GSR ORIENTATION PACKET

Transcription

1 GSR ORIENTATION PACKET PIKES PEAK AREA OF NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS APRIL 2016 WELCOME! Congratulations! Your group has elected you to probably the most important service position in NA, its Group Service Representative (GSR) or Group Service Representative Alternate (GSR-A). As your group s GSR, you have been entrusted with the responsibility of carrying your group s conscience to the Area Service Committee (ASC) meeting. Furthermore, by electing you as GSR, your group has shown it respects you enough to believe you will act in the best interest of NA as a whole, always remembering to further the primary purpose of Narcotics Anonymous - to carry the message of recovery to the addict who stills suffers. Your group not only relies on you to carry it conscience and to act in a way that is beneficial to NA but it needs you to keep it informed of matters decided at the Area, Regional, and World service committee meetings as well as sub-committee meetings. It

2 will be your responsibility to announce these matters at your group s scheduled meetings and/or business meetings. Your group may also want to know about NA sponsored functions such as dances, conventions, or special meetings that have been planned and you should report to your group on these functions. As a GSR, your responsibilities go both ways to carry information regarding your group (i.e. your group s conscience, matters affecting your group, etc.) to the ASC and to carry information regarding the area (or region or world) back to your group. GETTING STARTED As a new GSR, you need to be issued: This orientation packet World Service Office s Guide to Local Services (GTLS) The Pikes Peak Area Guidelines Handbook Hopefully, before attending your first ASC meeting you will have carefully read this packet and you will have talked to your sponsor about serving as a GSR. Your group should have also given you a copy of the World Service Office s Guide to Local Services (GTLS). Your group should have a copy of the GTLS available to you (and all members) but if that copy has been lost, your group can purchase a copy from the Area Literature bank. Once you get a copy of the GTLS, please study the 12 Concepts of NA Service (you may find it helpful to review these with your sponsor). If you previously served your group as an Alternate GSR (GSR-A), you are probably familiar with many of the duties of the GSR and you have the benefit of your preceding GSR s experience to help you. However, if you were voted into this position without any Area service experience, you will probably want to talk to the previous GSR (or, if your group has not been represented for a while, another member of NA who serves or has served as a GSR) about your duties and responsibilities. You should also get a copy of the Pikes Peak Area Guidelines Handbook. Please review the handbook so you can understand the guidelines under which the ASC operates. This will help you know what your rights are as an ASC member but it will also assist you in understanding the behavior and structure of the ASC meeting. You should also become familiar with Consensus Based Decision Making (CBDM). YOUR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Your group has placed its trust in you to represent it at the ASC meeting because it respects your participation at the group level, the consistency of your attendance at group meetings, and your commitment to a program of recovery. How well you will honor that trust is a reflection of your commitment and it is important for you to attend: Group meetings and business meetings on a regular basis. The Monthly ASC meeting Monthly Sub-committee meetings

3 Your group probably decided you would make a good GSR because you have shown a certain level of commitment to the group by regularly attending and participating at group meetings. It is imperative that you continue this commitment. After all, how can you know what your group conscience is if you are not attending on a regular basis? More importantly, since your group has entrusted you with keeping it informed, you need to attend as often as you can so you can carry news back to your group. Some groups require that their GSR is a home group member to ensure that their representative is committed to regularly attending group meetings. This is a matter for each group to decide; nevertheless, your group has a right to expect that you continue to attend its meetings on a regular basis and in accepting your group s service commitment as GSR, it is your responsibility to honor that commitment. As the GSR, your group also expects that you attend the monthly ASC meeting. Indeed, attending the ASC meeting is the bread-and-butter of your responsibilities so that you can carry your group s conscience to the area. If, for some reason you cannot attend the ASC meeting, you need to contact a member of your group to let the group know and see if the group can send a member in your place to give a report, purchase needed literature, make a donation, etc. Finally, you should keep yourself and your group informed by regularly attending sub-committee meetings. The various functions of the area sub-committees are important to the primary purpose of NA and to maintaining unity. In all of these matters, your group deserves a voice and as the GSR, it is your responsibility to bring your group s conscience to the attention of the different subcommittees. If you are unable to attend every subcommittee meeting, you might want to ask your group for help, so that another member can attend in your place. If your group has elected a GSR-A, that member would be the perfect cohort to share the burden of representation with you. However, it is ultimately YOUR responsibility to ensure that your group is represented at all subcommittee meetings. Just as just showing up for meetings does not keep us clean, merely attending meetings is not the extent of your responsibilities work needs to be done. As your group s representative you may be asked to present proposals to the ASC, disperse the group s funds (7 th Tradition) appropriately, and apply your group s participation in various sub-committee functions. A general idea of your responsibilities will be spelled out in the next section. THE ASC & SUB-COMMITTEE MEETINGS You were elected as a GSR in order to represent your group at the ASC and your attendance at the ASC as well as your behavior directly reflects on your group and its wisdom in selecting its trusted servant. Don t let this intimidate you ASC members, as NA members, are extremely tolerant of newcomers and are all too eager to help out. If

4 it is your first committee meeting, it is probably in your best interest to show up early and seek out other early arrivals so they can answer any questions you might have. Those members can show you how to fill out the various forms required for business at the ASC meeting. There are a few things you should bring to committee meetings: a pen or pencil, a note pad, your copy of the area s guidelines and your copy of the GTLS. You will need to take notes for your group so you can report to them with a fairly accurate record of the meeting. Your Guidelines and service guides will help you navigate through the proceedings of the meeting but will also serve to insure that your rights as a member are protected. Few, if any, of the ASC members are parliamentarians and your awareness of the guidelines of order and Guidelines is vital to guaranteeing that your rights as an ASC member will be respected. You will be required to fill out a Group Report form. This is of utmost importance to your group and its concerns. If your group is sponsoring an activity or has important news to pass on to the area, this report will be how you communicate this to the area. If your group is sponsoring an activity and desires participation of the entire area for this function, you may want to specify in your report that the ASC Secretary needs to include the date and time of this function in the announcements. More importantly, if your group is having problems (i.e. needs more attendance, has issues with members), you will want to address these issues in your group report; furthermore, you may ask the ASC Chair to open a short discussion by submitting a Sharing Session form so that you can get feedback from other ASC members on how their groups have dealt with your group s problems. Sometimes, the ASC meeting is the only time your group has to get its literature (i.e. Information Pamphlets, Basic Texts, etc.) and your group may have directed you to spend a part (or all) of its funds to purchase needed literature. Therefore, you will probably need to fill out a Literature Order Form and turn it in, along with the necessary money, to the Literature Bank Chair. Whenever possible, its most convenient to your order form to the Literature Chair via our website before the ASC meeting. However, if for some reason your group neglected to specify a literature order, you may want to take a Literature order form back to your group; be sure to make arrangements with the Literature Chair so your group won t have to wait another month to get the literature that it needs. Another form that you may be required to fill out is a Proposal Form. This form is necessary if your group has charged you to bring an issue before the ASC for a vote. You may want to ask an experienced ASC member help you word the proposal in such a way make sure it is clear in intent and has language that will help get the proposal passed. Furthermore, since your group has entrusted you and your judgement, you might feel there is something the area needs to address and it could be incumbent on you to write your own proposal, without the benefit of your group s conscience. Rule of thumb here

5 should be that the proposal is considered in the best interest of NA as a whole is not a reflection of a personal agenda and is something you believe your group would support. You may wish to seek the counsel of an experienced NA member before you embark on something so ambitious. As the meeting proceeds, you will probably observe that everything is not nearly as smooth or as business-like as you had expected. Experienced NA members will answer your concerns with a knowing smile and a nod. Don t let some of the heated conflicts and arguments discourage you but practice tolerance and understanding in your view of these members. As you become more experienced in area service you will see members who will seemingly be ready to tear each other limb-from-limb and a few minutes later will share hugs and a laugh. Bear in mind that some of us are passionate about our recovery and sometimes those passions run over into very scary displays of anger. When the proposals are called to vote, you will be fulfilling the most awesome responsibility of your service commitment. You are being asked to consider to advocate for your group, to vote as you believe they would vote. If you are not entirely sure what to do, if you are not certain how you should vote you can ask for the ASC to table the proposal, if you believe the proposal deserves further consideration (please consult your Guidelines and service guides for further information on that procedure). FINALLY Everything that occurs in the course of NA service must be motivated by the desire to successfully carry the message of recovery to the addict who still suffers.we must always remember that as individual members, groups, and service committees, we are not and never should be in competition with each other We work separately and together in an effort to help the newcomer and for our common good. - On Service, Pikes Peak Area Handbook, 1 st Ed.

6 Guidelines Overview The name of the Area Committee is the Pikes Peak Area Service Committee (ASC or PPASC) of the Pikes Peak Area of Narcotics Anonymous (PPANA). The ASC will meet every month on the first Saturday for the express purpose of serving the specific needs of its member groups. If the meeting day coincides with a holiday (i.e. New Year s Day or July 4 th ), the ASC will meet the second Saturday of the month. The purpose of the ASC is to be supportive of its groups and their primary purpose by associating a group with other groups locally and by helping a group deal with its day-to-day situations and needs. The ASC is ultimately responsible to the groups (it serves). Narcotics Anonymous groups send Group Service Representatives (GSRs) to serve on the ASC. While maintaining final responsibility and authority for area services, they invest enough delegated authority in their GSRs, and through them, in the area committee, for necessary work to get done. (Please refer to the Guide to Local Services, GTLS.) Every member of NA who attends the meeting may present proposals and sharing sessions to the ASC and has the right to request the floor. The chair will carefully consider each request. Anyone who wishes to be recognized must raise their hand and be recognized by the Chair. However, only GSRs, GSR-As, and Group Appointed Representatives (GAR), are qualified decision makers at the ASC meeting. As you may note later, GARs are NOT recognized at the Regional service body. Procedural Guidelines (ASC format) Call to Order: the ASC will convene the meeting at 1:30 pm and call to order at 1:35 pm. At that time, any business other than ASC business should cease, all Literature Orders and donations should already be completed and should not be handled while the meeting is in session. Quorum must be reached upon the 1 st roll call. An official quorum is one-half of Qualified Decision Makers of the current active ASC. If the first roll call indicates that a quorum is not present, reports will be made, automatic disbursements will be paid and a break will be taken. A second roll call will be taken to determine if a quorum is present. If a quorum is not present, the meeting is adjourned. Acceptance of Minutes. The Chair will ask for approval of the minutes from the previous month s ASC meeting. Some portions of the minutes may require discussion if issue is taken with how those proceedings were reported. The Chair asks for objections to the minutes. If there are no objections, the minutes are deemed approved. If there are objections to the minutes, these objections can be voiced by anyone in attendance. The ASC Secretary is to note changes in the current month s ASC minutes Elections: Committee officers (administrative officers and subcommittee chairs) are elected from the members of Narcotics Anonymous. Great care should be taken in this process. Clean time requirements, personal maturity, prior service and performance

7 and experience in steps, traditions, and concepts should be of utmost consideration. All open positions will be announced two months prior to election for solicitation. Old Business. When proposals put before the ASC at a previous ASC meeting have been tabled or referred, these proposals are re-presented at the next ASC meeting. These proposals are listed on the agenda. New Business is when new proposals are presented, discussed and decided upon by the ASC. Proposals are the vehicle by which we seek the loving guidance of a Higher Power to serve the still suffering addict. Any member of NA, except the ASC Chair, may present a proposal to the ASC. All proposals shall be based on NA principles, Twelve Traditions or Twelve Concepts. All proposals shall be submitted prior to the end of New Business. All proposals shall be presented on the provided PPASC proposal form. After calling New Business, the Chair reads a single proposal for consideration, in its entirety, including the intent. If a proposal causes a waiver of any Guideline, the ASC Chair will read the Guideline that will necessarily be waived and make clear to the ASC that a Guideline is being waived. The maker of the proposal speaks first to the intent. The floor is opened first for clarifying questions about the proposal (not a debate on the merits, but a brief session to be sure everyone understands the proposal). Chair asks whether anyone has reservations about the proposal. These are heard and they may be answered or the proposal may be tweaked in a manner similar to the friendly amendment process in Robert s Rules. Once all reservations have been heard and answered in this way, the Chair asks, Do we have consensus? Participants respond in one of four ways. Assent. This means that a participant supports the proposal, all things considered. It may not mean that a participant is in agreement with every aspect, but it does mean that a participant has heard the discussion and has had a chance to participate in the process of finalizing the proposal and is prepared to support the final proposal. Assent is signified by remaining silent. Assent with Reservations. This option is not materially different from the Assent option but is included as a way of giving participants a place to stand when they do not want to object more strongly, but they do want to note that they have reservations. Assent with Reservations is done by a participant raising their hand when the Chair calls on the, Assent with Reservations. The assumption is that the reservations have been heard already, and the participant is simply noting that they can support the proposal and continue to have these reservations. Stand Aside. A common misconception about the Stand Aside option is that it is similar to an abstention. It is not. It is more accurate to say it is similar to a no vote. It is a statement that a participant does not support the proposal, but the participant s objection is not of the nature or the severity to warrant a block. Should the number of participants opting to be Stand Asides reach 45% or more of the decision makers present; this will then indicate a consensus too weak

8 to adopt the proposal. The proposal is then either dropped or delegated to the maker of the proposal or an ad hoc committee or subcommittee for reworking. Block. This option is also commonly misunderstood. Given that a proposal can be defeated by a sufficient number of Stand Asides, the Block should be an extremely rare step taken only when a participant honestly believes that one of the NA principles, traditions or concepts is directly violated by this proposal, or some very fundamental moral position of the participant is violated. A participant who blocks must be able to articulate which tradition, Concept or spiritual principle fundamental to NA is violated by this proposal. The ASC Chair will decide whether a block is valid. Alternate Disposition of Proposals. Proposal to Table Our Seventh Concept provides that In significant matters affecting the groups, a service body will want to ask for guidance directly from the groups. Any decision maker can request that a proposal be referred to the groups for further consideration. In this event, the CBDM process will be used to determine whether discussion on the matter should come to a close. The tabled proposal will then appear as Old Business at the next ASC meeting. Reports. At the discretion of the Chair, a brief time for discussion and questions may follow each report. Reports should be: as brief as possible, yet complete, on the provided PPASC forms, be written legibly or typed, read aloud, and then submitted to the Secretary. If any information is to be announced at other groups' meetings, it should be specified on the report form that this information gets included in the announcements section of the ASC minutes. Sharing Sessions. The Sharing Session puts our fellowship s Sixth Concept to work. The sharing session may be scheduled to address any subject, problem, or grievance. The sharing session should be presented on the ASC form to the Chair prior to the start of Old Business. The request should include the topic to be addressed during the sharing session, some stated objective for holding a sharing session, and an estimate of how much time is requested for the sharing session. The Chair will read the sharing session request. Area Guidelines Highlights GSRs cannot be removed from their position by the ASC. If a group has gone without representation for two consecutive ASC meetings, the Vice Chair will contact that group to ascertain any problems. If a group is absent from the ASC for three consecutive months, then that group shall not be counted for quorum purposes. If the group returns to the ASC, they shall be counted as part of the quorum immediately upon return. GSRs, GSR-As and GARs may carry only one group vote at the ASC. The ASC will provide one set of keys to the ASO to each group that meets at the ASO. Each set will include a key to the front door of the building and a key to the

9 meeting room. There will be a charge of $5.00 to a group if it becomes necessary to replace a key originally given to that group. No household furniture shall be placed in the ASO without approval of the ASC. The ASC shall donate $10.00 monthly for the provision of coffee, trash bags, paper towels and other necessary items at the ASO, as approved by the ASC. Groups that meet at the ASO shall pay as rent 100% of their Seventh Tradition after group expenses have been paid. GSRs, GSR-As or GARs representing new groups are granted full rights and responsibilities of an established PPASC group at their second consecutive ASC. New groups and/or meetings wishing to be listed on the Phoneline and Website will contact the appropriate subcommittee chairs with all pertinent information and will be listed immediately. New groups and/or meetings wishing to be listed on the area printed schedule will contact the PR subcommittee chair with all pertinent information, but will not be listed on the area schedule until 90 days from the date the group first meets. New groups and/or meetings requesting any start up literature must make a proposal to the ASC. If a proposal is approved, the group must submit an order to the Literature Bank for an amount not to exceed $ The ASC will supply each new group with a GSR packet that includes: a GSR orientation packet, The 12 Concepts of Service, The Group Booklet and The PPANA Guidelines. An existing group may purchase the packet at a cost of $ Administrative Committee. The administrative committee consists of the Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, and Regional Committee Member(s).GTLS for extended definitions.) All administrative committee members must attend all ASC meetings. All administrative committee members serve a one year term, with the exception of RCM-E and RCM-O, who each serve a two year term. In the event that there are two administrative committee members of the same household, only one may be a signatory on the PPASC checking account at a time. At the time that one of the member s term is up, the other would then be eligible to be a signatory. Any signatory on the PPASC checking account must have at least five years clean. Chair presides over the monthly ASC meeting. It is strongly suggested that the Chair have at least five years clean time and a working knowledge of PPASC Guidelines, NA Traditions and Concepts. The duties are: Convene, preside over and adjourn the ASC meeting, enforce guidelines, expedite business, appoint ad hoc committee chairs, and conduct the meeting with impartiality, fairness, and without opinion. Vice Chair oversees the general welfare of all standing subcommittees and serves as Chair in the Chair s absence. It is strongly suggested that a Vice Chair have at least five years clean time and a working knowledge of the PPASC Guidelines, NA Traditions and Concepts. The duties are: Serve in any vacant Administrative position, coordinate subcommittees and attend (when possible) meetings. Log all access (i.e. keys) to the ASO; present a current log to the ASC Secretary every June and December, or at

10 the next ASC meeting after the ASC requests a current log. Contact groups that have not been represented at two consecutive ASC meetings, prior to the next scheduled ASC meeting, and bring back and present a report at the next scheduled ASC meeting regarding that group s welfare. Secretary keeps accurate minutes of each ASC meeting and distributes the minutes to each ASC member no later than 10 days following the ASC meeting. It is strongly suggested that the Secretary have at least two years clean time, a working knowledge of the PPASC Guidelines, NA Traditions and Concepts. The duties are: keep a record of all subcommittee and group reports, proposals presented to the ASC and the disposition of those proposals, including any amendments to the proposal and any other business pertaining to the ASC; call roll of GSRs and standing committees; have the number of qualified decision makers needed for a quorum; and inform the ASC whether or not a quorum has been reached. Treasurer is the custodian and single point of accountability for all PPASC funds; therefore, all billings to the ASC must be directed to the ASC post office box. It is strongly suggested that the Treasurer have at least five years clean time, steady employment, and a working knowledge of PPASC Guidelines, NA Traditions and Concepts. The duties are: Maintain the Federal ID number required for the PPASC checking account, disburse funds as directed by the ASC, issue receipts for all monetary transactions, submit a written financial report of contributions and expenditures at each ASC meeting, submit a written financial annual report at the end of each calendar year, complete an audit of the ASC financial records every 6 months, and collect all funds from the ASC subcommittees. Regional Committee Members (RCM-E and RCM-O) should be elected in even and odd numbered years so to always have experienced representatives. It is strongly suggested that both officers have at least five years clean time, a working knowledge of PPASC Guidelines, NA Traditions and Concepts. Both officers duties are: attend the Regional Service Committee (RSC) meetings and the yearly Regional assemblies, represent the interest and conscience of the PPASC at the RSC meetings, submit a written report to the RSC and the ASC, inform ASC of any and all Regional and World activities, serve as the ASC Chair in the absence of the Chair and Vice Chair. Subcommittees. The ASC has created subcommittees to do the actual work involved in delivering its direct services and delegate's sufficient authority to the subcommittees to exercise their best judgment in fulfilling their duties. Since subcommittees ultimately answer to the ASC and, by implication, the groups served by the ASC, subcommittee chairs must attend each ASC meeting. Conversely, because subcommittees perform their various duties with the authority assigned to them by the ASC, it should be assumed that day-to-day details of a subcommittee s activities are the domain of subcommittee meetings. Reports presented by subcommittees at ASC meetings are generalized summaries of the committees' day-to-day activities; debate or

11 questions regarding issues not covered in those reports are best addressed at the subcommittee meetings. The list of standing ASC subcommittees consists of Activities, Literature Bank, Guidelines, Public Relations (PR) and CRCNA Liaison. Activities bring us together to celebrate our recovery. It is strongly suggested that the Activities Chair have three years clean time, a working knowledge of the PPASC Guidelines and NA Traditions and Concepts, have a recommendation from the Activities subcommittee and one year service on the Activities subcommittee. Although many of the activities bring in extra money to the area, fundraising is never to be the primary purpose of the Activities subcommittee. The duties are: chair a monthly subcommittee meeting, coordinate planning and management of all Activities subcommittee events, seek ideas from NA members for future Activities subcommittee events, Ensure Activities Guidelines are being upheld, attend and submit a report to the ASC every month. Literature Bank maintains a stock of NA literature that can be purchased by local groups at the monthly ASC meeting. It is strongly suggested that the Literature Bank Chair have five years clean time, a working knowledge of the PPASC Guidelines, NA Traditions and Concepts and steady employment. The Literature Bank is fully selfsupporting. Duties of the Literature Bank Chair are: maintain the PPASC Literature Bank checking account, attend the ASC meeting monthly and submit report with the corresponding bank statement, provide a semi-annual audit to the ASC at the start of the calendar year, with the change of subcommittee chair, or upon request by the ASC, and make the entire inventory available at all ASC meetings. Guidelines subcommittee studies and reviews Guidelines decisions made by the ASC, ensuring that such decisions adhere to the principles outlined in the Traditions and Concepts. It is strongly suggested that the Guidelines Chair have three years clean time, a working knowledge of PPASC Guidelines, NA Traditions and Concepts. The Guidelines Chair duties are: attend all ASC meetings in order to assist the ASC Chair in procedural questions, chair monthly subcommittee meetings when deemed necessary, coordinate quarterly GSR orientations. (March, June, September and December), thoroughly review PPASC Guidelines and any PPASC handouts, keep a log of any and all Guidelines changes, submit a revised edition of Guidelines at the January ASC, provide an addendum to the ASC the month following any ASC meeting at which a Guidelines proposal was passed, conduct an annual review of PPASC Guidelines in November. Public Relations ("PR") Subcommittee shares the message of recovery with the public, with prospective members, with addicts in correctional and/or treatment facilities and with professionals in order "that an addict, any addict, can stop using drugs, lose the desire to use and find a new way to live." This subcommittee serves as an umbrella to coordinate public relations services with the H&I Work Group and the PI Work Group to increase public awareness and credibility of the NA program. The composition of this subcommittee includes, but is not limited to: a Coordinator and

12 Chairpersons for each work group currently existing or created in the future. It is strongly suggested that the PR Coordinator have five years clean time, a working knowledge of the PPASC Guidelines, The Twelve Traditions of Narcotics Anonymous and the Twelve Concepts for NA Service, and experience with service as part of both the H&I Work Group and the PI Work Group. The duties and responsibilities of the PR Coordinator are: coordinate and chair combined monthly service meetings with each work group, attend every ASC meeting, attend every PR Subcommittee meeting, provide a written report to the ASC, and submit annual budget to the ASC. CRCNA Liaison shall have one year clean time and a working knowledge of PPASC Guidelines, NA Traditions and Concepts. The duties are: attend all CRCNA meetings, attend all ASC meetings, submit a written report to the ASC containing any and all CRCNA information, and submit an annual budget. General Guidelines The area has no guideline regarding GSRs, but does retain the right to enforce World Board Membership Values that apply to all ASC members. All group donations to the ASC Treasurer must be in the form of a check or money order. IF a check bounces ONCE, only the person who wrote the bounced check, not the subcommittee or group, will be ineligible to write another check for a period of two years. During such two-year period of ineligibility, all donations must be in the form of a money order only. In addition, any individual who bounces a check to the ASC will be held liable for all bank fees incurred. All group literature order payments to the Literature Bank Chair must be in the form of a money order or check.

13 WORLD BOARD MEMBERSHIP VALUES We affirm that mutual respect and trust is paramount to the effectiveness of all Service Committee activities and shall characterize all our interactions and communications. We encourage one another to offer our personal views, ideas, dreams, and creativity to all deliberations and projects. We are committed to having the courage and vision to take risks by not confining ourselves to preconceived limitations. We strive to achieve consensus whenever possible. We will not separate ourselves as individuals from the consensus of the Service Committee and will take responsibility for the decisions of the Service Committee. We will focus ourselves upon establishing unity, mutual respect, and trust at the beginning of each meeting. We will meet our stated objectives for each meeting. Our meetings and breaks will start and stop on time. We affirm that issues will be discussed - not personalities. We affirm that the Service Committee discussions and deliberations will be balanced- no one person will dominate our discussions, and everyone will actively participate. We agree that only one person will speak at a time, and there will be no side-bar conversations. We affirm that action groups (ad hoc committees) will be used at Service Committee meetings to identify solutions for goals and issues before the Service Committee.

14 Guide to Local Service (GTLS) Highlights NA Service Structure The NA Group. NA groups are local, informal associations of recovering addicts. They are the foundation of the NA service structure. Groups are formed for the primary purpose of carrying the NA message of recovery, and all their activities should reflect that purpose. Conducting Narcotics Anonymous meetings is the primary activity of an NA group. The group may conduct its own affairs in whatever way seems fit to its members, provided the group's actions are consistent with NA s Twelve Traditions, and do not adversely affect other groups or the entire NA Fellowship. In the conduct of the affairs of NA as a whole, the groups delegate to the rest of the service structure the responsibility for the fulfillment of NA services. Group service representatives (GSRs) are elected to participate on behalf of the groups in the area committee and the regional assembly. When two or more addicts come together to help each other stay clean, they may form a Narcotics Anonymous group. Here are six points 1 based on our traditions which describe an NA group: All members of a group are drug addicts, and all drug addicts are eligible for membership. As a group, they are self-supporting. As a group, their single goal is to help drug addicts recover through application of the Twelve Steps of Narcotics Anonymous. As a group, they have no affiliation outside Narcotics Anonymous. As a group, they express no opinion on outside issues. As a group, their public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion. Group Service Representative (GSR). Each group elects one group service representative; even those groups hosting more than one recovery meeting elect just one GSR. These GSRs form the foundation of our service structure. GSRs provide constant, active influence over the discussions being carried on within the service structure. They do this by participating in area service committee meetings, attending forums and assemblies at both the area and regional levels, and sometimes joining in the work of an ASC subcommittee. If we are vigilant in choosing stable, qualified leaders at this level of service, the remainder of the structure will almost certainly be sound. From this strong foundation, a service structure can be built that will nourish, inform, and support the groups in the same way that the groups nourish and support the structure. Group service representatives bear great responsibility. While GSRs are elected by and accountable to the group, they are not mere group messengers. They are selected by 1 The six points describing a group have been adapted from The AA Group, published by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. Reprinted by permission.

15 their groups to serve as active members of the area service committee. As such, they are responsible to act in the best interests of NA as a whole, not solely as advocates of their own groups priorities. As participants in the area committee, GSRs need to be as well informed as they can be concerning the affairs of the committee. They study the reports of the committee s officers and subcommittee chairpersons. They read the various handbooks published by the World Service Office on each area of service. After carefully considering their own conscience and what they know about how their group members feel, they take active, critical parts in the discussions, which form the group conscience of the entire committee. Group service representatives link their groups with the rest of the NA service structure, particularly through the information conveyed in their reports to and from the area committee. At group business meetings, the GSR report provides a summary of area committee activities, often sparking discussions among group members that provide the GSR with a feel for how the area can better serve the group s needs. In group recovery meetings, GSRs make available fliers announcing area and regional activities. At area committee meetings, GSR reports provide perspectives on group growth vital to the committee s work. If a group is having problems, its GSR can share those problems with the committee in his or her reports. And if the group hasn t found solutions to those problems, the GSR may submit a Sharing Session form to gather the experience others have had in similar situations. If any helpful solutions arise from the sharing session, the GSR can report those back to the group. Alternate GSR. Groups also elect a second representative called an alternate GSR. Alternate GSRs attend all the area service committee meetings (as nonvoting participants) with their GSRs so that they can see for themselves how the committee works. If a GSR cannot attend an area committee meeting, that group s alternate GSR participates in the GSR s place. Alternate GSRs, along with other members, may also serve on area subcommittees. Subcommittee experience gives alternate GSRs added perspective on how area services are actually delivered. That perspective helps make them more effective area committee participants if their groups later elect them to serve as GSRs. The Area Service Committee (ASC). The area committee is the primary means by which the services of a local NA community are administered. The area committee is composed of group service representatives, administrative officers and subcommittee chairpersons the area committee elects its own officers and subcommittee chairpersons. The Regional Service Committee (RSC). Regional service committees exist to pool the experience and resources of the areas and groups it serves. The RSC is composed of regional committee members (RCMs) elected by the region s member-

16 areas; these RCMs usually elect regional committee officers from among themselves. RSCs organize regional assemblies at which GSRs and RCMs discuss a wide range of service matters, including those likely to come before the World Service Conference, and may elect a regional delegate and alternate delegate to the WSC. Regional committee members (RCMs). At RSC meetings, they share with one another the information and experience of their respective areas. Between regional committee meetings, provide their areas with information and contacts from other areas. Throughout the year, RCMs serve as contact points between world services and the NA groups in their areas. Their reports to the region give the regional delegate a better idea of where world service energies could best be concentrated. RCM reports to the area keep group service representatives informed of world service activities. Regional delegate. The regional delegate (RD) serves as the primary contact between NA s world services and the local NA community. They provide information on current world projects to the regional committee, and offer a local perspective to the work of world services. During the delegate s two-year term, he or she attends the World Service Conference as a fully active participant. The delegate is selected by the region s group representatives and/or RCMs to act in the best interests of NA as a whole, not solely as an advocate of his or her NA community s priorities. Alternate delegate. The regional delegate works closely with the region s alternate delegate. Like the regional delegate, the alternate is a full participant in the regional service committee. The delegate often consults with the alternate, asking for different perspectives on world service affairs and seeking to involve the alternate in helping carry the workload. Alternate delegates are welcome to attend the biennial meeting of the World Service Conference in the company of their delegates; however, they will be recognized as full participants in the biennial meeting of the World Service Conference only in the event of the primary delegate s absence. Alternate delegates attend regional committee meetings and the regional assembly, offering support where they can and learning their way while they re at it. At the end of their terms, alternate delegates will very likely be their regions most promising candidates for full delegate service. Additional members. The Colorado Regional Service Committee (CRSC) also seats a PR Chair, H&I Coordinator, PI Coordinator, CRCNA Chair, CRCNA Vice Chair, CRCNA Treasurer, CRRMCO Chair, CRRMCO Vice Chair, and CRRMCO Treasurer as voting officers. Regional Assemblies. Twice per year, in April and September, the CRSC has a Regional Assembly. Regional assemblies bring GSRs together with RCMs and the regional delegate for the purpose of developing a collective conscience concerning issues affecting Narcotics Anonymous worldwide. That direct contact between the

17 groups and the conference helps keep our world services attuned to the needs of our fellowship. Without the kind of primary foundation provided by the regional assemblies, it would be much more difficult for the World Service Conference to effectively address the concerns of the NA groups. Regional assemblies are a key ingredient in the maintenance of the NA groups final responsibility and authority for our fellowship s services, spoken of in our Second Concept. Zonal Forums. Zonal forums are service-oriented sharing and/or business sessions that provide the means by which NA communities can communicate, cooperate, and grow with one another. Although not a part of NA s formal decisionmaking system, world services and zonal forums interact in many ways. World Service Conference (WSC). Unlike all other NA service bodies, the conference is not an entity; it is an event the coming together. Every two years, regional delegates, the members of the World Board, and the executive director of the World Service Office meet to discuss questions of significance to the Fellowship of Narcotics Anonymous as a whole. The purpose of the WSC is to be supportive of the fellowship as a whole, and to define and take action according to the group conscience of Narcotics Anonymous. NA World Services (NAWS). World services are those services which deal with the needs of NA as a whole, and which NA offers to its members, its groups, and to society. The basic purposes of our world services are communication, coordination, information, and guidance. We provide these services so that our groups and members can more successfully carry the message of recovery, and so that our program of recovery can be made more available to addicts everywhere. The World Board (WB). The purpose of the World Board of Narcotics Anonymous World Services, Inc. is to contribute to the continuation and growth of Narcotics Anonymous. The World Board manages all activities of world services including oversight of the operations of the fellowship s primary service center, the World Service Office. The World Service Office (WSO). The purpose of the World Service Office, our main service center, is to carry out the directives of the World Service Conference in matters that relate to communications and information for the Fellowship of NA, its services, groups, and members. The World Service Office achieves this purpose by maintaining correspondence with NA groups and service committees, by printing and distributing WSC-approved literature, and by maintaining the archives and files of Narcotics Anonymous.