Wisconsin's Town Hall Meetings
on Underage Drinking

BACKGROUND:

In FY2002, Congress requested the study that became Reducing Underage Drinking: A Collective Responsibility, written by a distinguished group charged with creating a national strategy to prevent and reduce underage drinking.

When the final committee report was published by National Academies of Science, it initiated a national dialog about underage drinking, Wisconsin's most pressing public health problem. Three years later, the Federal Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Prevention of Underage Drinking (ICCPUD) released Comprehensive Plan for Preventing and Reducing Underage Drinking, moving the discussion from the theoretical to the practical.

Three basic goals were detailed: Pursue opportunities to reduce the availability of alcohol to underage drinkers, reduce the occasions for underage drinking, and reduce demand for alcohol by underage youth. Acknowledging that understanding the problem precedes local action, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services sponsored local "Town Hall Meetings" on underage drinking in over 1,500 communities, including in Wisconsin, from late March through May. Start Talking Before They Start Drinking, a federally coordinated effort to support local awareness efforts, targeted the final week of March 2006 for nationwide meetings.

Although a number of Wisconsin Communities held Town Hall Meetings, many others found the short planning calendar, the uncertain availability of information or guidance, and spring break scheduling were insurmountable obstacles.

After interviewing community leaders about their experiences and difficulties, the Wisconsin Clearinghouse for Prevention Resources sponsored a second series of meetings in late 2006. The second group of ten meetings occurred during a three month period from September through December. The experience of meeting organizers and community members offers practical advice for all Wisconsin communities looking to prevent and reduce underage drinking.

WHY WISCONSIN IS CONCERNED <go to next page>

[Background]

[Why Wisconsin is Concerned]

[Summary of Lessons Learned in 2006]

[Map of Town Hall Meeting Sites & information on individual events]

["Change of Heart: Wisconsin's Town Hall Meetings on Underage Drinking" - summary report ]