Cooperation with the Professional Community (CPC)

CPC (Cooperation with the Professional Community)

Committee Purpose

The purposes of the committee are:

  • To attempt to establish better communication between AAs and professionals, and to find simple, effective ways of cooperating without affiliating.
  • To bring the AA message to professionals, and students, at professional schools in the community, helping them understand how and why AA works.

A.A. has always valued friends in all professional fields. These associations have been mutually beneficial and completely in keeping with the AA Traditions. Cooperating with non-alcoholic professionals is an effective way to carry the message to the sick alcoholic, as they may be reached sooner with the help of informed non-AAs.

Basic Committee Functions

  • Provide information about AA to those who have contact with alcoholics through their profession. This group includes health care professionals, educators, members of the clergy, lawyers, social workers, union leaders, government officials as well as those working in the field of alcoholism.
  • Inform this group of professionals about where we are, what we are, what we can do, and what we cannot do.
  • Work in cooperation with the Corrections, Public Information and Treatment/Accessibilities Committees.

Committee Chair

The Cooperation with the Professional Community Committee Chair is an appointed position on the Area Service Committee. For more information about the duties and responsibilities of the Chairperson, please see the Job Description below.

Contact the CPC Chair by email:

For those wishing to submit their resumes for either an elected or appointed position on the Area 79 Area Service Committee, please download the suggested service resume form. The link will reroute you to our elections section of our website. The use of the resume form is not mandatory for either elected positions or appointed positions. However, its use does assist both the candidate and the Fellowship in several ways. These include the provision of consistent information in an organized way and assisting candidates in adhering to time limits for presentation of resumes.

To let your name stand for an appointed position please see: Elections Page

Further Information

The following pdf documents are available for download from the Cooperation with the Professional Community (CPC) page on AA’s World Services Website

  • AA Guidelines on Cooperation with the Professional Community
  • AA Guidelines on Court DUI and similar programs
  • How AA Members Cooperate With Professionals
  • CPC Workbook
  • CPC Special Literature Package
  • Information on Alcoholics Anonymous
  • About AA – Newsletter for Professionals
  • Let’s Be Friendly With Our Friends
  • AA as a Resource for the Health Care Professional
  • A Message to Correctional Professionals
  • AA as a Resource for Drug & Alcohol Court Professionals
  • Members of the Clergy Ask About Alcoholics Anonymous
  • Is There an Alcoholic in the Workplace?
  • Problems Other Than Alcohol
  • This Is AA
  • AA at a Glance
  • AA Fact File
  • A Brief Guide to Alcoholics Anonymous
  • A Member’s-Eye View of Alcoholics Anonymous
  • Three Talks to Medical Societies by Bill W., Co-founder of A.A.
  • CPC Kit Contents

Cooperation with the Professional Community Committee (CPC) Chair: Job Description

The purpose of the CPC committee chair is to guide and actively participate with the committee in its primary purpose: to inform professionals and future professionals about AA — what we are, where we are, what we can do, and what we cannot do. The committee attempts to establish better communication between Alcoholics Anonymous and professionals, and to find simple, effective ways of cooperating without affiliating

Duties

  • Participate in CPC presentations to non-AA professionals or future professionals.
  • Be available to assist districts in setting up CPC committees through workshops, attending district committee meetings or providing information about CPC to individual members.
  • Liaise with area intergroups to facilitate CPC outreach, and prevent duplication/overlap of efforts with district CPC committees, when necessary.
  • Act as liaison with area intergroup and/or international, national or local conventions of professional groups held within the area. Must be available to attend these conventions upon request from the intergroup or General Service Office, liaising locally or with the General Service Office CPC desk.
  • Within Area 79 Area Service Committee, liaise with other committee chairs, especially PI, corrections, treatment/accessibilities and remote communities.
  • Answer any contacts and requests for information as they apply to CPC.

Duties Common to all ASC Members

  • Attend and participate in all regularly scheduled Area Service Committee (ASC) meetings (held in Vancouver on the first Wednesday of each month). Meetings could also be held virtually when necessary.
  • Reply to email, telephone and written questions. Willingness to learn and develop computer/technical skills as necessary.
  • Attend and participate in all quarterlies and assemblies in-person or virtually as required.
  • At each quarterly, assembly and ASC meeting, provide reports on activities since the previous event.
  • Chair appropriate committee at quarterlies and assemblies. Assist with venue set up and tear down.
  • Maintain contact with district and local committee chairs.
  • Maintain contact with district committee members (DCMs) assigned to ASC member’s committee.
  • Submit regular monthly expense reports to the treasurer.
  • Participate in preparation for the General Service Conference by reviewing and summarizing the assigned agenda background material, providing information to DCMs, chairing the committee meeting at the Pre-conference Assembly, and providing the committee’s recommendations to the assembly and delegate.
  • Facilitate workshops.
  • Participate on Ad Hoc committees as required.
  • Be available for travel assignments, including taking Area 79 archives and/or Grapevine kits to AA events.
  • Review www.bcyukonaa.org content as it relates to the member’s position, providing updates and new materials to the website chair as needed.
  • Prepare and assist for transition of your position at end of your rotation. Ensure flash drive is updated regularly and provided to Secretary annually.
  • Maintaining blue boards/display boards and literature supplies for travel events.

Further Considerations

  • 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.
  • It is encouraged that you speak with members of the ASC (current or past) to ask more specific questions if you wish to put your name forward for a position.
  • Area 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.