Question
2:
Would
the Fellowship share experience and make recommendations on how a
greater understanding of the Traditions and Concepts of AA might be
increased among the Fellowship?
Background
Recommendation of Conference 2011, Committee 5, Question 2
Reports of disunity in some areas of the Fellowship
A noticeable lack of AA members to fill service positions at all levels The Declaration of Unity
Consider the contribution to the carrying of the message, financial and practical implications when deliberating each question.
Background
Recommendation of Conference 2011, Committee 5, Question 2
Reports of disunity in some areas of the Fellowship
A noticeable lack of AA members to fill service positions at all levels The Declaration of Unity
Consider the contribution to the carrying of the message, financial and practical implications when deliberating each question.
See
also:
Extract:
“If
you wish to engage the membership in the workings of the fellowship
(including the applicability of the traditions and concepts) it needs
to function as an effective democracy (emphasis on the word
“effective”). At present it doesn't. It operates more on the
principles of a benign (thus far) oligarchy, the “trusted servants”
currently filling that role. Most members don't know who their
conference delegates are, what they do, and moreover don't
particularly care either way! Most don't attend intergroup meetings
and having been to a few myself I can wholly understand why. A
disengaged membership is simply a symptom of poor communication, and
clear and free communication is the basis of democracy.
We have at our disposal a medium which is ideal for that purpose and yet we barely use it ie. the internet. Access to information in AA is poor and still largely paper based. But the trend is evident. More and more of our members are computer/internet literate and are accustomed to rely on this medium to keep themselves up to date. Despite this a significant number of intergroups still have no web presence on the official AA website. This is an ideal opportunity to communicate with members and yet this facility is underutilised. Agendas, minutes etc could be published on these sites (available to all - and as provided by some intergroups already), document libraries expanded, SHARE magazine published online (as for example AA News already is) and so on. All AA literature (conference approved) should be made available free online (including books) so that the membership (and anybody else for that matter!) can easily review this information (hard copies can still be sold but at a price that covers costs only).
We could also do with far fewer 'lectures' on the virtues of service and a bit more practical example. Nothing is more off-putting than yet another harangue from the pulpit! If there's a job to be done then just do it! Don't parade this as some kind of saintly act or even try and sugar-coat the pill. Advertise the service position and what it entails. If no one comes forward then so be it. Past initiatives that haven't worked should be discarded rather than 'flogging that horse' completely to death! If workshops are poorly attended then stop running workshops. Use official AA internet forums (moderated) instead to present information and encourage debate. The variations are endless, and the facilities are already available (and at very low cost). AA members are already using these communication methods widely so why not within the context of AA? If this was the case then we might see fewer of those “non-affiliated” websites with their increasingly weird presentations of the AA (?) programme.”
We have at our disposal a medium which is ideal for that purpose and yet we barely use it ie. the internet. Access to information in AA is poor and still largely paper based. But the trend is evident. More and more of our members are computer/internet literate and are accustomed to rely on this medium to keep themselves up to date. Despite this a significant number of intergroups still have no web presence on the official AA website. This is an ideal opportunity to communicate with members and yet this facility is underutilised. Agendas, minutes etc could be published on these sites (available to all - and as provided by some intergroups already), document libraries expanded, SHARE magazine published online (as for example AA News already is) and so on. All AA literature (conference approved) should be made available free online (including books) so that the membership (and anybody else for that matter!) can easily review this information (hard copies can still be sold but at a price that covers costs only).
We could also do with far fewer 'lectures' on the virtues of service and a bit more practical example. Nothing is more off-putting than yet another harangue from the pulpit! If there's a job to be done then just do it! Don't parade this as some kind of saintly act or even try and sugar-coat the pill. Advertise the service position and what it entails. If no one comes forward then so be it. Past initiatives that haven't worked should be discarded rather than 'flogging that horse' completely to death! If workshops are poorly attended then stop running workshops. Use official AA internet forums (moderated) instead to present information and encourage debate. The variations are endless, and the facilities are already available (and at very low cost). AA members are already using these communication methods widely so why not within the context of AA? If this was the case then we might see fewer of those “non-affiliated” websites with their increasingly weird presentations of the AA (?) programme.”
Cheerio
The
Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)
