), which focused on raising awareness of underage drinking across the Nation. The report reflects feedback responses that were received from 538 of the 1,262 community-based organizations that held THMs in the spring of 2006. All levels of the community were involved—parents, youth, schools, law enforcement, mental health, government entities, and community-based organizations. Pre-meeting planning and followup activities from the THMs are detailed in the report, as well as numerous collaborative efforts that contributed to the success of the THMs. For a map listing of THMs held nationwide, please go to: http://www.stopalcoholabuse.gov/townhall/flashmap/2006/locations.aspx.