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Frequently Asked Questions
About Town Hall Meetings
- What are Town Hall Meetings?
- What types of community-based organizations host
Town Hall Meetings?
- How many organizations hosted Town Hall Meetings
during 2010?
- Can my organization host a 2012 Town Hall Meeting?
- If I am not hosting a Town Hall Meeting, how else
can I participate in the initiative?
- How can I find a Town Hall Meeting near me?
- What type of feedback does SAMHSA collect on Town
Hall Meetings?
- Where can I find feedback results from past SAMHSA-supported
Town Hall Meetings?
Hosting a Town Hall Meeting
- Is there a prescribed format for a Town Hall Meeting?
- When should my organization hold a Town Hall Meeting?
- Is there a theme for the 2012 Town Hall Meetings?
- Does my organization have to use the national theme?
- What types of materials are available to help plan
and host an event?
Registration and Login FAQs
- Can my organization register to host a Town Hall
Meeting?
- Why would my organization register? Aren’t most
resources available to all?
- When is the deadline to confirm my organization’s
participation?
- How do I register my organization as a Town Hall
Meeting host?
- How does my organization know that the registration
information has been submitted?
- My organization is having problems signing into
the “My Town Hall Meeting” site. What should I do?
- My organization forgot its password to the “My
Town Hall Meeting” site. How do I get a new one?
- We were told that we would be invited to host a
Town Hall Meeting but have not received an invitation; what should we do?
Stipend FAQs
- Who is eligible to receive a SAMHSA 2012 Town Hall
Meeting planning stipend?
- How can the planning stipend be used?
- What does my organization need to do to receive
a planning stipend from SAMHSA?
Feedback FAQs
- Why is SAMHSA asking organizations for feedback
on their Town Hall Meetings?
- When will I receive my feedback forms?
What are Town Hall Meetings?
Town Hall Meetings, which the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
(SAMHSA) sponsors every 2 years, are events held by community-based organizations
to:
- Educate community members about the consequences of underage drinking;
- Empower communities to make environmental changes to prevent underage drinking;
and
- Mobilize communities around underage drinking prevention initiatives at the local,
State, and national levels.
SAMHSA, as the lead agency for the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Prevention
of Underage Drinking, has sponsored national Town Hall Meetings in 2006, 2008, and
2010, and it is now sponsoring a fourth round in 2012.
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What types of community-based organizations host Town Hall Meetings?
A “community” is not necessarily a town. Schools, campuses, Tribal reservations,
military bases, organizations involved in healthy youth development, and other community-based
organizations have hosted events.
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How many organizations hosted Town Hall Meetings during 2010?
The number of events and community-based organizations hosting events has increased
for every round since the Town Hall Meeting Initiative began in 2006. In 2010, more
than 1,700 communities hosted more than 2,000 events; events were held across all
50 States, 4 Territories, and the District of Columbia. These increases demonstrate
a growing national interest in preventing underage drinking, and the value of Town
Hall Meetings as a tool in instigating or supporting community efforts.
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Can my organization host a 2012 Town Hall Meeting?
Yes, any organization can host a Town Hall Meeting and may use materials on this
site to support its efforts. However, only organizations that have received an email
invitation from SAMHSA can officially register a meeting and obtain a stipend. Invitations
from SAMHSA are based on recommendations from the National Prevention Network representative
from each State and Territory or by SAMHSA’s partners in underage drinking prevention.
Organizations that wish to participate but did not receive an invitation from SAMHSA
may send an email to
info@stopalcoholabuse.net stating their interest in becoming a registered
Town Hall Meeting host.
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If I am not hosting a Town Hall Meeting, how else can I participate in the initiative?
Individuals can support Town Hall Meetings through a variety of ways. Anyone can
help; everyone is needed. Find out how you can help by contacting a community-based
organization hosting a Town Hall Meeting
near
you.
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How can I find a Town Hall Meeting near me?
Visit “Find a Meeting,”
and click on your State or Territory or enter your ZIP Code for a listing of meetings
near you.
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What type of feedback does SAMHSA collect on Town Hall Meetings?
SAMHSA requests that all community-based organizations that host a Town Hall Meeting
complete a feedback form. Organizations are asked to report on meeting basics, such
as format, promotion, and attendance, and on what commitments the community made
to follow up action. For 2012, SAMHSA also will be asking a selection of organizations
to obtain feedback from Town Hall Meeting participants.
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Where can I find feedback results from past SAMHSA-supported Town Hall Meetings?
The final report on the 2008 Town Hall Meetings is available, along with a separate
report of 2008 Town Hall Meeting evaluation results. Comparable 2010 reports will
be posted in the Town Hall Meetings pages at http://www.stopalcoholabuse.gov soon.
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Is there a prescribed format for a Town Hall Meeting?
No, there is not a set format for an event. Town Hall Meetings can be as varied
as the communities in which they are held. Events can be conducted in a physical
location or online and take any of several approaches (e.g., panel discussion, student
presentation, roundtable, open-microphone community forum, Webinar). Events also
can be designed to promote specific actions that respond to a community’s prevention
priorities.
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When should my organization hold a Town Hall Meeting?
SAMHSA recognizes that communities need flexibility in scheduling events, but encourages
organizations to host their meetings during the last 2 weeks of March to kick off
Alcohol Awareness Month in April or during April. Additionally, SAMHSA will be holding
the first
National Prevention Week in May. Monday, May 21, will be the day underage
drinking prevention will be highlighted and may provide another national “hook”
for creating local attention. Holding an event during this time period links it
to other Alcohol Awareness Month and National Prevention Week events, thereby increasing
the cumulative impact on a community’s awareness of the issue.
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Is there a theme for the 2012 Town Hall Meetings?
Yes, Getting to Outcomes is the theme for the 2012 Town Hall Meetings. This theme
conveys the message that Town Hall Meetings are intended to help communities identify
and implement actions proven to achieve measurable results in preventing underage
drinking. SAMHSA selected a theme for the 2012 Town Hall Meetings in response to
requests from community-based organizations for a concept that could unite events
nationally.
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Does my organization have to use the national theme?
No, SAMHSA does not require Town Hall Meeting hosts to use this theme, particularly
as many communities have ongoing underage drinking prevention campaigns that are
familiar to their members. Although your organization may substitute a theme of
its own, it is highly recommended that you incorporate the concept of “implementing
actions that achieve results” into your event goal.
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What types of materials are available to help plan and host an event?
SAMHSA offers numerous free resources and tools to support community-based organizations
in hosting a Town Hall Meeting. These materials are in the public domain, meaning
that they are free and may be copied and distributed without permission.
Organizations that register an event also have access to additional resources in
the “My Town Hall Meeting"
site that support
planning,
promoting,
and
evaluating
a Town Hall Meeting.
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Can my organization register to host a Town Hall Meeting?
Organizations that have received an email invitation from SAMHSA to host an event
can register a meeting on this Web site. Most invitations from SAMHSA are based
on an allowable number of recommendations or approvals from the National Prevention
Network representative from each State or Territory. Other recommendations are made
by SAMHSA’s partners in underage drinking prevention.
Organizations that wish to participate but did not receive an invitation from SAMHSA
may send an email to info@stopalcoholabuse.net
stating their interest in becoming a registered Town Hall Meeting Host.
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Why would my organization register? Aren’t most resources available to all?
Registering your organization is beneficial even if you are not applying for a planning
stipend. When you register an event and enter event details, the event will appear
on the online Town Hall Meeting
locator map,
making your event part of a national effort that shows the widespread national concern
that our Nation must act to prevent underage drinking.
As a registered organization, you will have access to free
resources,
additional
planning
tips and tools, and customizable materials in your own "My Town Hall Meeting”
site.
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When is the deadline to confirm my organization’s participation?
A final deadline for registering a 2012 Town Hall Meeting has not been set yet,
but SAMHSA urges organizations to confirm their participation by February 29, 2012.
Organizations that are eligible for a planning stipend should register as early
as possible because stipends are limited.
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How do I register my organization as a Town Hall Meeting host?
Organizations invited by SAMHSA to host an event should have received an email invitation
with details on how to log into the registration database. Once you log in, you
will complete a Participation Confirmation form to signal your intent to host an
event and set up your own Town Hall Meeting site. You will need to return to this
site to enter event details (e.g., date, time, and location) as they are confirmed.
Registration is fully complete after you submit this information.
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How does my organization know that the registration information has been submitted?
You will received an automatic thank-you note for submitting information at two
steps in the registration process: when you have confirmed your intent to hold an
event and entered contact information for yourself and your organization, and when
you have entered event details (e.g., date, time, and address) of your Town Hall
Meeting.
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My organization is having problems signing into the “My Town Hall Meeting” site.
What should I do?
If you are registering for the first time, please copy and paste the complete URL
from your invitation email into your browser. You will be directed to the Participation
Confirmation form and the “My Town Hall Meeting”
site setup. After you have set up your site, this first URL will no longer work.
You will be able to log in with your new, personally created login credentials.
If you have set up your site and cannot log in, please make sure you are entering
the email address specified in your invitation email. For further assistance, contact
us at info@stopalcoholabuse.net.
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My organization forgot its password to the “My Town Hall Meeting” site. How do I
get a new one?
On the login page, select the
Forgot Your Password? link,
and enter your email address. Your password will be sent to your email account.
If you have forgotten your user name, please email
info@stopalcoholabuse.net. Specify the name of the individual and organization
name used to register your event in your request for assistance.
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We were told that we would be invited to host a Town Hall Meeting but have not received
an invitation; what should we do?
Invitations to register are sent from
EmilyNovick@stopalcoholabuse.net. To ensure that you receive communications
from us, please add EmilyNovick@stopalcoholabuse.net
as an approved contact in your email system. If you can locate the original email
(please check your junk mail or spam folder), you can use it to register. Invitations
are specific to the organization that they were sent to and should not be forwarded
to others. If you cannot locate your original invitation, please email
info@stopalcoholabuse.net with complete organizational details.
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Who is eligible to receive a SAMHSA 2012 Town Hall Meeting planning stipend?
SAMHSA is providing a $500 planning stipend to a limited number of organizations
that the agency has invited to host a 2012 Town Hall Meeting. Invitations from SAMHSA
are based on the recommendations or approval of the National Prevention Network
representative for a State or Territory or nonprofit partner organizations, with
a set number of allowable stipends per locale.
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How can the planning stipend be used?
The planning stipend is not meant to pay for an entire meeting, but rather 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. SAMHSA encourages organizations
to reach out to other organizations, agencies, and businesses in the community to
supplement the stipend by
donating services and supplies.
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What does my organization need to do to receive a planning stipend from SAMHSA?
If your organization has been invited by SAMHSA to host a 2012 Town Hall Meeting,
register your event on this site, and then complete and submit a W-9 form. You can
also fax your W-9 form to 240—559—0968 or email it to
info@stopalcoholabuse.net.
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Why is SAMHSA asking organizations for feedback on their Town Hall Meetings?
The Federal Government is accountable to Congress and the public for ensuring that
limited dollars are used for efforts that achieve positive and measurable results.
Sharing the results of your event demonstrates the value of Town Hall Meetings in
helping your community take positive steps to prevent underage drinking. Your feedback
also helps us develop materials that can improve the effectiveness of future Town
Hall Meetings.
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When will I receive my feedback forms?
Organizers will be contacted within 1 week after their event with instructions on
how to access and complete an online Organizer Survey.
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