Meditation should be our main activity every day, is the basic activity for well being, so its not surprise that it has been labeled by the media as something from a different religion or for weird people, it should be taught just like brushing our teeth.
A lot. Dharma talks can really accelerate progress and keep you from going down dead end paths.
Also, as simple as meditation is some basic instruction is helpful. Many times the instructions are needed just to explain how simple it is because it's easy to try and over complicate it.
Maybe they should show that clip from The Matrix where Neo keeps failing in martial arts and Morpheus simply says "Again."
A lot of monks publish free resources online as well:
A pdf on the basic method of meditation from Ajahn Brahm: http://www.dhammaloka.org.au/files/pdf/Ajahn%20Brahm%20-%20T... is a good place to start.
Also one thing that is taught in a meditation class is to not judge or despise the thoughts that arise, just notice them and let them pass.
https://www.dhamma.org/en-US/index
Please note that there are strong feelings about the way that his courses are taught (both positive and negative). I encourage you to investigate fully before committing. That said, many people have found his 10-day course to be very useful (I haven't participated in it).
One final side note, there are other groups that offer vipassana retreats, and they're usually in the $1500 range for a 10-day retreat.
OP: And where do you live?