THE
SERVICE
STRUCTURE
The Area 79 Committee
Committee Composition
The Area 79 Committee is made up of the 48 District Committee Members (DCMs) in the Area, or their alternates, plus the 14 members of the Area Service Committee (ASC). All members of the Area Committee are eligible to vote at Area Meetings (Quarterlies and Assemblies).
“Perhaps more than any other group of people in A.A., the Area Committee is responsible for the health of the Conference structure and thus for growth and harmony in the A.A. Fellowship. If GSRs are lax, if there is a lack of harmony in a district, if there are difficulties in public information or some other service area, the committee member knows it and can turn to the full committee for help.
An active Area Committee deals with all kinds of service problems: Is experience being shared among groups? Is the AA message getting into hospitals, prisons, jails, and rehabilitation centers? Are news media and professionals who deal with suffering alcoholics well informed about AA? Are new groups and Loners being visited and helped?”
The A.A. Service Manual Chapter 5 – Reprinted with permission of Alcoholics Anonymous®
A79
COMMITTEE
MEETINGS
The Full Area 79 Committee
The BC/Yukon Area Committee meets four times annually, at Quarterlies (January and July) and Assemblies (April and October), held across Area 79. Locations for these meetings are chosen, for the following year, at the April Pre-Conference Assembly. A schedule of Area Meetings is posted under the Events / Quarterlies and Assemblies tab, on this website. As the date of a meeting approaches, detailed information and the meeting agenda is posted in the meeting’s listing on the Quarterlies and Assemblies page.
Area Quarterlies are attended by all DCMs, and/or their Alternates, and the members of the ASC. Although General Service Representatives (GSRs) do not have a vote at Quarterlies, they most certainly have a voice and are also encouraged to attend.
All AA members are encouraged to attend Area Assemblies, to have a voice and become familiar with the issues being discussed. GSRs (or alternates), DCMs (or alternates) and Area Officers are eligible to vote and present motions.
All Area matters that either have an effect on the Area itself, or a direct impact on all the Groups, whether raised on the floor of an Assembly or coming out of the Area Committee process, are presented and ratified, rejected or revised by the Area Assembly. The main activities usually center around the Delegate and Area concerns, the Conference, sharing sessions and/or workshops. We become informed about what is going on by attending these meetings and discussing issues with others who are in a good position to have experience and information to share on most matters of interest. In this way, the Assemblies meet their purpose in strengthening AA as a whole by carrying our message in the best way possible for our Area.
The Standing Committees
At the beginning of the 2-year term of the Area Committee, each DCM is assigned to sit on one of the area’s Standing Committees. These committees meet during each area Quarterly and Assembly; DCMs may also participate in Committee activities between meetings. GSRs who attend Quarterlies and Assemblies are assigned to committees on a random basis. Other members may normally attend the committee of their choice, except at the Pre-Conference Assembly, when all attendees are assigned to a specific committee.
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
Resources from A.A.®
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.