Chair Report for May 2024
Chair Report – May 2024: From Where I Serve…
And so, another month of service to our groups…
Successful IGR Forum!!
Our Vice Chair, Nona C., conducted a beautifully run IGR Forum on Saturday, April 27th. She spotlighted the Unity Committee update progress of our 2024 International Online 3-day Convention on October 25-24, covering Oceania and Asia on Friday, the Americas and Iran on Saturday, and Europe and Africa on Sunday. I gave a quick tour of where updates are found on the website. You will find this either on our landing page, or under the OIAA In Action tab, OIAA Convention: https://staging.aa-intergroup.org/1st-oiaa-online-international-convention/. If you have any questions, contact Beth A., our International Trustee, internationa.trustee@aa-intergroup.org or Carlos D., our Unity Committee Chair, unity-chair@aa-intergroup.org.
The Unity Committee has begun to solicit tech volunteers to be floating co-hosts during the Convention volunteering for 4-hour shifts, responsible for the waiting rooms of participating groups, co-hosting group tech teams, and spiritual safety specialists, so we can carry the message and not the mess. If you would like to volunteer, contact Beth D., our Convention Tech Chair, unityconvention.tech@aa-intergroup.org.
Additionally, our Communications committee produces in-house informational and instructional videos. They produced a video on our YouTube channel about our online Convention that you can view here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBliERZAJno.
The Unity Committee currently has 4 meetings a month to plan for this convention. Check out the website for more information. https://staging.aa-intergroup.org/1st-oiaa-online-international-convention/
Nona’s Forum spotlighted five of our member groups, presenting Services Opportunities in their Homegroups: Life on Life’s Terms, A Great Escape, 1 Day at a time, Morning Meditation/Evening Reflection, and Agoura Morning Zone. Thank you all for sharing how service facilitates recovery in your home groups. And thank you for coming forward to share to others in OIAA.
Nona, thank you for a job well done!
June Assembly:
For our June assembly, we are planning to present the finalized Internal Financial Review conducted by volunteers. The board reviewed the report at their March board meeting. It will be available for the membership to review for the June Assembly. It is informational only. No voting will be required.
Additionally, per our bylaws, our committee chairs will be giving a short report on their activities in the last year. You will have the opportunity to learn about what the committees do in terms of service work for our organization. We have 9 standing committees: Steppers, 2025 Vancouver Convention Committee, Finance, Technology, CPC or Cooperation with the Professional Community, PIC or Public Information, PAC, or Policy and Admissions, Communications, and Unity. There are a lot of opportunities for service work in these committees. Some hold meetings: each committee has created its own charter with a mission statement and has its own page on our website. Each committee defines its own membership and sobriety requirements. Some committees have active subcommittees. And all would welcome your participation. Come to find out more at our June Assembly!
Voting Members and Updating the member directory:
Another update we have made to our website is a clearly marked page to update any changes to IGRs within your groups. It is the responsibility of each group to update any changes in advance of assemblies, so that your vote can be counted. Although anyone can attend the assembly, only elected IGRs or in their absence, the alt IGRs can vote or make motions. Group contacts can come to assemblies, but they cannot vote. Please note, I give a deadline for group changes with every assembly announcement I send out. Please look for this deadline if your group is holding elections. For June’s assembly, the drop-dead date for additions or changes to our membership is Friday, 7 June , at 11:59 p.m. Here is the new link for making those changes: https://staging.aa-intergroup.org/group-rep-update-request/ The link can also be easily found under the IGR Hotlist tab.
Open Positions
2025 Vancouver International Convention Chair-contact Susan R., Chair@aa-intergroup.org. This committee could also use some support. Whether you are planning to go to Vancouver or not, come and participate! This committee meets on the 3rd Sunday of the month. Check the website for the time as that may change. More information can be found here: https://staging.aa-intergroup.org/event/convention-committee-meeting-2-2-2/2024-05-19/
Alternate Registrar-Contact Mary M., registrar@aa-intergroup.org.
Alternate Secretary-Contact Jeff B., secretary@aa-intergroup.org
Committee Service Work:
With 9 standing committees, there are plenty of opportunities for 12 step service work outside of your group Most hold regular meetings; some provide training in responding to the public via email(Steppers and PIC or Public Information Committee) If you are interested in service work, check out the Service Committee tab on our website. Look around. Visit the committee or contact the chair for more information.
The PAC committee could use some volunteer support. Here is what they do:
PAC or Policy and Admissions: PAC is a foundational committee groups encounter when they first contact us to list. The Registrar in the Tech Committee is the other. According to PAC’s board approved charter, they do the following:
- “PAC assists new groups in registering to list A.A. meetings/groups on the OIAA meeting directory:
- Reviews all new meeting submission forms for compliance in form completion, directory listing guideline compliance.
- PAC assists new member groups to list Intergroup representatives at time of registration.
- PAC assists meetings/groups regain their status to be relisted within the OIAA meeting directory or as Intergroup representatives if they have lapsed.
- PAC assists to resolve complaints and answer questions regarding OIAA directory listed meeting/groups that have been reported.
- PAC offers OIAA policy/guideline advisories to any interested parties.”
If you have any interest in doing this work, we could use your help. For more information, here is a link: https://staging.aa-intergroup.org/committees/policy-and-admissions/
Other OIAA Committees in Action:
Communications: Besides in house informational and instructional video production, art and flier design headed by Randy C., the OIAA Communications Committee also has and Archivist, Paul M. Their committee meets the 3rd Sunday of the Month at 1: 15. More information can be found here: https://staging.aa-intergroup.org/committees/communications/
And the Cooperation with the Professional Community (CPC) chaired by Gwen M., has an alt-chair Sharon G., and is holding meetings-the 4th Monday of the month at 6:30 pm ET. Look for more information on their webpage: https://staging.aa-intergroup.org/committees/cooperation-with-the-professional-community/ Get in touch with Gwen for sign on or more information; cpc.chair@aa-intergroup.org.
Technology: If you have skills in technology and want to participate on our technology committee, they have four active subcommittees: We currently have the following active subcommittees:
- Cloud Admin: implements and maintains OIAA’s cloud services (Google Workspace) and helps support OIAA workspace users.
- Member Directory Team: administers the updates to the OIAA meeting directory with meeting adds and changes.
- Tech Steppers: helps with meetings with safety and security information.
- Zoom Events Crew runs the OIAA workshops, forums and assemblies Zoom rooms.
The Tech committee meets the first and third Monday of the month at 8:30 pm ET. For more information, their webpage is here: https://staging.aa-intergroup.org/committees/technology/
Finally, want to keep pace with the pulse of our finances? The Finance Committee meets the 2nd Saturday of the month at 2 pm ET. Here is the link to their webpage: https://staging.aa-intergroup.org/committees/finance/ And come to the June assembly and see the work this committee did with an internal financial review.
What’s Next:
TechSteppers Quarterly Safety Workshop, May 4 @ 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm EDT, Zoom Meeting ID: 839 1683 1125, Passcode: OIAA, Topic: Staying Safe, keeping pace with the disruptors, Town Hall sharing—what has your group done to stay safe?
16 June 24 OIAA Assembly: 2pm EDT, All members are welcome. Meeting ID: 839 1683 1125, Passcode: OIAA. . For June’s assembly, the drop-dead date for additions or changes to our membership is Friday, 7 June 2024, at 11:59 p.m.
Fifth Tradition: Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help another alcoholic to achieve sobriety. We are not a blanket recovery organization. We are alcoholics and the problem is with alcoholism. The solution is expressed in Tradition Five. It’s the how. Each person who practices recovery from alcoholism finds a way to help someone else, opening a meeting, serving as a trusted servant in the meeting, sponsoring someone else. Listening to someone else who is suffering, sharing experience strength at a meeting, on a phone call, at a workshop. Service in this way does keep us sober. We forget our own problems for a time and find balance. Finding a niche in helping someone else is how we express our gratitude. This is my prayer for us all.
Humbly and respectfully submitted:
Susan R
OIAA Chair
I would like to thank our Alternate Secretary, Naterena C., for her service and wish her well.
Please offer a prayer for Ellen L., a member of our Tech Committee, who passed away last month. We are grateful for her service and offer condolences to her family with us and her family at home.
