Register for the 2019 SAMHSA’s Communities Talk Initiative for Possible $750 Stipend

On behalf of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, you are invited to participate in the 2019 Communities Talk: Town Hall Meetings to Prevent Underage Drinking initiative.

SAMHSA, as the lead agency for the Interagency Coordinating Committee for the Prevention of Underage Drinking, has sponsored these events since 2006 as a way to educate communities about underage and high-risk drinking and mobilize them to take evidence-based actions at local, state, and national levels.

The Communities Talk stipends are $750 each. SAMHSA decided to increase the stipend amount to give community-based organizations more flexibility in executing their Communities Talk event(s).

What’s New in 2019?

• Communities Talk events will focus on engaging all members of communities—including youth and college and university leaders—in talking about the consequences of underage and high-risk drinking. 
• Social media will play a bigger role than ever in getting the word out about Communities Talk. We will be encouraging all hosts to join the underage drinking prevention online conversation by using #CommunitiesTalk.
• New resources and information about national events to engage with the 2019 Communities Talk initiative will be available on the Communities Talk website periodically to make planning, hosting, and evaluating an event even easier.

What Is Expected of Your Organization if You Decide to Participate?

• Confirm your participation as soon as possible by registering through your unique URL above. A limited number of stipends will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, so don’t delay!
• Conduct one or more Communities Talk events on underage drinking prevention by December 31, 2019.
• Submit your event details on the Communities Talk website. Your event will be included in the Find a Meeting Map so you can show your commitment to underage drinking prevention and be inspired by the work that other communities are doing across the nation.
• Involve as many different community sectors as possible, including prevention specialists, parents and caregivers, policymakers, law enforcement professionals, and local business leaders, in planning and conducting a Communities Talk event.
• Share your event outcomes and how you are helping to prevent underage drinking by completing the email survey SAMHSA will provide you within the next few months.

There are three Steps to Completing your Communities Talk: Town Hall Meeting Online Profile:

1. Register
2. Complete your event details
3. Submit your event recap

The planning stipend is meant to help offset the costs of planning and holding an event.  Stipends can cover costs such as facility rental, printing, and promotion.  For more information about stipends and criteria for hosting events, read the Quick Start Planning Guide or the frequently asked questions and answers on the Communitites Talk website at https://www.stopalcoholabuse.gov/Townhallmeetings/FAQ.aspx, or email info@stopalcoholabuse.net.