AREA 79
CHAIR
About the Chair
The area chairperson is responsible for organizing meetings of the Area 79 Committee (Area Quarterlies and Assemblies ), chairing the meetings of the Area Service Committee (ASC) and for ensuring that the business of the area is carried out. The chairperson, more than any other officer, keeps the delegate informed about what is going on in the area, and makes sure that Area Committee members are aware of what goes on in World Services.
Alternate Chair
The Alternate Chair is elected to the Area 79 General Service Committee at the same time as the Chair, and assists the Chair in their responsibilities. In Area 79, the Alternate Chair also sits as the Grapevine Chair.
UPCOMING
BC/YUKON
AREA 79
EVENT
2025 January Quarterly
ELECTIONS AND
APPOINTMENTS
Area Officers
Fourteen (14) Area Officers are chosen, every second year, to serve 2-year terms on the Area Service Committee (ASC) . Seven of these are elected, in even numbered years, at the September Assembly of the full Area 79 Committee. Seven are appointed by the Selection Committee, following the elections, to sit as chairs of designated Area standing committees.
It is strongly suggested that the outgoing (not the incoming) GSRs and DCMs be available to vote at the Election Assembly in order to assure a more informed election.
To apply for an appointed position in Area 79, please email your resume to resumes@bcyukonaa.org
Elected Officers
The seven (7) elected officers are listed below, with a brief summary of their roles:
- Delegate – Reports to and from the General Service Conference.
- Alternate Delegate – Assists Delegate in responsibilities. Currently the Alternate Delegate also sits as the Literature Chair.
- Chair of Area 79 – Responsible for the agenda and chairing Area and Area Service Committee (ASC) meetings, assigns travel of committee members.
- Alternate Chair – Assists Chair in responsibilities. Currently the Alternate Chair also sits as Grapevine Chair.
- Treasurer – Maintains payables and receivables for Area 79. Chairs Finance Committee.
- Secretary – Records meetings and prepares the minutes.
- Registrar – Maintains Group Records of Districts and Groups in Area 79 and informs the General Service Office (GSO) in New York.
Appointed Positions
We encourage everyone who is interested in an appointed position on the Area 79 General Service Committee to submit a brief resume. The following positions are appointed by the incoming Chair through a Selection Committee made up of the incoming Chair and 3 other elected ASC members.
- Accessibilities – Explore, develop and offer resources to make the Alcoholics Anonymous message available to everyone.
- Archives – Collect, classify and care for literary works and artifacts.
- Cooperation with the Professional Community (CPC) – Establish and maintain better communication between A.A.s and community professionals
- Corrections – Carry the AA message to alcoholics in correctional systems
- Finance – Discusses Area 79 self-support and the Seventh Tradition.
- Grapevine – Develop awareness of the many benefits that can be derived through the Grapevine and La Viña (Spanish version) subscriptions
- Grassroots – Oversees the production and distribution of Grassroots Forum, the BC/Yukon Area 79 Newsletter.
- Literature – Promote Conference-approved literature, audiovisual material and other special items.
- Public Information – Communicates to the public what AA does and does not do.
- Remote Communities – Creates awareness about and assists those who are unable to make it to regular face-to-face meetings on a consistent basis
- Treatment/Bridging the Gap – Assists members and groups who are interested in carrying our message of recovery to alcoholics in treatment facilities
- Website – Maintains the Area 79 Website.
Additionally – Grassroots Committee Chair: Responsible for the Area Newsletter (Grassroots Forum) and leads the committee responsible for the format, content and distribution of this quarterly publication. Motion passed in October 2016 reads….
“The Area 79 chair will be free to assign Grassroots, or any other standing committee, as an additional responsibility to any member of the ASC, based on committee workloads and ASC members’ skills”.
Things to Consider
- Communications between members of the Area Committee are generally via email and therefore it is essential to have access to electronic communications in order to be considered for a position.
- The transitional General SC meeting held on the first Wednesday of December, (after the election assembly) is mandatory as are all monthly ASC meetings of the 2-year rotation.
- The time commitment required is substantial and will vary from position to position, and also with the particular skills possessed by the member. Generally, some time will be spent every day to check and respond to emails and phone messages. Some jobs have workloads that are heavier at certain times than at others.
- We encourage you to speak with members of the ASC (current or past) to ask more specific questions if you are considering applying for an appointed position.
- General Service Committee membership may sound demanding, but, as we so often find in AA, the rewards are far greater than time and effort put in.
- For more information please read “duties common to all” on the job description page.
How to Apply
- Email your resume to resume@bcyukonaa.org
- You will receive an immediate confirmation of receipt of your application and a response from the Area 79 Chair within 48 hours.
- Resumes must be received at Resumes at BC/Yukon AA by October 31st to be considered. When sending your resume, you can include additional information that may help the Selection Committee.
- Resumes are reviewed by the Selection Committee the evening of the first Tuesday of November. The Chair will call you that evening with the results. Please be sure that you are contactable by telephone.
- Successful applicants will be required to attend a transition meeting held the first Wednesday of December at the BC Yukon Area office in Vancouver (travel expenses are covered by Area 79).
- Successful applicants will be ratified at the January Quarterly. At that time, they will present their resumes (2 minutes maximum) to the fellowship.
A79 Resources...
Resources to assist the fellowship with committee work, along with minutes and reports from the ASC and much more can be found in the libraries.
AREA
CHAIR
Job Description
The chairperson is responsible for the smooth running of area assemblies and quarterlies, consulting with the Area Service Committee before setting the date and time, making sure that all groups are notified, consulting with officers and committee members on the program, and chairing the assembly meetings. The chairperson, more than any other officer, keeps the delegate informed about what is going on in the area, and makes sure that members are aware of what goes on in world services.
Duties
Fellowship Connection
- Setting and distributing the agendas for, and chairing, all Area Service Committee (ASC) meetings (11-12 per year), held monthly in Vancouver and at quarterlies and assemblies.
- Setting and distributing the agendas for, and chairing, the quarterly and assembly meetings (four per year).
- Ensuring the effectiveness of the Area Service Committee positions in covering the needs of Area 79, making adjustments if necessary.
- Determining a selection committee for the appointed positions on the Area Service Committee, chairing that meeting and making those appointments.
- Appointing subcommittees as the need arises.
- Administration of the budget, as well as chairing the ASC’s finance committee.
- Coordinating all Area 79 Area Service Committee travel with the exception of the delegate reports.
- Appointment of BC/Yukon Convention chair in years when there is a convention.
- Ensuring clear and effective communication among groups, districts and the area.
- Duties common to all ASC members on the ASC page.
Qualifications
The chairperson should have a solid period of sobriety (minimum three to five years), and experience in group, central office, institutional and/or area affairs. Area chairpersons need a sound understanding and appreciation of the Steps, the Traditions and the Concepts, along with a good fund of experience gained through applying these guides successfully to local problems. Communication skills, leadership qualities and sensitivity to the wishes of the local area are also important.
This position is a very heavy time commitment and requires strong organizational skills, including basic computer knowledge (email, spreadsheets and word processing). Consultation with family and employers is essential before allowing one’s name to stand, due to the amount of time spent away from home and the necessity of time away from work in order to travel.
AREA
ALTERNATE
CHAIR
Alternate Chair
As it says in Chapter 5 of the A.A. Service Manual, “Qualifications of alternates are generally the same as the qualifications for the positions they may be called upon to assume.”
The Area 79 Alternate Chair is usually appointed to the Grapevine Committee Chair also.
Duties
- Responsible for making sure all materials required for registration are in place for the host district at quarterlies and assemblies.
- Facilitate the online registration process and committee breakout rooms with the Area 79 Tech Team Lead for our virtual quarterlies and assemblies
- Responsible for Pre-conference committee pre-assignments, including adjustments needed for Pre-conference registration.
- Assign district committee members (DCMs) to committees.
- Oversee setup at quarterlies and assemblies.
- Prepare roll call lists and facilitate the district and area report call-ups.
- Chair the area committee meeting.
- Organize accommodations for the Area Service Committee (ASC) for assemblies and quarterlies.
- Prepare the feedback forms for assemblies and quarterlies, summarize results for a report to the ASC and the fellowship.
- There are several specific duties assigned by the chairperson, and these may vary from term to term.
- For several terms, the alternate chair has also worn the hat of Grapevine chair. (There is a separate job description for this position.) Having one person cover both assignments is a decision of the Area 79 chairperson and may vary from term to term.
- Duties common to all ASC members on the ASC page.
Qualifications
The alternate chairperson should have a solid period of sobriety (minimum three to five years), and experience in group, central office, institutional and/or area affairs. Alternate chairpersons need a sound understanding and appreciation of the Steps, the Traditions and the Concepts, along with a good fund of experience gained through applying these guides successfully to local problems. Communication skills, leadership qualities and sensitivity to the wishes of the local area are also important.