The World Service Office maintains a set of guidelines concerning the position of group representative on its website. The following description is based on our experience of being group representatives in Ottawa.
Nurture the Group
Serving as the Group Representative is an opportunity for an Al-Anon member to understand better the needs of an Al-Anon group and the world-wide fellowship of Al-Anon as a whole. The group grows stronger as more of its members serve in this position. The following list of responsibilities are shared among all of the members of the groups in accordance with Tradition 7. The GR understands the following responsibilities and fulfills them as required:
- encourages group members to become involved in group service such as greeting, chairing, set-up and clean-up, reading the newcomer’s welcome and the page of the day, and speaking
- ensures that the other service positions within the group (meeting secretary, phone list custodian, alternative GR, group treasurer, and literature coordinator) are filled
- ensures that there is a place to hold the weekly group meeting and that arrangements are made to pay the rent for this place
- ensures that there is a chairperson for each meeting
- ensures that the group anniversary is celebrated
- ensures that a group inventory is periodically taken
- takes a group conscience on issues of concern to the group
- educates group members on the role played by Al-Anon as a whole in nurturing groups and members and encourages members to become involved in service to Al-Anon as a whole
Attend the District Meeting
The GR meets once a month with the other GRs in the District and with the District Rep (DR). At this meeting the GR does the following:
- learns about the Twelve Concepts of Service
- volunteers his/her group to host the Sunday morning McNabb Open Speaker Meeting for a particular date
- listens to reports from Tradition 9 service committees (AIS, TAS, Alkathon, Al-Anon Day, Alateen, etc.)
- listens to and vote on funding proposals (for example, to advance funds to the Al-Anon Day committee to rent a hall)
- listens to financial reports from the District Treasurer
- listens to event notices from other groups and districts (anniversaries, conferences, workshops)
- announce events hosted by his/her group such as its anniversary
- plan participation in the annual Ontario South Assembly, the business meeting of all GRs and DRs in the Ontario South Area
- does his/her turn at taking minutes of the meeting and typing these up for the DR to distribute
- participates in discussions of issues which affect the Al-Anon groups in Ottawa and where necessary, takes part in a group conscience on these issues
Report on the District Meeting
The GR holds a business meeting with his/her group once a month to report on the District meeting. At this meeting the GR does the following:
- passes on information about conferences, workshops, and group anniversaries to the members
- passes on information about service opportunities such as answering the phone for the Telephone Answering Service and participating in the running of a special event like Al-Anon Day
- takes a group conscience on issues requiring feedback from the group to the District meeting
- makes motions to the group to fund the District, Ontario South Area, and the World Service Office after ensuring that the financial needs of the group are met first
- asks the group to volunteer to host a Sunday Morning McNabb Open Speaker meeting
Attend the Ontario South Assembly
Once a year the GR attends the Ontario South Assembly. In preparation for this meeting, the GR must do the following:
- ensure that the Group sets aside enough money in reserve to pay for his/her travel and living expenses for that weekend
- review the Area World Service Conference (AWSC) report prepared by the DR; the AWSC meeting precedes, and sets the agenda for, the Assembly
- review the Assembly material distributed by the Ontario South Area executive prior to the Assembly
- take a group conscience, where appropriate, on any issues which will be discussed at Assembly
The GR attends the Ontario South Assembly business meetings and represents his/her group in the discussions and votes.
At the first opportunity the GR reports to his/her group on the proceedings of the Assembly.