The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is offering an exciting opportunity for 4-H clubs around the country to be engaged in preventing underage drinking by conducting community-based town hall meetings and to receive a $500 planning stipend to support their efforts. Below is more information about the opportunity. The deadline for applying is March 7.
What is the Issue?
In 2010, underage drinking cost communities nationwide an estimated $62 billion. The cost to individuals and their families in terms of injury, death, and other consequences of underage drinking is immeasurable.
What is the Opportunity?
SAMHSA, the lead agency for the Interagency Coordinating Committee for the Prevention of Underage Drinking, has sponsored underage drinking prevention town hall meeting events every two years since 2006 as a way for communities to learn more about preventing this public health problem. Since the initiative began, SAMHSA has supported more than 7,000 of these town hall meetings.
SAMHSA is inviting 4-H clubs to hold town hall meetings to help prevent underage drinking. A 4-H club’s participation makes them eligible for a $500 planning stipend. SAMHSA has a limited number of stipends available, which will be disbursed on a first-come, first-served basis.
How do 4-H Clubs Apply for the $500 Stipend?
If you are interested in signing up to hold a Town Hall Meeting, please visit the following link and follow the directions to sign up: Town Hall Meeting Web site. The deadline is March 7.
Where do 4-H Clubs Go for More Information about Town Hall Meetings?
SAMHSA is providing free online resources for planning, promoting, and conducting a successful meeting at its Town Hall Meeting Web site.
For New Town Hall Meeting Organizers
The following training video, in English and Spanish, provides a basic introduction on hosting a Town Hall Meeting to prevent underage drinking:
• How To Conduct a Town Hall Meeting (WMV—15:27 min.); or
• Cómo llevar a cabo un foro público (WMV—22:56 min.).
What are the Town Hall Meeting Guidelines?
Events can be conducted in a physical location or via the Internet and take any of several approaches (e.g., panel discussion, student presentation, roundtable, open-microphone community forum, or webinar). Regardless of approach, SAMHSA expects Town Hall Meetings to:
• Be open to the public;
• Inform participants about the consequences of underage drinking and evidence-based measures to prevent it;
• Provide for audience discussion of solutions to the problem;
• Engage community members in pursuing prevention actions; and
• Lead to results that can be measured and reported.
A Town Hall Meeting can be combined with another community event so long as underage drinking prevention is a key, related topic. For example, underage drinking prevention should be considered during any community discussion to prevent and reduce HIV/AIDS, school violence, drug abuse, or other public health problems and to promote the mental health of youth. The recommended, but not required, theme of “Our Town. Our Health. Our Future” can help frame a discussion about the many problems that underage drinking prevention can reduce.
Remember that the purpose of a Town Hall Meeting is to mobilize communities around underage drinking prevention. Distributing brochures at a health fair, posting information about underage drinking prevention on a Facebook page, or holding an alcohol-free event for small groups of students does not achieve this purpose. If you are uncertain about your event plan, contact info@stopalcoholabuse.net with your questions.
What are the Stipend Guidelines?
The planning stipend is meant to help defray the costs of planning and holding an event. You may use the stipend to cover costs such as facilities rental, printing, and promotion. If guest speakers are unwilling to donate their services, the stipend may be used to cover their honorarium.
These stipends may NOT be used to pay for food and beverages, entertainment, door prizes, discounts, incentive giveaways, promotional products (e.g., T-shirts, baseball caps, or coffee mugs), or for anything not specifically related to planning and conducting Underage Drinking Prevention Town Hall Meetings.
A Town Hall Meeting might be conducted at a county fair or other community gathering that would attract a large audience. However, tacking a presentation on underage drinking onto some other planned activity may not qualify for SAMHSA support or recognition. If you are uncertain about your plan, contact info@stopalcoholabuse.net with your questions.
Social media can be used to help plan, promote, and report Town Hall Meetings. But a Twitter chat or a Facebook discussion would not be eligible for a SAMHSA planning stipend.