|
Second Quarter 2008 |
Volume
18, Number 2
|
IN THIS ISSUE
Attention Group Secretaries: Please
download the PDF
file of this issue and make copies to share with your
group members.
Note: You need Adobe Acrobat on your
computer to download PDF files. If you don't have it,
go to the Help page for
instructions on how to download this free tool.
|
Traveling the Road Together at WSBC
2008 Conference agenda packed with decision making
 “The Road to Recovery: A Team Effort” is the theme of the 2008 World Service Business Conference (WSBC) in Albuquerque, New Mexico USA, May 5 through 10.
In addition to debating and voting on motions and electing new trustees, delegates will have the opportunity to attend a myriad of workshops. The workshops will offer inspiration and information on OA’s Strategic Plan to bring back to intergroups and groups.
Workshops include the following topics:
- Abstinent Members: The Essence of Service
- A Bicycle Built for All: Different Approaches to Working the OA Program
- Pedaling Together: How Sponsorship Strengthens OA as a Whole
- Recovery Through Literature: A Team Effort
- The Road Home: Carrying the Message Back
- A Pack With No Leaders: An Anonymous Program, Not a Secret Society
- Forum — The Map to Guide Our Way: How We Live OA’s Strategic Plan
- Parliamentary Procedure
- Can We All Read the Map? A Forum on Language in OA
New delegates and those needing a refresher course can attend “All About Conference” to increase their understanding of parliamentary procedure and other aspects of the business sessions. First-time delegates, called “Green Dots” (a green dot on their name tags indicates this is their first Conference), may also participate in the mentor program. They will match up with experienced delegates who will support them during Conference and be available to answer questions. This year the agenda offers two opportunities for Green Dots and mentors to meet and discuss the Conference.
Delegates will consider 12 new-business proposals and 12 amendment proposals to OA Bylaws Subpart B:
New Business Motions
- New Business Proposal A: To discontinue low-demand Conference-approved literature
- New Business Proposal B through E: To create a public relations policy, public service announcement policy, paid ads policy and media policy
- New Business Proposal F: To create Compulsive Overeaters Awareness Week
- New Business Proposal G: To sell recovery chips marked one to 20 years
- New Business Proposal H: To investigate diversity of World Service board positions
- New Business Proposal I: To change “Unity With Diversity” policy to “Special Concepts Meeting” policy
- New Business Proposal J: To recognize diversity meetings as special focus meetings
- New Business Proposal K: To combine the World Service Professional Outreach and World Service Public Information Committees
- New Business Proposal L: To revise the definition of “abstinence”
Amendment Proposals
- Bylaw Amendment Proposal 1: To amend Article VII – Regions, Section 1 – Composition by moving Central Illinois Intergroup from Region Four to Region Five
- Bylaw Amendment Proposal 2: To amend Article IX – Board of Trustees, Section 4 – Qualifications to include “five years of current continuous abstinence”
- Bylaw Amendment Proposal 3: To amend Article IX – Board of Trustees, Section 6 – Election of Trustees to include voting as part of the election process
- Bylaw Amendment Proposal 4: To amend Article V – OA Groups, Section 8 – Definition to include virtual groups
- Bylaw Amendment Proposal 5: To amend Article VI – Intergroups, Section 1 – Composition to allow virtual groups to affiliate with intergroups in any geographic proximity
- Bylaw Amendment Proposal 6: To amend Article VII – Regions, Section 1 – Composition to not require virtual service boards to be included in the region structure
- Bylaw Amendment Proposal 7: To amend Article VIII – National/Language Service Boards, Section 1 – Definition to allow service boards to be recognized as national service boards, language service boards or virtual service boards
- Bylaw Amendment Proposal 8: To amend Article IX – Board of Trustees, Section 2 – Duties and Responsibilities to allow the chairman of the board to appoint a trustee to serve the virtual service boards
- Bylaw Amendment Proposal 9: To amend Article X – Meetings of Delegates, Section 3 – Delegates to recognize “national/language service boards” as “service boards”
- Bylaw Amendment Proposals 10 through 12: To amend Article VIII – National/Language Service Boards, Section 3 – Registration; Article VI – Intergroups, Section 2 – Registration; Article VII – Regions, Section 2 – Registration to list the minimum requirements for bylaws
Delegates will vote on whether to give the Conference Seal of Approval to the revised pamphlet titled Treatment and Beyond.
Delegates will elect members to fill eight trustee positions: three region-trustee and two general-service-trustee (GST) positions for three-year terms, and two region-trustee positions and one GST position for one-year terms.
Nominees
Region One — Ev A.
Region Three — Wanda S.
Region Four — Teresa K.
Region Seven — Donna A.
Region Nine — Esti O.
GST — Bob F.
GST — Kayla W.
GST — No nominee (The BOT may appoint someone to fill the position through the 2009 WSBC. Contact the WSO after Conference for more information about applying.)
Some delegates who arrive early will enjoy the New Mexico tours offered this year: to the Acoma “Sky City” Pueblo high atop a mesa or to the top of the Sandia Mountains via the Sandia Tram. Registration and payment for the tours closed on March 24.
You can download all WSBC delegate mailings online. For Conference voting results, after the Conference check the OA World Service Business Conference Web page and the July issue of A Step Ahead.
Top
Public Awareness Campaign Gets Out the Message
Attraction on a larger scale
 We continue to make progress in OA’s Public Awareness Campaign. Here are some highlights:
- Three press releases have arrived at over 150 media outlets
- A newly designed press kit is ready to respond to media inquiries
- We have placed “pay-per-click” ads on Google and MSN search engines
- We have begun a pod cast series with information about OA and with members sharing their recovery stories
- We have received inquiries and media attention, including from several radio call-in shows, the Chicago Tribune, the NY Times, Family Circle, Self Magazine, Marie Claire, Hazelden, and two documentary film makers.
- About 36 OA members have volunteered to tell the media their
stories when the media requests interviews, and their service has been invaluable
- To date, we have received $37,359 in the board-initiated Public Awareness Campaign fund so that members may support the campaign; after paying expenses, the fund balance is currently $11,392.
It is exciting to see OA getting attention in the media on a larger scale than we have in the past, and it is most gratifying to have the enthusiastic support of the Fellowship behind this project.
Top
Funds Available to Carry the Message
Did you know OA has a Professional Exhibits Fund available to assist service bodies to exhibit at professional conferences and conventions if the service bodies lack sufficient resources to do so? The fund has been in existence since 2005, and in 2007 service bodies in Louisiana, Wisconsin, Arizona, New York, Ohio and California made use of the program. The Board of Trustees distributes the funds on an application basis and has developed procedures to evaluate applications.
The evaluation committee consists of the Professional Outreach Committee trustee cochairman, the Board of Trustees (BOT) treasurer and the Public Information Committee trustee cochairman, with the BOT chairman of the board as ex officio. The evaluation committee
- reviews applications monthly;
- considers national/international and regional exhibits, with national/international exhibits receiving first
consideration;
- gives preference to service bodies that have not applied for grant-fund monies or were not awarded grant-fund monies if they did apply;
- sends notices of its decisions to applying service bodies via email or telephone (if email is not available) within three days following its meeting.
Groups can download the Professional Exhibits Fund Application from the OA Web site.
This important program helps to extend our presence in the professional community, and the Fellowship fully funds the program with its contributions. If your service body would like to donate to this important effort, please indicate “Professional Exhibits Fund” on the memo line of your check. If you send your contribution as part of a regular donation to the World Service Office, please indicate the amount you wish to direct to the Professional Exhibits Fund.
If you know of a professional event that would benefit from an OA exhibit, please consider applying to the Professional Exhibits Fund to help your intergroup, national/language
service board or region participate.
Top
Let’s Hear From You!
 The Operations Plan for 2008 includes a goal to increase by 34 percent the representation of registered service bodies at the World Service Business Conference (WSBC) and region assemblies. Becoming a delegate at the WSBC or a region assembly is a wonderful way for a member to give service on the region and world service levels. Service at these levels strengthens not only your recovery, but also OA as a whole.
Please consider offering your talent, energy, experience, strength and hope by attending the WSBC or a region assembly. If your group does not have the resources to send a delegate to the WSBC, it can apply to the Delegate Support Fund for financial support. To learn more about the fund, see the article on this page “Your Contributions Can Make a Difference.” To find out if financial support is available to attend region assemblies, contact your region chair.
And if you have served as a delegate to the WSBC or a region assembly, share your service experience with the Fellowship by emailing your story to myoung@oa.org or mailing it to Lifeline, P.O Box 44020, Rio Rancho, NM 87174-4020 USA.
Top
Your Contributions Can Make a Difference
Many service bodies would love to send a delegate to the World Service Business Conference (WSBC). Wouldn’t it be incredible to have greater participation and to outgrow the hotel meeting room? Wouldn’t it be amazing to have more service-body representatives in the room to participate in decisions affecting OA as a whole? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to give new or struggling service bodies the opportunity to attend WSBC because the Delegate Support Fund has enough money to send them? The answer to all of these questions is a resounding Yes! Your contributions can make this possible.
The Delegate Support Fund Committee met in November 2007 to consider applications for financial assistance to the 2008 WSBC. Twelve service bodies applied for funding, representing seven regions. Nearly 50 percent of the requests came from service bodies outside the United States.
The committee distributed funds among nine of the applicants. One applicant later advised the World Service Office it was unable to send a delegate, but was grateful support was available. The committee refused one applicant because the group had received funding for WSBC 2007. A third applicant did not receive funding because it was not possible to clarify the application, and another application is awaiting further clarification from the service body.
To determine eligibility, the committee used the following criteria established by the Board of Trustees in 2003:
1. Priority will be given to those intergroups or national/language service boards anywhere that have never sent a delegate to WSBC. Delegates from intergroups or national/language service boards meeting this criterion will receive as much funding as is available, to a maximum of the estimated room and board costs plus the cost of transportation to the WSBC.
2. If more funding remains, the next priority will go to those intergroups or national/language service boards that have not sent a delegate to the WSBC in 10 years.
a. Preference will be given to intergroups and/or national/language service boards that have never applied for delegate-support funds.
3. If still more funding remains, final priority will be given to those intergroups or national/ language service boards that have not sent a delegate to the WSBC for five years.
a. Preference will be given to intergroups and/or national/language service boards that have never applied for delegate-support funds.
4. Intergroups and national/language service boards may not apply for funding more often than once every five years.
WSBC policy 1993c, amended 1994, 2001, 2002 mandates the existence of the Delegate Support Fund. You, the members of the Fellowship, make it come to life. The Board of Trustees allocates a minimum budget of $3,500 annually, and donations to the fund in excess of this amount augment the fund. This year OA was fortunate to receive enough donations to avoid establishing a waiting list for applicants.
Please consider donating to this important fund. To make a donation, indicate “Delegate Support Fund” on the memo line of your check. If you send your contribution as part of a regular donation to the World Service Office, please indicate the amount you wish to direct to the Delegate Support Fund. Thank you for your service.
— Bob F., Treasurer/Trustee Chairman
Top
Continued on page 2
|
