And so, another month of service to our groups.

Safety Workshop-The Techsteppers supported by our Zoom Tech Crew and other volunteers, conducted a Safety Workshop on Saturday, 1 February.  This is one of the quarterly Safety Workshops planned for the first Saturday of the 2^nd month of the quarter.  Our next workshops will be on the first Saturdays of May, August and November.  Mark your Calendars!

At this Workshop, Katy F., our Techsteppers chair, prepared a slide deck and demonstration about how to set up the host key settings in Zoom so that groups do not have to give out the Zoom account information and sign on to the volunteers of their groups, who may be getting into service for the first time, just learning the ropes.  It provides groups with another layer of protection without excluding newer members from stepping up to service to help.  She demonstrated the Zoom settings to use and how to find them.  And the team stayed an additional hour to answer any questions.

Katy and the Techsteppers have a Coffee Talk weekly on Wednesdays, 1 pm ET.  The sign on can be found on our calendar page.

 

TechSteppers Coffee Talk, 1pm ET

Zoom Meeting ID: 831 1330 3832

Passcode: web

Weekly open discussion of tech and safety in AA.

(English, no live interpretation, but we can use automated interpretation)

 

IGR Forum

We had a successful, information-rich Forum this month conducted by our Communication Committee. This included a tour of the website for IGRs, the wealth of information under out IGR hotlist, the informational videos created by the committee on our YouTube channel, an IGR information sheet for you groups, a sheet with committee chair and officers email contact information including QR codes, created by the committee All of this information should be available to you shortly as well for your groups. The forum included time for questions and answers sent to us from the AskItBasket portal, and those asked by participants at the Forum.

At this meeting, I got the opportunity to sit in the background and work with the Zoom Tech Crew as the meeting timer.  This took a few lessons by those generous crew members who knew how to do it and who spent Saturday morning practicing with me (What you don’t know, you ask)-and I also had some fun with these gals creating an avatar. In the committees, we are not a glum lot.

The Communications Committee is an OIAA created committee.  It was established as an Ad Hoc in March 2023 by the board, because we saw a need.  In all honesty, as I was 3 months in service to the online groups, I did not understand the “need”, but I trusted the other board members’ “vision” Now after working in this committee for almost two years, through its formation including approval to a standing committee by the assembly in March of 2024, I can say— “Experience shows.” They are important to the unity of our organization, in helping us communicate the message of hope and recovery to you.  We are here to serve.

Our organization tries to stand for the 36 principles of Alcoholics Anonymous as affirmed in out bylaws and guidelines, and Communications can help our committees when asked…for creation of documents with a unified look, in the creation of videos which align with our principles. This helps our membership better serve their own groups through instructional videos and other digital means.  Additionally, it is working to create an archive to document our journey for those to come. ‘Its vision is to help us include the rich diversity of the various cultures and language groups that define our international membership.’

I want to personally thank the Communications Committee and the work of the volunteers on all our committees for helping us serve you.  This forum involved the Communications Committee, the Tech Committee Zoom Tech Crew, and other members of the Technology committee, the International Trustee who engaged interpreters, all volunteers, and everyone other who joined us!

If you would like input to the topics of our next Forum on the 3^rd Saturday of April, send your ideas to  igr.forum@aa-intergroup.org with your “Ask It Basket Questions,” topics of interest or suggestions for the IGR Forum. Sharing experience, strength and hope is the purpose of this forum.  Send us an email igrworkshops@aa-intergroup.org if you would like to be a part of the planning committee. All members are welcome to participate.

The Board activities:

January has been a busy month for the board.  We had a newly elected Vice Chair join us, an appointment of the Alt Secretary to Secretary per our guidelines process, and the elected Trustee At Large resignation.

The process of the resignation of a board member is to post the position and notify the membership. We asked for service resumes to be submitted by February 7^th.  Next, we discuss the candidates in an executive session of the board and select someone if appropriate.  This notification was posted here:

Official Announcement

https://beta.aa-intergroup.org/board-updates/open-position-trustee-at-large-jan-2025/

New and Updates

https://beta.aa-intergroup.org/updates/board-announcement-open-position-trustee-at-large-2/

What this all means is we have a board that needs to get together and hammer out working relationships.  I am sure if you hold group conscience meetings you have had similar experiences yourselves.  It is a perfect time to review the traditions, our bylaws and guidelines for effectively handling issues that affect our whole group.  Particularly important are Tradition 1, 2 and 12.

The board had enough business to conduct that it held two meetings this month.  We hold regularly monthly meetings on the 2^nd Sunday of the month at 2pm ET.  The open portion of the meeting you are welcome to attend.  You can find the sign on information on the Calendar page of the website.

 

OIAA Board Meeting

February 9 @ 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm

(EST). Start time where you are: 2:00 pm EST

Meeting ID: 840 0946 3911
Code: Board

 

If you have an item that you would like to place on the board meeting agenda, please send an email to OIAA.Board@aa-intergroup.org and it will be reviewed by the OIAA Chair.

 

If you would like to place an item on the assembly agenda, here is how:

2.3 Presenting Items for the Agenda Proposed Items to be placed on the agenda for an assembly are first sent to the chairperson by a voting member. When such an item is presented to the chairperson, the item presenter will include: ✔      A written proposal of the item ✔      Any costs associated with the item detailed for review by the finance committee; (The item presenter should have the finance committee review the costs prior to sending the item to the chairperson.) ✔      Background materials including a summary of the effects the item may have.

2.4 Clarification Prior to an item being placed on an agenda for an assembly as an item of new business, the item will be reviewed and clarified by the board.

https://beta.aa-intergroup.org/documents/oiaa-guidelines/#2.3

 

Additionally,

2.8 Summary for Submitting an Agenda Item _[contents]

• An item for consideration can come from any voting member or committee.
• All costs associated with the item must be detailed by the presenter and sent to the finance committee for review.
• After review by the finance committee, if required, the item is sent to the chairperson for clarification and consideration by the board.
• After clarification, the chairperson places the item on an assembly agenda as an item of new business and notifies the item presenter.
• Once an item is placed on the agenda, it becomes a motion.

 

https://beta.aa-intergroup.org/documents/oiaa-guidelines/#2.8

 

Finally, agenda items can be brought to the assembly, but the assembly may choose to decline to hear it.

 

3.2.10 Introducing a New Business Item During an Assembly. _[contents]
A motion for new business can be made at any time during an assembly but will only be considered after all the assembly business has been completed, time permitting, and if a quorum exists.  If time allows, the chair allows the motion maker two (2) minutes to present the rationale for the motion. The motion requires a second from a voting member.

These new business items require only a simple majority to pass except for the situation requiring a two-thirds (2/3) vote as required by our bylaws (see the note in Section 3.2.1 for a list of these situations).

If time does not permit or a quorum has not been reached, the new business item will be scheduled for a future assembly. The motion maker will be notified of the scheduling.

 

3.2.11 Declining to Consider a New Business Item Made During an Assembly. _[contents]
After the motion for a new business item is made, the chair will ask if a voting member desires to decline to consider the motion. There must be a second to the motion to decline to consider and it must pass by a simple majority.

https://beta.aa-intergroup.org/documents/oiaa-guidelines/#3.2.10

Concept V: Appeal

One of the items of business I mentioned the board had received last month, was a Concept V Appeal.   It was sent to the board by a voting IGR of one of our members groups.  At the 1^st Board meeting of the month, this was moved to an executive session by a motion of the board, and it was heard on the 26^th.  As it was in the executive session, I cannot share the result with you.

 

Here is the guideline citation about Concept V appeal encoded into our bylaws (1.06).

2.6 Appeals

Any OIAA member may submit a written appeal to the board, in keeping with Concept V.

https://beta.aa-intergroup.org/documents/oiaa-guidelines/#2.6

 

What is Concept V?  One of our 36 principles—it is related to minority opinion.

“Throughout our structure, a traditional “Right of Appeal” ought to prevail, so that minority opinion will be heard and personal grievances receive careful consideration.”

It is another tool to come to resolve differences of opinion through the democratic process.

 

Here is a useful pamphlet to give you some idea of our third legacy of service, our 12 Concepts, including the 6 warranties of Concept 12:  https://www.aa.org/sites/default/files/literature/P-8_0124.pdf page 119-120

 

What became clear to the board as we worked through this is the need to develop a process to deal with appeals.  Not to worry, the board can go forward develop a process to follow, hopefully including all levels of our structure as we did in creating the bylaws and guidelines and send it to the assembly as a guidelines amendment, for discussion and approval or revision there.

CBC (Combined Board Committee Chair) The board also met with Committee chairs to hear their quarterly reports. It was a lively session in January.  We will meet again in April.  It allows us to stay connected as an organization and celebrate the work your trusted servants do for you.  It is our intention to always try to communicate, collaborate, cooperate and sometimes compromise with each other, within the organization and with you, the membership we serve.  These meetings help us to know and celebrate the work of our volunteers.  It helps us walk the walk of the principles of honesty, openness and willingness to service together, to serve you.  These meetings help us stay on the same page, just as you hold business meetings or group conscience meetings to steer your own homegroups.  Each of you has a voice, the minority opinion is heard, and you invoke the presence of the Higher Power to join you.  If the voice of dissent is heard and respected, trust the process of recovery, even when it is serving others.

 

What’s Next:

“Our first Coffee Hour with The Board is scheduled for 1500 (3 PM) EST on Sunday February 23, 2025.  Meeting info to follow.”

Our March Assembly-look for news-

We will conduct our quorum survey in the summer. Per our bylaws, our assembly business requires that we set a quorum of 25% of those member groups who respond to our surveys.  In 2023, the quorum was set at 43.  In 2024, the quorum was set at 36.  Please look for these surveys and we invite you to join us in participation in making decisions that affect us all.

The Unity will host another OIAA International Online Convention (November) and the standing OIAA Convention Committee will host a Cybersuite at the Vancouver AA International Convention (July 2025).  These are two separate committees serving separate Conventions.

The Unity Committee has changed its meeting day and times.  It will meet on the 1^st Saturday of the month at 11 am ET, and on the 3^rd Sunday of the month at 9 am Et.

ID: 992 5516 4740
Passcode: Unity

 

This Vancouver Convention Committee (OIAA International Online Convention) meets on the 3^rd Sunday of the month at 2:15 pm ET,
ID: 896 6153 1454
Code: Convention

————————–

Second Tradition: 

Finally, I have been thinking about the Second Tradition this month. Early in the month I witnessed an event in my homegroup when a member, an essential service member, left dramatically before our monthly business meeting, over what I interpreted to be personality problems with the differences of opinion on how to run the meeting. We all have differences of opinion, but it is through the presence of our Higher Power in the informed group conscience of our business meeting, that the issues are resolved, so we can stand together in unity to help the still suffering alcoholic. The groups I visit, and my home group, do a great job at opening the door to experience, strength, and hope. But their job, our job doesn’t end there. We must learn how to arrive at consensus on how to do that, without hurting others, without leaving a hole in the force, to use a Star Wars metaphor, without leaving a hole in each group’s service structure. How we choose to carry the message is up to each group.  Similarly, each group, each service board decides together how to do carry that message, what format to use, how to solve problems, etc.   That is why OIAA formed its nonprofit status with the state of New Jersey. It is why we spent a year writing guidelines, forwarded to the Assembly in March 2024 for approval, to further expand the understanding of what the process is for OIAA’s service functioning.   We are using the Second Tradition to discuss and come to consensus to develop a plan of action to serve our groups, we use it to discuss a Concept V appeal, just as my homegroup and yours serves the still suffering alcoholic with their experience strength and hope.

The Second Tradition asks us to come together and discuss our differences, not run from a difference of opinion or try to censure that opinion, to hide it in the cloak of secrecy or confidentiality.

I believe there is often more than one right answer to a problem.  Often, a compromise is a stronger right answer. Bringing all parties to the discussion is critical. Seeking the counsel of shared experience is also exactly what we do in our AA meetings, when we identify as Alcoholics.  We are all a family with the same last name. This takes time. This is a process. When the Higher Power speaks to us at this time, through the voices of our sisters and brothers, the people from any group can be satisfied and accept they have a working solution, even if they disagreed with the solution or need to return and discuss again. Or when they feel the need to file an appeal or make motions at assemblies.  This is part of our affirmed democratic process, that allows all opinions to be expressed without punitive action taken.

It is a privilege to serve you.

Humbly and respectfully submitted:

 

Susan R

OIAA Chair

chair@aa-intergroup.org

 

IGR Hotlist Link:  https://beta.aa-intergroup.org/igr-hotlist/

Calendar events for February-https://beta.aa-intergroup.org/events/month/2025-02/

1 February 25 Safety Workshop: 2p

15 March 25 Assembly:  2:00 pm – 3:30 pm  

All members are welcome.
Meeting ID: 839 1683 1125
Passcode: OIAA

 

Informational Video about IGR (Intergroup Representative):

 

What is OIAA informational Video:

 

How to Submit a Group Report:

 

How to Submit a member story:

 

And remember, if you want to step up to service, we need your help!!  It’s really a mouse click away.