Delegate

Delegate

Area 79 Delegate

The Delegate represents Area 79 at the annual General Service Conference meeting, in New York, and brings back to the area the results of that meeting. It is also the delegate’s responsibility to serve the US/Canada Conference as a whole. As voting members of the Conference, delegates bring to its deliberations the experiences and viewpoints of their own areas. Yet they are not representatives of their area in the usual political sense; after hearing all points of view, and becoming fully informed during Conference discussion, they vote in the best interest of A.A. as a whole.

For more information about the Conference process, refer to the A.A. Service Manual. You may also find the pamphlet Twelve Concepts for World Service Illustrated helpful. Both are available from A.A.’s World Services Website in pdf format.

For more information, contact the Delegate

Delegate Information

Delegate is an elected position on the Area 79 Area Service Committee. For more information about the duties and responsibilities of the Delegate, please see the Job Description below.

Alternate Delegate

The Alternate Delegate is elected to the Area 79 Area Service Committee at the same time as the Delegate, and assists the Delegate in their responsibilities. In Area 79, the Alternate Delegate also sits as the Literature Chair. For more information about the duties and responsibilities of the Alternate Delegate, please see the Job Description below.

For more information email Area 79 Alternate Delegate

Further Information

Information about what happened at the most recent General Service Conference, as well as several service pieces from the General Service Office (G.S.O.) that may be of interest to A.A. members, are provided below. The links (except as indicated otherwise) are to pdf documents available for viewing or download:

Why Do We Need A Conference (pdf, 1 page)
Part of the opening talk given by the late Bernard B. Smith, then non-alcoholic chairman of our board of trustees, at the 1954 Conference.

Area Map of the U.S. & Canada (pdf, 1 page)
A map of the U.S. & Canada which shows the North American A.A. Service Areas; BC and the Yukon Territories are Area 79.

G.S.O. Info Sheet concerning New Groups (pdf, 1 page)
Some information about naming groups and the process that is followed by the General Service Office.

Services Provided by G.S.O./A.A.W.S (pdf, 9 pages)
An outline of the services available from the General Service Office in New York.

Box 4-5-9, News and Notes from G.S.O. A link to the Box 4-5-9 page, on A.A.’s World Services website, from where current and past issues of the newsletter (pdfs) may be accessed. Box 4-5-9 is published quarterly by the General Service Office.

Regional and Local Forums – Reports A link to the Forums Reports page, on A.A.’s World Services website, from where reports of past Forums (pdfs) may be accessed. Information on Regional and Local Forums is also available in this section of the A.A.W.S. site.

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 from the Elections page. 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 elected position please see: Elections Page

Delegate: Job Description

(See A.A. Service Manual, Chapter 6: The Delegate.)

The delegate has a demanding job, not only because a large amount of time and work are involved, but because it is the delegate’s responsibility to serve the U.S./Canada Conference as a whole. As voting members of the Conference, delegates bring to its deliberations the experiences and viewpoints of their own areas. Yet they are not representatives of their area in the usual political sense: after hearing all points of view and becoming fully informed during Conference discussion, they vote in the best interests of A.A. as a whole.

Duties

Though the high point is the Conference meeting, the delegate’s job goes on year-round and involves all aspects of the Conference structure. The delegate should:

  • Attend the annual Conference meeting fully prepared. Immediately upon election, every delegate is put on the GSO mailing list to receive Conference materials.
  • Communicate the actions of the Conference to area committee members and encourage them to pass on this information, and the delegate’s enthusiasm, to groups and to intergroups/central offices. If an area is too large for the delegate to cover in person, he or she will ask area officers and committee members to share the load.
  • Be prepared to attend all area and regional service meetings and assemblies applicable to his/her respective area. From these meetings, delegates come to better understand their own areas and can make suggestions for the Conference agenda. Here, too, they come in contact with A.A. members who might not be reached otherwise.
  • Help area committees obtain financial support for the area and GSO.
  • Provide leadership in solving local problems involving the A.A. Traditions.
  • Remind the GSRs to inform groups and individuals about the A.A. Grapevine and Conference-approved literature.
  • Cooperate with GSO in obtaining information — for example, making sure that up-to-date information reaches GSO in time to meet the deadline for each issue of the A.A. directory and helping carry out the triennial membership surveys.
  • Visit groups and districts in the area whenever possible.
  • Work closely with committee members and officers, sharing experience throughout the year. After GSRs and committee members have reported on the Conference, learn from these A.A.s how groups and members have reacted.
  • Assume added responsibility if the area chair and alternate chair are unable to serve. Or, if an area committee is not functioning effectively, the delegate may take an active role in remedying the situation.
  • Keep the alternate delegate fully informed and active, so that the alternate can replace the delegate in an emergency.
  • Late in the second term, work with newly elected delegates to pass along a basic knowledge of Conference proceedings and problems.

Qualifications

Delegates come in all shapes and sizes, but some characteristics seem to make for well-qualified delegates.

  • Several years of active participation in local and area affairs as a GSR and as a Committee member.
  • Time available not only for the week-long Conference meeting in April, but for all the efforts needed before and after the Conference.
  • Five or six years of continuous sobriety. The sobriety requirement varies from area to area; in any case, a delegate should have been sober long enough to be responsible and informed.
  • The ability to make and take suggestions — and criticism, too.
  • Experience in chairing meetings.
  • Knowledge of A.A. affairs and of where to find correct information.
  • Thorough familiarity with the Twelve Traditions and the Twelve Concepts, and how they apply to local problems.
  • The ability to be open-minded and to sit down with A.A.s in the area, and with other delegates, to discuss and act on matters vital to A.A.

Alternate Delegate: Job Description

(Usually is also appointed as Literature Committee Chair)

(See A.A. Service Manual, Chapter 6)

The Conference recommends that all areas elect alternate delegates. The alternate serves as a valuable assistant, often travelling with the delegate or giving reports for him or her. In some areas, the alternate serves some special function of the committee. Many area committee treasuries recognize the need to support the alternate’s expenses separately from the delegate’s.

An alternate who replaces the delegate at the annual Conference meeting will remain on the GSO mailing list as the delegate until GSO is informed otherwise by the area committee.

  • Several years of active participation in local and area affairs, as a GSR and as a committee member.
  • Time available, including preparation for the General Service Conference in the event the delegate cannot attend.
  • Five or six years of continuous sobriety. The sobriety requirement varies from area to area; in any case, an alternate delegate should have been sober long enough to be responsible and informed.
  • The ability to make and take suggestions — and criticism, too.
  • Experience in chairing meetings.
  • Knowledge of A.A. affairs and of where to find correct information.
  • Thorough familiarity with the Twelve Traditions and the Twelve Concepts and how to apply them to local problems.
  • The ability to be open-minded and to sit down with A.A.s in the area, and with the delegate, to discuss and act on matters vital to A.A.

Term of Office

An alternate serves one term of two years.

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 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 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 A.A., the rewards are far greater than time and effort put in.