NJ Regional Service Conference

Report to NJ REGION

With great love and respect, Muk, RD

WORLD SERVICE CONFERENCE

Day One ---April 28, 2002

Introduction

Greetings from sunny California. Actually, it isn’t exactly day one and California hasn’t been its sunny self. And, while the weather is shifting so that sun will prevail, you won’t get this report until we are in the middle of Day Two. Still, information is information and you will get what I can send as I can send it.

The first thing to tell you is that the WSC is close to unrecognizable. Gone is the huge room with rows of cloth covered tables facing a front manned by office staff and managed by a world board member. The room is now divided into two segments. The office staff is off to one side, a partition wall constructed of a movie screen in front of which staff seating is provided divides the room.

On one side of the room, round tables are set up banquet style. Here we sit, 10 to a table, for brainstorming and discussing concerns. Our seats are assigned. Each table contains a mix of RDs RDAs, World Board members, representatives from the USA and from nonUSA participants. We are reassigned periodically to have us meet and interact with the greatest number of fellow participants. Each new table session begins with introductions: name, service position and a personal fact. We share our strength, our hopes, our wisdom and our concerns. What do we want to accomplish here? This is a new way of conducting ourselves. We are compelled to get to know each other. We are obliged to listen, make eye contact. We are obliged to get to know one another quickly, and to work together.

I like it. People do the best they can do. We support each other. We share skills. We create together. Obviously what we are doing is practicing a form of group conscience formation. Already I can tell that those who come with an agenda stand out. If their agenda speaks a wisdom we want to hear, it gets incorporated. If it falls outside what we can work with, it often fails to get more attention. The group moves toward agreement. Each table’s ‘agreement’ is shared publicly. A list of ideas is collected. Later on in this report I’ll share with you the results from my table and from the Conference as a whole for one of these processes.

On the other side of the room, long tables are set in three tiers along three sides of a rectangle. It’s a choir like arrangement. We are free to sit where we wish, but we must change seats every day--no consistent positioning. This is where we sit to ‘do business.’ Tomorrow afternoon we will sit in our rows to begin the formal old business (CAR –Conference Agenda Report & CAT—Conference Approval Track). There are no longer microphone stations. To be heard a hand mike is passed if necessary.

Will all this work to the general welfare of the entire NA community. Lots of us have hope, some of us have doubts. I like to be on the side of the hopeful. But, of course, it is too soon to be able to judge from the results.

Brainstorming/Discussion Process

I took careful notes of one session to share with you. The session has four segments. During the first segment each person writes down his/her answers to two questions. Question 1 is What is my greatest hope for a new WSC? Question two is What can I do to help make this happen?

I wrote down a number of responses. I shared with the group the following:

Question 1—That we share our experience strength and hope in ways that allow everyone to express his or her higher power guided conscience;

Question 2—That I listen and cooperate in an open-minded way with the ideas and suggestions of others.

During the second segment we shared what we wrote with the group. Others at the table contributed the following:

Question 1—Achieve more effective communication; Reflect the Vision & Mission statements in our achievements; Allow ourselves to be guided by a higher power; Use our collective wisdom to serve still suffering addicts; Resolve issues spriritually.

Question 2—Listen open mindedly to the opinions & ideas of others; Be alert and mindful, that is focused on, what is happening; Come to each session informed, that is prepared, to participate; Put principles before personalities; Prioritize towards accomplishing the soundest development of the fellowship.

During the third session we worked on creating a group statement from our diverse input that was responisve to yet another question. This 3rd Question was What can we do to make our description of the new WSC into a reality?. At our table that resulted in the idea that Communication is a spiritual principle and practice. So, what we could do was to practice the spiritual principles, like open mindedness, honesty, like really listening to others, like praying, like listening for the guidance of our HP. That is, we could make communication a spiritual practice.

During the fourth session each table shared its consensus result with the whole Conference. In addition to the idea generated at my table, others contributed the following: Replace CAR process with a new format; Choose leadership more carefully; Develop ways of doing things so that every recovering addict in every group gets to work in partnership with World Services; Learn to speak in dialogue (discussion) based ways; Be willing to learn; Emphasize the fact that WE is necessary to achieve our primary purpose; Trust the new process; Bring the process home-through workshops, assemblies etc, so that everyone learns how to use it; Be willing to learn, be flexible, take risks; Practice turning ideas into action.

Did this process work? To some degree I think it did. I think we all shared some sense that communication was important and that we couldn’t have one set of communication skill dominating one part of the service structure while an entirely different set was required to participate at another level. I think we all appreciated how home group members were experiencing being ‘left out’ of the World Service process. But, it is not for me to say whether the process worked. It was my task –here and now- to give you information about the activity. I wish I could have made the report more vital and intimate. But, as some of you know the Conference day lasts from the 7 am recovery meeting until 9:30-10pm closing. I am too tired to think clearly at this point.

Love to you all.

Day Two

This morning, in preparation for old business, CAR & CAT, we had an open forum with the World Board. The many changes to the Treasurer’s Handbook/Workbook were discussed. The finished product will be ready for us to consider this afternoon. We spent a lot of time on these modifications and a lot of time discussing the current policies and terms of floor participation. Right now only the RD and RDA are allowed ‘on the floor.’ There is a gallery provided for others. Some Regions have second RDAs. They hoped for more ‘floor’ rights, more participation rights for these people. The issue will come up again this afternoon or evening. What I am thinking is that the 2year cycle and the changes to the operation of the Conference are themes that raise questions about RD?RDA terms of office, training for office etc. I’ll have more ifo on that issue to discuss at our workshop before Region next month.

Old Business

# of Regions present :95: total participants 112.The World Bd participates as individuals

TREASURER’S WORKBOOK & HANDBOOK ISSUES

MOTION 1 Unfortunately pages of record keeping were lost. In that record keeping the process of approving election procedures (We passed this by consensus which is like our consent calendar in that we are asked for objections, no objections equals passing the motion) And, in that loss, the process of amending the Treasurer’s Workbook was recorded. The Treasurer’s workbook was amending by adding the bulletins from the Handbook , (fund Flow, Fund Raising & Theft of Funds) by adding a line from Region to world in fund flow chart.(Motion 17) and by adding daily & weekly reporting pages, by adding prudent reserve line. (Motion 37)

PROCEDURAL ISSUES

MOTION 11 Adopt Rules Of Order

& MOTION 13 amendment suggestion-that is the question about whether the policy that allow RD & RDA only on the floor should be changed to allowing Region to select which 2 people it wants on the floor.

The new way of doing business is causing a bit of confusion. But, we are plugging away and making headway.

PROS

Motion is made because, regardless of the way some people understood it, some actually believed that RD/RDA only allowed region to select which 2 would be on the floor.

Allowing Regions to send 2ndRDA to conference would help create continuity of service.

CONS

We decided to try the RD/RDA only rule in 2000 and we should have a chance to use the system as we selected.

Gallery seating can be part of the learning process.

Sending 2 alternates will cost regions money they could better send to world.

MOTION 13 failed

MOTION 11 Rules of Order passed

MOTION 16 Allow Le Nordet & Alaska to retain their conference seating and facilitate their funded participation. Passed

This question arose because at 2000 conference there were 4 regions that hadnt been to 3 conferences. We decided they would not be funded for the future. We thought that meant that they would lose their seats, their status, as conference participants. These regions seemed not to understand the consequences of their situation. Once they did, they objected. This motion is an attempt to make the overall situation as fair as possible to these 2 communities.

We actually do not have a process to unseat a participant. But, if ever again a participating community is going to be deprived of its status, they should be notified in writing ahead of time

MOTION 15 Approval of minutes. Passed

TREASURER’S WORKBOOK & HANDBOOK ISSUES

Motion 1 passed by consensus.

ISSUE DISCUSSION ISSUES

Consensus discussion: Unanimity is when everyone agrees to a decision. Consensus is when no one strongly disagrees with a decision. We need to amend our rules to actually use this process.

MOTION 2 Remove Topic Discussion selection from CAR

There was nothing in the discussion at WSC that wasn’t spoken of at our workshops.

What the Board has now suggested is that we choose between several alternatives: The Board will come with a list of topics gleaned from WWW or from WSO inquiries or from topics suggested by Regions or from strategic planning concerns. Or, conference participants will generate topics during the week. We are trying that process now based on our tree idea from yesterday. (the tree was something we did yesterday where we wrote down ideas and posted them on a tree pasted to the wall. These ideas were collected. They are being typed. We will be given a list of these ideas. We will choose one. For the 2nd topic, the BD would like us to discuss the 7th tradition.

There was a great idea spoken about by a delegate. In their region they discuss the topics as workshop topics at conventions. They have an intro speaker and then people come to the mike and share. This is very successful. I think we should consider this as a way to handle whatever topics are decided.

Motion 2 Passed

Regional Motions

MOTION 10 Delay Basic Text evaluation project until 2006 in order to spend more time on sponsorship publication.

Called to a vote quickly after straw poll that suggested little support for this motion.

Motion 10 Failed

MOTION 8 Additional Discount for service offices (annual contract customers)

Phila made a moving statement about the needs of less affluent communities in the USA. He said that there were serious needs that WSO/NAWS refuse to meet. Phila and others are now appealing to the WSC for the help they believe they need.

Motion 8 failed

MOTION 7 6yr moratorium on seating of new USA regions. (no USA regions added until 2008)

Show Me Region read their intent statement

Motion 7 failed

MOTION 6 NAWS facilitate US Assembly

Motion was not seconded

MOTION 4 World Board collect GSR info

Straw poll resulted in an unfavorable to the motion reading.

Motion 4 failed

MOTIONS 5 & 9 never came to the floor because maker and or other interested persons decided not to bring them to the floor.

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