News & Views July 2009 Maritime Website Area 91 1

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1 News & Views July 2009 Maritime Website Area 91 1 Maritime Assembly Area 91 Newsletter - July 2009 Statement of Purpose News & Views is published in February, April, July, September & November. Subscriptions are $10/yr. The newsletter presents service related news and information to Al-Anon Family Groups in Area 91 Chairperson's Corner: Boy, does time fly! Hard to believe it s been a month since Assembly. District 6 did a wonderful job. It was a pleasure to work with them in doing all that had to be done to make our Assembly as enjoyable as possible. THANKS! All Officers and Coordinators did a great job keeping us informed of all the things that go on in the background to keep this wonderful program going forward. I wish to personally thank our delegate for taking the time to be with us on Saturday. To all the GR s and DR s in attendance thank you for all your patience and attentiveness in getting all the business covered. Most of all I wish to thank the over 40 members who came to make this Assembly so special. I would like to thank all those who let their names stand for a position at Assembly level. Without an abundance of enthusiastic members willing to give of themselves and their time, the business of Assembly would not get accomplished. Here s wishing you all a wonderful summer with lots of fun times with family and friends. As always if there are any questions or anything else I would be only too happy to help. Group Records Keeper/Alternate Secretary//Website: It s Summer now my favorite time of the year. It s warm and sunny and I feel the same way. Assembly has happened and I want to extend congratulations to all the elected Officers and Coordinators that will start their new jobs in January I also want to extend a thank you to all the members who allowed their names to stand for positions. Reminder that the Website has moved the Area Resources to a password protected page called Member Pages. The link is on the home page. The username is areaafgmember and the password is serenityodat. Please share this with other members. Regarding the two suggestions for the website made by members at Assembly maps with meeting locations and a place for Delegates files or PowerPoints. When you log in to the Member Pages, you will see two options: Area Resources and Delegate s Files. The Delegate s Files area is new and contains PowerPoints and files mentioned at Assembly. Caution that some of the PowerPoints are larger files and will take longer to view or save than some smaller text files. If you connect to the Internet by dial-up, then it may be better to have a friend with high speed download them and save them on CD or flash drive for you. As for the mapping, calendar events that are added with a civic address for their location now have a link to Google Maps. If you click on the link (which is the word map) a new box will open and show you the map of where it is. For meetings that we have listed with a civic address, a Google Map link will be added. This takes a bit of time and the webmouse is only adding them when the weather is poor. So far she has done Districts 7 and 11. The rest will follow. I will be bringing to AWSC with me full size copies of the area maps for each district showing the current district boundaries. Lastly, Halifax Regional Police have partnered with an online firm so that members in District 7 and 11 who live within their boundaries may choose to complete their criminal record check (next due January 2010) in person or online. District 7 /11 members who want further information, please contact me. For other districts, you still need to attend your local police in person for the checks. If

2 News & Views July 2009 Maritime Website Area 91 2 your police dept is considering this kind of partnership and you require a contact person to liaise with them, I am willing to serve in this capacity on behalf of your district, just contact me. See you at AWSC in the fall in beautiful District 2 (Freddy Beach). News from District 2: Area World Service Committee Meeting on Oct. 3, 2009 We have confirmed that it will be held at the Nashwaaksis United Church, 46 Main Street, Fredericton, NB. (North side). There are two hotels located in the North side of the city area: The Ramada Hotel, 480 Riverside Drive, Fredericton, NB or (506) Their room rate for one is $ (includes a hot breakfast in their Restaurant). Their best rate for 10 reservations is $ including breakfast. Fort Nashwaak Motel. 15 Riverside Drive, Fredericton, NB or (506) Room rate is $66.00 per night - the other hotels are located on the South side of the river and I can provide further details. You can contact me for further details. District 2 DR News from District 4: The Glendale Concerned Al-Anon Family Group celebrated our 30 th Anniversary on March 29 th, 2009 with Antigonish Helping Hands group hosting our Meeting. It was a beautiful day. We had a large group of Al-Anon and A.A. Members. We heard an AA speaker and an Al-Anon speaker who left us with wonderful messages. Lots of fellowship followed the Meeting. Yours in Al-Anon, GR Your subscription may be due to expire! Please check your mailing label! It reads day/month/year - # of copies. Thanks! Minutes of Maritime Assembly June 5th -7 th, 2009 Hosted by District 6 in Truro, NS Embrace the Legacies Our Spiritual Bridges to Expand the Future 1. Call to Order: The 51 st Maritime Assembly was called to order by the Chairperson, A moment of silence was held followed by the recitation of the Serenity Prayer. The Al-Anon Declaration was repeated by all Traditions: The 12 Traditions were read by the DR of District Concepts: The 12 Concepts were read by a GR from District Minute Sharing: The first three minute sharing on the WSC theme was given by the Literature Depot Treasurer. 5. Housekeeping Announcements: The Chairperson and District 6 made several housekeeping announcements. 6. Roll Call: The following Officers were absent; Delegate, Treasurer and Public Outreach - Professionals Coordinator. The Delegate was able to attend Assembly on Saturday. District 15 and District 19 was represented by district members instead of the DR. No members were present from District 17. All other districts were represented by their DRs.

3 News & Views July 2009 Maritime Website Area AWSCM Minutes: The Secretary asked for a consensus regarding the reading of the minutes. It was decided that the minutes of the AWSCM 2008 not be read, as members had already read them. No errors or omissions were found. The Secretary asked for the acceptance of the minutes as circulated and this was seconded by the DR of District 12. Motion carried. 8. Treasurer s Report: In the absence of the Treasurer, the Alternate Treasurer gave the report. Balance for AWSCM $ Total receipts Total expenses Balance May $ Of this balance $ was donated in memory of a Dartmouth member, and is to be used to assist any Alateen members in attending Assembly. Allocation is on a first come first serve basis. Purposed Budget for Assembly from June to May Total Receipts $ Total Expenses Projected Balance $ The Alternate Treasurer moved that the Treasurer s Report be accepted with one correction in the last paragraph on the last page. to assist any Alateen GR should read any Alateen member. This was seconded by a member from District 15. Motion carried. 9. Alternate Coordinator/Alateen Coordinator /Alateen Process Person Report: There are only 2 registered groups at this time. One is active and the second is inactive. Twenty four Al- Anon members are registered as Alateen sponsors. You must go through the Alateen Coordinator to register as a sponsor or as a group. WSO office will not register you without having completed the forms the Alateen Process Person has. The Alateen Process Person will be notifying all present sponsors, at the end of this year, they need to be recertified. All those wishing to be recertified will contact the new Alateen Process Person in the new year. Included in the report were several attachments: Area #91 Maritime Provinces Alateen Requirements, Permission and Information Form, Medical Information Form, Al-Anon Member Involved in Alateen Service Status Change Form, Alateen Registration Form and Al-Anon Member Involved in Alateen Service. 10. Archivist Report: This report was given by our Archivist. Some News and Views are missing. A list of those missing issues was attached to this report. Guidelines for the memorial binder are available on the website. Only two group histories are missing. The long time members binder now contains over 60 stories. Information is missing on some delegates, Panels 8, 11, 14, and 38. (Contact Archivist for names) The 1980 AWSCM minutes are still missing. Photos are welcomed of past events. Please remember to date the picture and name the people in the picture. Don t throw any Al-Anon papers out. Send them on to the Archives. You may be helping to preserve our History. Attachments were Archives Wish List and Long Time members questionnaire. 11. Literature Depot Report: This report was given by the Depot Manager. The Depot has sold approximately 15 cases of Discovering Choices. There are 24 books in a case. The Literature Depot will not take phone orders. All cheques or money orders should be made out to Maritime Literature Depot. Remember, if you are using the literature order form from WSO, to add an additional 30% to the cash total. M-57, the Forum binder, and M-63, the table display, are no longer available.

4 News & Views July 2009 Maritime Website Area 91 4 Guidelines are no longer available from the depot but are available online. An attachment explained how to order literature online from WSO. Literature Depot Financial Report: This was given by the Literature Depot Treasurer. Total Revenue $ Total Debits $ Balance $ The Depot Treasurer moved the acceptance of this report. This was seconded by a member of District 4. Motion carried. 12. Alternate Delegate/Forum Coordinator/Literature Coordinator Reports: The role of the Forum Coordinator is to encourage members to integrate the Forum magazine into their meetings and to encourage new subscriptions. Two e-communications have been received from WSO and passed onto the membership. A breakdown of Forum subscriptions shows the Maritime Assembly 10 th out of 58 areas. Several members from the Maritime Area have had sharings published. The members website contains a rolling archive or index of the year s Forum articles in addition to 3 articles published monthly on the website. Reminders were to GRs that they are the liaison between their group and the Forum and to keep sending in sharings so we will have monthly magazine. 13. Literature Coordinator Report: The Coordinator explained that her role was to act as a liaison between WSO and the members concerning literature projects, etc. Since the AWSCM she has sent on several notices which included projects, workshops, skits and promotional information. These have been sent out to the fellowship through Officers, Coordinators and DRs. This latter position was created for a trial basis at AWSCM A decision will be made at AWSCM 2009 as to whether this position will continue as part of the Alternate Delegate s jobs. 14. News and Views Report: This report was given by the News and Views Coordinator. The News and Views is now able to sustain itself with subscription monies only. 146 to 150 subscriptions are mailed out each issue. The process for advising members that their subscription is expiring is working very well. When sending mail to News & Views please put only the editor s name and address on the outside of envelopes. Do not put News and Views on the envelope. 16. Public Outreach to the Professionals Report: No report was available as the Coordinator is recovering from recent surgery. 17. Group Records Keeper Report: This report was given by the Alternate Secretary/Group Records Keeper. The following are some highlights of this report. There are 20 Districts in Area 91, 18 active, 1 inactive (District 18 was merged with District 1 in 1994). There are 111 active Al- Anon groups, 1 unregistered group, 121 meetings (some groups hold more than 1 meeting a week). There are 4 active Al-Anon Adult Children groups with 57 members. There are 2 Alateen groups, 1 active, 1inactive, a third Alateen group is about to start in District 5. The Group Records Keeper reminded us to keep her informed of any group changes as she keeps the Area s records, she also informs WSO of all changes and thirdly she is a member of the Maritime Al-Anon website committee and can make group changes on the website. The Group Records Keeper thanked everyone for helping to keep the Group Records up to date. 18. Area Website Ad-Hoc Committee Report: There are 4 members of this committee. The technical stuff... Our bandwidth is set at 5 Gb (Gigabytes) monthly. One Gigabyte = 1000 Megabytes (Mb). We are using 13.8 Megabytes monthly. Webspace available is Mb. We are using 5.6 Mb. Our $49.95 US fee includes the 1000 freeform s per month as well as unlimited files/pages, and password protection for

5 News & Views July 2009 Maritime Website Area 91 5 pages. The site was renewed until May 2010 for $59.80 in Canadian dollars (2007 = $56.75, 2008 = $52.43). The calendar has been changed to the one offered by Freewebs because it is integrated into the site (not an outside link) and it has no ads. There are more options for navigation (you can view all future or past events by a click) and it is easy to update. Continue to send in your Calendar events and we will get them on as soon as possible (earlier notice is better). Remember we can not include phone numbers or information that might identify members. The Downloads page has been renamed Member Pages and is now password protected. The username is areaafgmember. The password is serenityodat The files are organized within 4 categories: Group, Assembly, Archives and Alateen. The items for download are pdf files (portable document files) and can be read by the Adobe and Foxit Readers. Both of these readers are available free from their parent websites. Group Changes are updated as they are received. When your meeting information is kept up-todate, newcomers and visitors can find you with little difficulty. This cannot be done without your assistance, so please continue to send them in. Our website is great for members to use, as well as public outreach for people still suffering, and the professional looking for information for their clients. Respectfully submitted, Area Website Ad-hoc Committee website: area_91@hotmail.com general inquiries, put area mail in the subject.- delegate, put delegate in the subject. webmaster for problems, technical issues, or broken links only, put webmouse in the subject. This concluded Friday evening s business. The Chairperson explained the seating for Saturday s voting. Meeting adjourned. Saturday, June 6, Opening: The meeting opened with a moment of silence and the Serenity Prayer. A few more announcements were given. 20. Three Minute Sharing: The second three minute sharing on the theme on this year s Conference theme was to be given by a past Delegate (Panel 35). Due to an illness in her family, she was unable to attend this Assembly but did send her sharing to this year s Assembly. The sharing was read by the Panel 47 Delegate. 21. Recommendations: A member from District 2 read an article from the March issue of the Forum on Concept 3, The Right of Decision The Chairman asked all GRs if they wanted all motions passed by 2/3 s majority or a simple majority 50%+1. By show of hands, GRs gave their consent to a simple majority. The Chairman explained voting procedures for the recommendations. Recommendation #1: That the News and Views Coordinator s term of office be changed to the same time as the other Assembly Officers, Coordinators and DR s. This is to take effect January 1 st, Intent: The original intent of changing the News and Views Coordinators at Assembly was so that equipment, including a photo copier, could be transferred at that time to save on shipping costs. This is no longer the case as we do not have photocopy equipment. A member from District 10 moved that this recommendation become a motion. A member from District 13 seconded this. A member from District 15, read the motion in French. Results of vote: Yes 74 No 0 Motion carried.

6 News & Views July 2009 Maritime Website Area 91 6 Recommendation #2: The practice of closing Assembly with the Lord s Prayer be discontinued and replaced with the Al-Anon Declaration. Intent: To make Assembly more inclusive. A member from District 20 moved the recommendation become a motion. A member from District 3 seconded this. The member from District 15 again translated this motion into French. Results of vote: Yes 38 No: 36. Motion carried. 22. Three minute Sharing: The DR from District 2 gave the last of the 3 minute sharings on the WSC theme. 23. Delegate s Presentation: The Delegate s written report, from World Service Conference 2009, was ed to all Officers, Coordinators and DRs on May 12 th. The Delegate gave a Power Point Presentation (PPP) at Assembly. The PPP covered were topics different from the written report. It opened with the Delegate and two past Delegates presenting a short skit on the Assembly/Conference theme, followed by the Assembly members participating in a Banana Bookmark theme activity. The delegate announced that WSO received about $300 from Area 91 in lieu of love gifts, in support of Al-Anon public outreach worldwide. The World Service Conference (WSC) themes of the past three years were reviewed. It was noted that the Legacies are the foundation that keeps Al-Anon and Alateen groups unified and helps the members work and grow in harmony. The 3-legged stool analogy was used to explain the importance of knowing and working the 12 Steps of Recovery, 12 Traditions of Unity and 12 Concepts of Service together while building spiritual bridges to expand Al-Anon s future. The Alternate Delegate shared in the leadership of the Delegate s report to Assembly She reviewed the Conference/Assembly Goals, Conference/Assembly Rulesand the Knowledge Based Decision Making (KBDM) process. Assembly was advised that there is a KBDM workshop available for those interested in knowing more about how it works. The Delegate continued by giving an overview of the 2009 Conference Theme was based on the question How have Al-Anon/Alateen Legacies been used as Barriers to Progress in the past? A summary of the Conference discussion was left with all DRs for group and district discussions. It was suggested that the discussions take a positive approach using the following Big Question As we think spiritually, how can we use the Legacies as empowering tools rather than barriers to expand Al-Anon Family Groups into the future? It was suggested that the focus be on the SOLUTION, not the problem, in all Al-Anon/Alateen discussions. Conference Budget Report: The following is statistical information based on Area 91 Contributions to WSO in 2008: a) Area 91 groups and districts contributed a total of $5, in 2008 b) 17 of the 18 active districts in Area 91 contributed to WSO in 2008 c) 69 of the 118 Al-Anon Family Groups in Area 91 contributed to WSO in 2008 d) There was no contribution to WSO in 2008 from the Area 91 Assembly level. The Delegate thanked all members, and the Groups and Districts for their support of WSO. She encouraged all groups and the Area Treasurer to consider making a contribution to WSO, of any amount. Managing Excess Bequest Funds was briefly explained and a copy of the motion was left for all DRS to share with the groups. TEAM! (Together Empowering Al-Anon Members) was briefly presented as the new face of Regional Service Seminars. The Delegate announced that due to time constraints at Assembly she would not give the presentation on TEAM until AWSC meeting in October. The latest 2009 version of the Sketches Public Service Announcement (PSA), is available to the districts and groups in a not for broadcast quality. Broadcast quality for local TV stations can be purchased from WSO.

7 News & Views July 2009 Maritime Website Area 91 7 There are three interesting Anonymity tools available to help the membership better understanding the principle of anonymity in Al-Anon/ Alateen. There is a detailed Anonymity workshop; Anonymity PowerPoint; and an Anonymity fun skit. The Canada East Regional Trustee Process was briefly explained. It was announced that a name has been submitted to WSO by Quebec East. It was also noted that resumes for Regional Trustee would be accepted from any interested Area 91 members. The deadline is August 15 to be to WSO. Assembly was reminded that a special AWSC meeting would have to take place to review any resumes received from Area 91, for recommendation purposes. Pictures from WSC 2009 were shown throughout the Delegate s report. The history of the Conference motion to protect the Alateen Traditions was given by the Delegate. She explained that the motion that was passed at Conference 2009 protects the Alateen Traditions and allows it the same status in the Conference Charter as the Al-Anon Steps, Traditions and Concepts. A copy of the motion was given to all DRs. The Trial Period for Property Ownership for WSO was briefly explained by the Delegate. She reminded Assembly that the 15-year trial period for ownership of the WSO building in Virginia Beach would end in The Area was asked to start the conversation about how they feel about Al-Anon owning property in the form of the World Service Office. It was noted that purchasing property costs much less than having to rent or lease office space. In 2013 the Conference will have to vote to do one of the following: 1) To end the trial and keep the building 2) To end the trial and sell the building or 3) To extend the trial for another period of years. These options can be used for the basis of any discussions at the group, district or Area level. The Delegate made reference to the following Area 91 Highlights (concerns) that she was asked to help reason out with the help of WSO and other Area resource people. a) Inclusive Language at meetings and in Conference Approved Literature (CAL). It was noted that the goal of inclusive language is to respect Al-Anon Legacies while reaching out to Everyone, Everywhere. b) Attraction vs. Promotion It was noted that this was a Chosen Agenda Item at Conference, meaning it was given 90 minutes of Agenda time for discussion. A summary of this discussion will be found in the 2009 Conference Summary when it comes out in September. We were reminded that ATTRACTION is anything that tells what Al-Anon is. c) Is Al-Anon becoming too business like? The difference between Al-Anon the Fellowship and Al-Anon the Business was briefly explained by the Delegate. It was noted that one can not exist without the other. The fellowship is spiritual. The business also has a spiritual component to it because of the Concepts of Service as the guiding foundation. d) Anonymity understanding and misunderstandings! Assembly was reminded that the Anonymity skit, PowerPoint, and workshop could be very helpful for further discussion. We were also reminded that when group pictures are taken at any Al-Anon activity or event, we all have the choice NOT to be in the picture, and to ask and clearly understand how the picture(s) will be used. e) Rotation of Leadership/Service For reflection and further discussion at the group, district and Area levels, the question was asked, Why is there such difficulty getting new service people for group, district and Area service positions (while the same people feel the need to reoffer just to fill the positions)? f) Links of Communication The Delegate noted that the Area and WSO has concerns about information not getting out to the membership in a timely fashion. The Delegate further explained the importance of feeling connected to each other and to WSO by communicating via , conference calls, websites, WSO e-communities (for Delegates, Trustees, Area Coordinators, and WSO staff), as well as by telephone and regular mail, when necessary. The Delegate stressed the importance and the reality of Al-Anon and WSO keeping up with technology to build spiritual bridges and expand Al-Anon s future. The Delegate responded to questions and comments from the Assembly floor:

8 News & Views July 2009 Maritime Website Area Service Days - Teaching vs. Sharing. Seems there is more teaching about service, not sharing. Response: We share our experience, strength and hope in creative ways. The Delegate suggested using skits, workshops and a variety of things to make service learning interesting and fun. 2. How Al-Anon Works. Why should I have to buy a whole brand new book because WSO added in the section on the Concepts? Can WSO just make the addition available for a lower price? Response: Your concerns will be passed on to WSO. The changes may be available and you would simply tape them to your book as we do when we get updates and changes to the Al-Anon Service Manual. 3. Regional Service Seminar - Are they still going to happen because the ones I went to were very valuable and made service and WSO more human to me? Response: They will continue but with the new process that involves the Area and WSO taking a TEAM approach. WSO staff and Trustees will still be available as guests. The new TEAM format will be presented at AWSC. 4. Al-Anon is more business and corporate like. Appearance of corporate branding when they tell Delegates what to do, how to look. Maybe that is why service is not attractive. Response: WSO or the Conference does not tell us what to do. But they do feel a responsibility to protect Al-Anon s imagine and its Legacies. Everything in the Al-Anon Service Manual is suggestions and guidelines that have worked. When they do not work they are reviewed and changed. A similar discussion on this topic took place at Conference. WSO is aware of such concerns. I am sure that the conversation will continue. 5. Dual members serving - Does this include other fellowships (like NA) or just AA? Response: This applies to AA members only, mainly because of the relationship Al-Anon has had with AA from the beginning. This is one way we cooperate with AA. There are service restrictions on AA/Al-Anon (dual members) as outlined in the Al-Anon Service Manual. 6. I really liked the latest Literature Projects that WSO has sent out. Will these be continuing? Response: Yes, I would say that they will continue as long as members continue to participate. 7. Old VHS videos, (Al-Anon Speaks for Itself, Alateen tells it like it is) they are no longer available from WSO, so will WSO be making them available on a DVD? Response: Yes; I believe so; when they are ready, the membership will be notified. 8. Will the PSA s still be airing them? Response: Non-broadcast quality of the Sketches PSAs are available from the Delegate, and the WSO website (radio PSA will continue to be available). It was suggested that members thank the media that aired PSA s, and also let WSO know what you think of the PSAs, and how you are using them for Public Outreach. The Delegate ended her PowerPoint by thanking the Assembly for their love and support over the past three years, and especially in recent weeks. She ended by reading the 3-minute sharing she presented to World Service Conference See your DR for copies of the Delegate s written report and summarized PowerPoint report. Don t forget to order a copy of the Conference Summary available from WSO. 24. Responsibility Workshop: The Delegate with the help of a GR, a DR, Officers and Coordinators gave a workshop on Responsibilities. This workshop better explained the duties of each of these positions. 25. Election Procedures: With the assistance of the Alternate Secretary, the Secretary gave a power point presentation explaining Maritime Assembly election procedures. The presentation included explanations of all past motions concerning elections, references to the Service Manual and information gleaned from the Archives. This was well received by Assembly and a member asked that this be posted on the Area Website. The Website committee will look into this request.

9 News & Views July 2009 Maritime Website Area Elections: Results of the elections are attached to these minutes. During the elections, while waiting for returns, Districts 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 15, gave three minute sharings. 27. Assembly 2010: The DR for District 15, updated us on Assembly Assembly 2010 will be held at Bethany Bible College in Sussex, NB from June 4 th to 6th. Sussex is a town of 5000 people located between Saint John and Moncton, NB. Sussex is the gateway to the beautiful Kennebecasis River Valley. The campus is nestled on top of a small hill and the panoramic view is breathless. There are four residences, all with in a few steps from each other, on the campus including six three bedroom apartments with everything from washing machines to TV. All bedrooms contain two single beds. District 15 feels that you will find the accommodations very comfortable and far exceed our basic needs. The residences have common rooms and small chapels so if anyone is interested in having a meeting the rooms are available. The main meeting room will take place in the Chapel, which has just been completed. The technology and equipment in the chapel are state of the art. Breakout rooms, for workshops, will include overhead projectors and computers. Registration will take place in the Administration building. The price for the weekend is $125 per person based on double occupancy. Single occupancy costs $185. This includes your room, 4 meals including two breakfasts, one lunch and one dinner, two coffee breaks on Saturday, the cost for breakout rooms, the use of equipment, taxes and gratuities. This cost is based on an attendance of 120 people. The only other costs for the weekend would be $10.00 registration and your gas. Monies for room and meals need to paid in advance. District 15 has already set up a committee to take care of booking your room and meal package for Assembly. You CANNOT call Bethany College to register. District 15 will publish a registration form in the February N&V s and the cut off for registration will be May 22nd, As with all public buildings in NB, no smoking is allowed inside the buildings. Bethany College does have an outside designated area for smokers. Also, because it is a Bible College, alcohol is not allowed on the campus. There are a few small hotels and restaurants in Sussex, none of which are large enough to accommodate Assembly. The cost is based on an attendance of 120 people so District 15 asks that you consider these accommodations earnestly. The District 15 Treasurer created a display of the facility but for more information on the campus you can go to for a virtual tour. 28. Boundary Committee 2009: The following report was given with a power point presentation by the Alternate Secretary on behalf of the committee. Following are the suggestions to Assembly regarding the current district boundaries by the Ad-Hoc Boundary Committee. [2008 Assembly Motion - To approve the formation of a committee to review the current district boundaries.] The committee felt the changes that may be made in these boundaries would best suit these districts and Assembly, keeping in mind the links of service that would enable them to be better functioning districts that are better able to support the members and groups within them. District 17 to merge with District 9. District 13 split in half. The half from Liverpool to the District 12 boundary would become District 12. The half from just before Liverpool to the District 11 boundary would become District 11. Districts 5, 16 and 19 realign their boundaries to be more equal. All the reviewed ideas have merit. (The various ideas reviewed regarding Districts 5, 16 and 19 are: A) District 19 join back with 16. B) District 19 joins back with 5. C) District 16 split in NB and NS portions. The NS portion merge with District 6. The NB portion merge with District 5. and;

10 News & Views July 2009 Maritime Website Area D) District 5 would be amalgamated with the parts of District 16 that is Cap Pele and Shediac.) District 1 is very large. Suggest that Collette could be part of District 19 or District 5. District 14 split in half. The northern half merge with District 1, and the southern half merge with District 2. The new boundary could be at the Carleton County line or further north to include Grand Falls. District Representatives were told to return home after Assembly and review these suggestions with their members and groups and hopefully have some discussions with their neighbours about these 5 suggestions. AWSC will make some decision regarding the suggestions (to accept or reject, or continue talking about them). Saturday s business concluded at 6:00 pm. At 8:00 pm members returned for a recovery meeting followed by skits, etc. hosted by the Host Committee, District 6. Sunday June 7 th 29. Opening: The Chairman welcomed everyone back and made a few announcements. One announcement was that all Ask-it-Basket questions and answers will be placed in future issues of the News and Views. Assembly then opened the meeting with a moment of silence followed by the Serenity Prayer. 30. Elections: Elections continued until all positions were filled. Sharings from Districts 16, 19 and 20 were heard while the membership waited for the results of the elections. 31. Updates: The Literature Depot Manager reported that the Literature Depot had sold $ of literature over the weekend. The News & Views Coordinator reported that News and Views had collected monies for 63 renewals and 14 new subscriptions for a total of $ The Forum Coordinator reported that 65 subscriptions were taken for the Forum. This number has nearly tripled from past years. All three Coordinators positively commented on the new hours the Chairperson had set for sales at Assembly. These hours were sent out to the membership before Assembly. The new hours made their jobs much easier. The Alternate Treasurer reported that she had received $ in monies over the weekend. She reminded us that $ had been donated by the Literature Depot. Also, about half of the monies collected was for coffee breaks and meals served at this Assembly will be paid to the hotel directly after Assembly AWSCM 2009: District 2, the Fredericton area, will host the AWSCM this fall on Oct. 3 rd. 33. Assembly 2011: District 12 will host Assembly They will bring possible sites to the AWSCM 2009 for the AWSC approval. 34. Old Business: All Officers and Coordinators were reminded to update their list of duties and send them on to the Chairperson. A committee will be set up to review all Officers and Coordinators duties. 35. New Business: Arising from the Delegate s report, the Alternate Treasurer asked Assembly if Area 91 would like to make a donation to the WSO. One suggestion put forth was Area 91 pay the full expenses of the Delegate to the WSC. Presently Area 91 only pays the equalization payment to WSO which is less than the actual cost to send the Delegate to a WSC. In the past WSO has

11 News & Views July 2009 Maritime Website Area appealed to all areas to pay full expenses. This Area has looked at this twice but both times the AWSCM did not feel we had the monies to do this. Members were asked to take this question back to their groups and discuss various options. Please pass on all discussions to your DR as this will further be discussed at the AWSCM. 36. Thanks: District 6 thanked District 4 and 7 for helping them host Assembly. The Chairman thanked everyone involved in hosting Assembly for the wonderful weekend and also thanked the member from District 15 for the French translations. 37. Spiritual Speaker: District 6 introduced a member from District 7 as Assembly s closing speaker. 38. Closing Moments: As usual, members turned in their name tags to the host district. District 6 then drew names for prizes that were awarded to members attending Assembly. Closing moments. Tag draw winners were from Districts 9, 8, 7 (2 members). A member from the District 6 host committee had collected the most hug cards. 39. Declaration: The Chairman wished everyone a safe trip home and then asked that the Al-Anon Declaration be repeated in French then English. This concluded the 51 st Assembly for Area 91. ASK-IT-BASKET QUESTIONS: Q: How come we are not allowed to display pictures of Anne and Lois at our meetings but they were on display at Assembly? A: I am assuming that the pictures of Anne and Lois were on display at our Assembly as a part of the Area Archives display along with other pictures and information giving the history of our Area, and Al-Anon as a worldwide fellowship. The Assembly is a service meeting and Lois would tell you she didn t start Al-Anon groups, she started the Clearing House and then the service structure (WSO) as it is spelled out in the World Service Handbook. She also wrote Groups at Work but it was for the purpose of setting up groups and not promoting herself. Lois limited the sale of her picture to the Conference members. It was intended that Conference members purchase the pictures as a part of their personal Al-Anon service journey records. Lois felt that having her picture on display at meetings could make her seem like a celebrity in Al-Anon, and she did not want that to happen. We ask groups to honor her wishes. She wanted to attend Al-Anon meetings as a regular Al-Anon member, just like one of us. At our meetings, the focus is on our recovery through the Steps, unity through the Traditions, and service through the Concepts, not on individuals. There are pictures of Lois in Lois Remembers (B- 7). This book could be a good topic for group, district or Al-Anon Day discussions. The pictures should not have been displayed at Assembly. Q: Can you hold positions of GR & DR at the same time? If yes, is that not wearing two hats? I thought you were not supposed to wear two hats. A: To answer this question I referred to the Service Manual P. 143 under District Representative. It states that the DR can be elected from incoming GRs. So to answer your question yes you can be

12 News & Views July 2009 Maritime Website Area both. I personally hold two different positions in Al-Anon, DR and Secretary. To avoid wearing two hats I have always made sure the Alternate DR or another member of district represents the District when I'm required to fulfill the Secretary's duties. A Trustee, when elected, is asked to resign from all other Al-Anon commitments. This is the only position that I know of, that tells you you can only hold one position in Al-Anon. Q: Why is there not a paper trail in the Alateen Requirements back to District requiring certification of members volunteering for Alateen sponsorship. Six months ago I sent several Police checks and applications on its way to be certified and waited and waited to receive a reply. There is one we are not sure of yet as it went in later. The only way we have heard anything is to phone as has not been successful. By filling out the registration form we learn that the sponsors must have an ID # but as yet we don t know the numbers. If area is in total control of the process and keeps all papers what do we do at district if we have to confirm to parents that the sponsors are certified. If District had hard copies of confirmation of each paper process it would make it easier to track any issues. A: This had not been a problem before, however this is an excellent suggestion to have added to the Area 91 Requirements. These, along with the Maritime Guidelines will be reviewed at AWSC in the fall. Thank you for sharing your experience so we can do things better in the future. Q: How long is it necessary to keep the District records with the District info i.e.: info collected at Assembly. You can accumulate a lot of paper over a 3 year term as DR? A: My suggestion is that the District keep all minutes of District meetings, a copy of the group histories of groups in their District, DR reports for their own District and the annual list of groups in their District. Information collected at Assemblies from Officers, Coordinators or other District Representatives should only be kept if the District feels there is info that the District will benefit from keeping. Q: When a DR delinquents their position do they have to be voted back in for the Alt DR???? That s what I got. A: Not sure what you mean by "delinquents their position" but if a District Representative has had to step down and is replaced by their Alternate, or a new District Representative is elected, the District should also elect a new Alternate District Representative. The Alternate that is elected by the Group Representatives can be any member of the district that has previously served as a Group Representative and allows their name to stand. This person could be the District Representative that had to step down. If the voting Group Representatives do not feel the person is capable of doing the job, then they should vote no and start the election process again. Q: If a GR finds that they have too much to deal with (personal issues) should they resign from their position or does the Alt GR move into that position? A: Is the GR trying to figure out what to do? I suggest that the GR talk with the group. In order for the Alternate GR to step into the position usually the GR would resign. If the GR wants to remain GR because the problem(s) are temporary, the Alternate GR might be willing to step into the position with the group's permission until the GR can be active again. I think it's up to group autonomy which way they want to go.

13 News & Views July 2009 Maritime Website Area Is the group complaining that the GR isn't doing his/her job and hasn't offered to resign? The group may want to talk with him/her and if necessary, ask for his/her resignation. Delegate s Corner - July 2009 Once again I was energized as soon as I walked in our Assembly room a few weeks ago. The love and support I receive from all of you leaves me overwhelmed with joy and gratitude for our wonderful Al-Anon/ Alateen programs. I would like to express sincere thanks to all those who helped and participated in the activities associated with my Delegate s report from World Service Conference I also want to thank my Alternate Delegate and any others who helped make the Power Point Presentations possible. In Area 91 we are taking on challenges and making changes with confidence and positive thinking. We are learning to grow in service by looking beyond our group, our district, and our Area- by reaching out and getting connected to Al-Anon worldwide. Our World Service Office and Area websites in Canada and the US are becoming more accessible and interesting. I encourage you to support the work of the WSO and the Maritime websites by using them regularly, and by sending comments of encouragement and suggestions for improvements. I had to become Delegate before I could fully appreciate the abundant Al-Anon resources that have always been at my fingertips, but never properly utilized. The three main CAL service resources that I have learned to value and enjoy are the Al-Anon/Alateen Service Manual, the Conference Summary (both past and present editions), and the Al-Anon Family Groups AREA Highlights newsletter. The Summer 2009 edition of the AREA Highlights newsletter should have reached all AFG by now. GRs and DRs are encouraged to use share the articles with the membership during meeting announcement times and at any Al-Anon workshops. Although all of the articles are interesting, with wonderful sharings, the following articles caught my eye and I would recommend taking the time to read and share them with others: a) Page 1- Group Services Gifts I ve Received from Serving as District Representative b) Page 2- Members Services - Al-Anon s International Convention, July 5-7, 2013, Vancouver, BC c) Page 4- Alateen - Alateen Advisory Committee On the Road d) Page 5 - The Forum Little Magazine- Big Recovery ; How Can We Increase Use of The Forum in Our Groups and in Our Personal Lives? ; Five Reasons to Read The Forum ; Talk to Other Members about the Value of The Forum ; and Page 8 How Has Conference Approved Literature (CAL) Helped You? (This is a special request for sharings from the membership for The Forum - (there is a special need for articles from members in Canada) Note: The future of The Forum is being evaluated because of lack of use and decreasing subscriptions. e) Page 6- Public Outreach/Professionals Al-Anon Members Reach out to people in Need of Help. f) Page 7 Public Outreach/Media Health fair produces satisfaction g) Page 8 Literature- Using Literature for Meeting Topics h) Page 9 Sharing Ourselves The Conference Summary Can Answer Many Questions The 2010 edition of the Al-Anon Faces Alcoholism (AFA) will be shipped before September AFA is not another issue of the Forum. It is one of Al-Anon s most successful public outreach projects. Its main purpose is to attract potential newcomers and inform professionals. It is successful and works because Al-Anon members worldwide have taken responsibility for getting the magazine circulating in their communities. Thank you for helping get the Al-Anon word out through AFA.

14 News & Views July 2009 Maritime Website Area The summer months are upon us in the lovely Maritimes and I hope you can find time to take in an extra Al-Anon Family Group meeting in your own district, other district in Area 91, or any Region in Canada, US or elsewhere in the world! It can be a very spiritual experience to feel connected to the worldwide fellowship of Al-Anon. I want all of you to Embrace the Legacies and Build Spiritual Bridges to help Expand Al-Anon and Alateen for future generations of families and friends of alcoholics. Love in Service, Delegate, Panel 47 * A note from the Newsletter team: The Incoming Officers, Coordinators and DR s list will be in the November Issue.