Getting Feedback on Your Town Hall Meeting

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (SAMHSA’s CSAP) evaluates the effectiveness of Town Hall Meetings (THMs) by collecting data from the meeting organizer—you. In the report that comes out later this year, you will see how your event contributed to the nationwide effort to prevent underage drinking through THMs.

As a THM host, you will receive an evaluation form or a link to complete it at a later date. For now, please be aware that CSAP will ask you to provide the following types of information:

• Estimated total number of people who attended your THM.
• Summary of attendee demographics, including numerical estimates of attendees by age, gender, and racial/ethnic group.
• The sectors of your community that were represented at your event—parents, youth, business leaders, education professionals, law enforcement officials, State elected officials, alcohol beverage retailers, and State Governor’s spouse or representative.
• Features and formats used in your THM, such as keynote speakers, breakout sessions, dramatic presentation, DVD or PowerPoint, question-and-answer period, or testimonials.
• Materials that you used for your event—handouts, customizable templates, background information, or the Community Briefing Prevention Toolkit: Town Hall Meetings.
• Use of online training.
• Effectiveness of technical assistance provided.
• Major actions or plans that resulted from your THM, such as creating an underage drinking prevention group, developing a strategic plan, or implementing social host ordinances.
• Promotion of your event. Did you use brochures, direct mailing, email, a press release, Web site, social networking sites, newsletters, posters, flyers, and/or telephone calls?
• Length of your THM (in hours and minutes).