Have plenty of greeters and space for people to sign in- try not to make them wait in line too long. (DASA will provide the sign-in sheet we would like you to use)
Share food
Mingle
Introduction:
Welcome the participants
State purpose of the Town Hall Meeting
Show “This Place” 15 minute video (to be sent in mid-Feb.)
Are Our Kids Drinking? Speaker or panel discusses:
Are kids in our community drinking? (share community/county HYS profile)
How does early drinking impact the lives of young people?
How does underage drinking impact the community
What Can We Do to Reduce Underage Drinking in our Community?
Invite the participants to brainstorm strategies
Recruit a volunteer to record ideas (Use flip chart, white board, or other method)
Where Do We Go from Here?
Invite people to sign up to work on a strategy
Hand out envelopes and paper and invite each person in the audience to write what they plan to do in the next month and place it in the envelope, seal, and give it to the facilitator to mail to them in one month.
Keep in mind the reasons for this event...
Bring the community together to discuss how to reduce underage drinking in the local community;
Motivate parents, grandparents and other adults to talk with children about not using alcohol before age 21.
We must communicate a consistent message:
Young people in our community, as in all communities, are drinking alcohol;
Youth make decisions based on what they hear from their families and other adults in their community;
Therefore, it’s important for adults and the community at large to send a consistent message to young people that alcohol use is unhealthy, illegal, and can negatively impact their future.
