RESPONSES TO PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOP QUESTIONS
Panel A.
Grapevine/La
Vina
Review Grapevine & La
Vina
The committee reviewed the five-year
history of La Vina. Being mindful of the
demonstrated effectiveness of La Vina and the strong support for it expressed by the AA
membership as a whole, and considering the spiritual benefits as a Twelfth Step tool, the
committee wishes to express strong support for its continued publication
Gray pages
The committee discussed returning the
About Alcoholism sections (the gray pages) to the Grapevine and felt that no action was
necessary. The committee saw no need or
desire in the Fellowship for the section. Information
from the alcoholism field does not promote AA’s primary purpose and is readily
available elsewhere.
Panel B.
Public
Information
Consider anonymity at the
public level of the Internet.
The committee reviewed with
appreciation the trustees’ report and recommended that changes concerning
Anonymity on the Internet be made in these Conference-approved materials: “A. A. Fact
File,” “A Brief Guide to Alcoholics Anonymous,” “Speaking at Non-A.A.
Meetings’” and “Understanding Anonymity.”
Effectiveness of the A. A.
Web Site as a Public Information tool and providing opportunities for local Twelfth Step
work?
The committee reviewed the 1999 and
current reports on GSO’s A. A. Web Site activity and were encouraged by the growing
effectiveness of this most valuable P.I. vehicle. The
effectiveness of the GSO’s A. A. Web Site continued role in providing opportunities
for local Twelfth Step work.
2001 AA Membership Survey Questionnaire:
Question 17 – physical
disabilities affecting attendance
It was recommended that the
2001 A. A. Membership Survey Questionnaire be approved with the deletion of Question 17
since the response to the question have been inconclusive in two previous surveys and the
committee recognizes that there are other more effective ways of determining how the A. A.
message can be carried to those who have these difficulties.
Question #4 – Regarding
Race
The committee decided to leave the
question in the survey. The committee
determined that the question is helpful to the Fellowship in discovering the degree of
diversity and make-up of the membership, determining trends in diversity and ascertaining
the need for future out-reach to groups where the numbers are smaller than the national
averages.
Question #3 – Marital
Status
Add a choice for those members who
live in a domestic partnership, yet who are not married.
Question #12 –
Employment Status
Examine the list of choices to
determine if the current listing offers those with a skilled trade a clear choice.
Panel C – Report and Charter
Discuss changes to The A.
A. Service Manual:
It was unanimously recommended
that the description of the A. A. Group (long form Tradition Three and a section of
Warranty Six, in the Twelfth Concept be added to Chapter Two: “The Group and its
G.S.R.”.
*
The committee discussed the suggestion to reinstate the section ”How I
Got Involved in General Service” and agreed that in order to maintain the continuity
of the 1999-2000 manual that adding “personal Views” from a previous edition
manual was not desirable at this time.
7. The committee discussed the suggestion to
reinstate the sentence “The proposed redistricting should be approved by the Area
Assembly” in the section on Redistricting in Chapter Three: The District and the
D.C.M.” and unanimously agreed that the sentence should not be reinstated. The committee felt that adding such a sentence was
not consistent with the autonomy reflected in the Fourth Tradition and agreed that the
section adequately stressed the importance of good communication and cooperation amongst
groups, districts and areas.
Panel D. – Regional Forums and
Finance
International
Conventions/Regional Forums
Interest and greater participation
can be achieved through exchange of information and details of what can be learned bother
personally and for your home group. The
committee continues to seek questions for the inventory of the International Convention.
Finance – Discuss
increasing/decreasing literature prices to adjust the General Service Board’s Reserve
Fund.
The committee discussed the 1988
Advisory Action#2 concerning using literature prices as the primary mechanism to adjust
the reserve fund and requests the Trustees’ Finance Committee to prepare examples of
a floating cap plan for the 2001 Conference Finance Committee. This may include such items as historical data,
average number of months of operating expenses covered by the Prudent Reserve over a
period of years, methods used to monitor the fund, and any other items the Trustees
Finance committee deems appropriate. This is
requested to help study alternatives to price reductions which apparently sends a mixed
message to the Fellowship.
Panel E. Cooperation with the Professional
Community & Literature
CPC Discuss ways of providing AA
information to professional
* Sponsoring your doctor * Reaching a wider variety of professional
The Committee agreed with the
trustees’ CPC/Treatment Facilities consensus that one-on-one sharing was a more
successful way than providing A. A. literature alone in helping professionals feel
competent in working with those afflicted with alcoholism.
The Committee suggested that Information on Alcoholics Anonymous (f-2) along
with specific literature be used to supplement one-on-one contact with professionals.
The Committee suggested that A.
A. members offer to accompany professionals to open A. A. meetings as a way of sharing
hope with the professional community.
Literature – Discuss the
need for a pamphlet for the nonbeliever or a pamphlet explaining that A. A. is a spiritual
rather than a religious program.
The Committee discussed the need for
a pamphlet for the nonbeliever or a pamphlet explaining that A. A. is a spiritual rather
than a religious program and could not reach a consensus on the need. If the trustees’ Literature Committee
proceeds to develop a pamphlet, it was suggested that the focus be on A. A. as a spiritual
rather than a religious program.
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