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What’s New

Communities Talk What’s New articles share information to help event organizers plan, host, and evaluate events aimed at mobilizing a community around evidence-based prevention of underage drinking.

Communities Get Talking About Underage Drinking Prevention; Get the New Planning Guide for Colleges and Universities

06/01/2016

Hundreds of Communities Across the Country Gather for Town Hall Meetings To Prevent Underage Drinking

Hundreds of community based organizations, as well as colleges and universities, have successfully held Communities Talk: Town Hall Meetings To Prevent Underage Drinking events across the United States to educate communities about underage drinking and to mobilize them around its prevention. Read some of the recent media coverage by clicking on each of the following locations: Bennettsville, South Carolina; Livingston, New York; Onawa, Illinois; Round Rock, Texas; Santa Barbara, California; Secaucus, New Jersey; Springfield, Minnesota; and Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Some organizers have also posted about their events on YouTube, including videos from Oak Park, Illinois and Tumon, Guam. Many more hosts have taken to social media to promote and report the results of their events using #communitiestalk.

Thank you to everyone who has joined the effort to prevent underage and harmful drinking in your communities. When communities talk, prevention is possible!

For hosts who are continuing to plan events between June and December, be sure to review the resources available to support your meeting, including the new, customizable materials and sharable social media images in English and Spanish.

New Communities Talk: Town Hall Meetings To Prevent Underage Drinking Planning Guide for Colleges and Universities Released

More than 200 colleges and universities are addressing underage and harmful drinking on their campuses this year by holding community events or partnering with a community organization as part of the Communities Talk: Town Hall Meetings To Prevent Underage Drinking initiative.

To support and even further increased participation among institutions of higher education, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has released the Communities Talk: Town Hall Meetings To Prevent Underage Drinking Planning Guide for Colleges and Universities. The Guide includes ideas for the types of groups to include in a campus event, as well as resources and timelines with ideas specific to the unique needs of institutes of higher education.

Download the Guide today (PDF | 5.5 MB).

Hosting an Event? Remember To Complete Your Town Hall Meeting Online Profile and Evaluation

If you have hosted a Communities Talk: Town Hall Meeting To Prevent Underage Drinking event, please remember to log in with your username and password and complete your registration profile. If you do not have your password, click on the “forgot password” link to retrieve it.

The online profile includes an area for you to submit your event details (who, what, when, and where) so your information will appear on the Find a Meeting map. As soon as possible after your event is complete, please also submit your event recap information, which summarizes the results of your event. For more information, view the 3 Steps to Completing Your Town Hall Meeting Online Profile (PDF | 1.9 MB) diagram, or contact info@stopalcoholabuse.net for assistance.

Town Hall Meeting hosts are also invited to participate in the Town Hall Meeting Organizer’s Survey. Additionally, a random sample of organizations has been invited to distribute and return participants’ surveys. Should you have any questions about these surveys, please contact eval@stopalcoholabuse.net. Thank you in advance for your feedback. Completing these surveys is critical for future years of the initiative.

Planning Stipends Still Available for Underage Drinking Prevention Events

Planning stipends in the amount of $500 are still available for organizations that wish to hold an event to prevent underage drinking as part of Communities Talk: Town Hall Meetings To Prevent Underage Drinking. While many organizations hold events in the spring, events can take place anytime in 2016. View the underage drinking prevention planning calendar for a list of upcoming observances.

If you have not yet received an invitation but would like to participate, please send your organization name, contact name, contact e-mail address and phone number, as well as a national affiliate organization (e.g., SAMHSA grantee) to info@stopalcoholabuse.net.

Resources To Support Underage Drinking Prevention

The following free resources are available from the federal government: