Remote Communities

Remote Communities Committee

Mission Statement

To foster unity within the fellowship of Area 79 by creating an awareness of the needs of alcoholics in remote communities. This committee seeks to assist those who are unable to make it to regular face-to-face meetings on a consistent basis. Members may be faced with travel or geographic challenges or may face barriers such as language, cultural considerations and/or anything else that could separate a person who needs A.A. from our lifesaving program of recovery.

Committee Chair

The Remote Communities Committee Chair is an appointed position on the General Service Committee. For more information about the duties and responsibilities of the Chairperson, please see the following Job Description.

Contact the Remote Communities Committee by email
or Phone: 604-435-2181
or Mail to: PO Box 42114, Vancouver BC, V5S 4R5.

For those wishing to submit their resumes for either an elected or appointed position on the Area 79 General Service Committee, please download the suggested service resume form Service Resume. 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

BC/Yukon Area 79 Remote Communities Workbook (pdf, 70 pages)
Content of RC Kit (pdf, 2 pages)
Items Available in Native American/First Nations Languages (GSO) (pdf, 2 pages)
Consideration for Remote Members (pdf, 2 pages)
Remote Connection Program (pdf, 2 pages)
Remote Communities Tent Card (pdf, 1 page)
Remote Communities District Committee Chair Suggestions (pdf, 2 pages)
Area 79 Remote Communities Pamphlet (pdf, 2 pages)
A pdf document available for download, provides information about the ways that A.A. members in remote communities can connect to the support of the A.A. Fellowship.

There are some A.A. meetings available by conference call. Please contact the Remote Communities Chair for information about how and when to connect to these conference call meetings.

Remote Communities Committee Chair: Job Description

The remote communities chair works with the General Service Committee (GSC) and assigned district committee members (DCMs) to continue work begun by the ad hoc committees in addressing the needs of Area 79’s remote communities.

Duties

  • Work in conjunction with the General Service Committee and the standing committee to recommend actions to better serve remote communities.
  • With the participation of the remote communities committee, review and update existing Area 79 resources and consider development of additional resources for use in assisting remote communities.
  • Be the liaison between remote individuals seeking a connection and districts/individuals wanting to host a remote connection.
  • Maintain a list of all Area 79 Remote Connection Program (RCP) meetings and their current contacts.
  • Encourage DCMs to keep the Area 79 website list of RCP meetings current.
  • Maintain communications to provide support and encouragement for district remote communities chairs and assist other districts with remoteness challenges.
  • Update and maintain the inventory of remote communities literature, including the kit, workbook and area- specific literature.
  • Be familiar with the BC/Yukon Area 79 website and resources available to assist those in remote communities.
  • Be familiar with the “Remote Communicator” reports from 2002 to present.
  • Participate in the bimonthly inter-area remote communities teleconference meeting.

Duties Common to all GSC Members

  • Attend and participate in all regularly scheduled General Service Committee (GSC) 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 GSC 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 GSC 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 A.A. 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 GSC (current or past) to ask more specific questions if you wish to put your name forward for a position.
  • General Service Committee membership may sound demanding, but, as we so often find in A.A., the rewards are far greater than time and effort put in.