New England Region of Narcotics Anonymous Basic Website

Baltimore Service System Workshop - Sunday Wrapping Up and Moving Forward

We watched another WCNA type video

Over the weekend there was a place on the wall in the corner of the room where we could post questions on the wall and then during this session they would be answered. Here are some of them:

* Why is December 31st the deadline? Can it be extended so that we can have local Area and Regional Workshops? Answer: This only the first phase of the process. This first phase deadline is set to give the WB a chance to get the input from the workshops. Then they take the input to help reshape proposals. If the WB need to tweak the proposals, this will give them the time to re-release the proposals and get ready for the CAR. Also, the Service System Workgroup is meeting in January and they need the input for their meeting. Please continue to have workshops after the 12/31 deadline.
* Are the models already 90% decided? No! The fellowship needs to impact the project. It means that we create the atmosphere and opportunity for impacting.
* How much input has been received? (It sounded like not much) Some is coming through the discussion board http://disc.na.org/servsys/index.php and the rest has come through these workshops
* Who is missing from these workshops? There are probably a lot of people missing from these workshops. This is a partnership and a team effort. Tell people - and have workshops.
* (Missed the question) Planning is critical. Mutual respect is something that is important to me in my homegroup.
* What specifically is meant by local service delivery? Phoneline, H&I, Meeting Lists, some PI, etc. We carry the message in two ways. One way is to the people inside the fellowship. The other way is to people who have not found us yet. The (GSU) Group Support Unit would be used for carrying the message inside the Fellowship and the (LSU) Local Service Unit is for carrying the message outside the fellowship.
* What are some ideas of additional services that could result from the new service structure? (Don't think there was an answer to this)
* Do we have specific ideas of what we don't want to change? The Fellowship has a spontaneous wave communicating empathy and compassion. We want to improves service delivery. In some places outside the United States, many one region countries are already using elements of these proposals. Used a consultant to help with the discussions. We already have a framework and a structure. We do not have to start from scratch. If you look at NA from the outside, we are not that big of a world. Inside NA , we think we are big. Around the world there is a huge need to know about NA. Three things that will not change are atmosphere of recovery, meetings and things that work.
* Co-ops are like intermediate bodies. Why can't we modify the existing service structure? We are trying to improve what works and improve the deficiencies. The existing model: if nothing changes, nothing changes. We can improve. The World Board belief is that the existing model does not meet the foundational principles
* Is it possible to separate WSC Seating from the other issues? We really need to talk about Service System as a whole. We will continue to talk about the seating issue.
* How about retaining regions as currently formed, but creating intermediate bodies along geographic boundaries as needed? We need to continue to talk about this but this about our communications with the outside NA. (I might not have gotten this right). Intermediate bodies are a last resort to fill a gap.

A few Comments from the floor with a couple of questions thrown in:

* In earlier times NA Service was a bunch a warring factions
* Skeptics are not necessarily enemies
* The vast majority of the WSC is not the same as the vast majority of the Fellowship
* Listen to your critics
* Don't set up people to work against each other.
* We serve people that are not asking for us to serve them
* We are trying to get a better handle of how input is counted. Does a piece with 50 people participating count as one or fifty? Good question. When you send in your input, please let us know how many people participated.
* Instead of replacing the whole thing, why not just replace the broken parts? We hear you and and are continuing to look at input. Just because you can do something, does not mean it is beneficial
* Homegroup used to love CAR workshops, group feels disconnected from World Services
* Us versus them - some of us may feel that way even in our homegroup, not just with NAWS
* Regional Motions in the CAR - it is the hope that we build up a knowledge base at home so that motions do not have to be put in the (CAR) Conference Agenda Report. Solutions can happen closer to home
* Why is it that sometimes there is regional motion in the CAR and the WB will decide to NOT RECOMMEND FOR ADOPTION and then start to do it any way (medallions). Instead of saying WE RECOMMEND so that we can feel better about this process? The WSO can accomplish things without a CAR motion.
* What is the game plan for the input? Does the WB plan on releasing details compiled to us so that we can see it. Details such as statistical or direction the input is leading you? For instance on the In Times of Illness; what was the input what was changed? What can I tell the local fellowship? Reporting comes from the WB. No report comes from the Service System Workgroup to the Fellowship, only through the World Board.
* Will the World Board release info on the types of specific input so we can gauge the direction this project is going? The WB might talk about doing this (Then again they might not)
* The next NAWS News is out December 1, 2010. Will there any specifics by then? No, the Workgroup will not be meeting before January.
* Has the workgroup done an impact study as to how much this will all cost? Cost of all the literature that needs to revised, the service handbooks scrapped? This project was budgeted $150,000.00 (not sure if this is for both cycles or just this one). The literature cost is very small, just production costs.
* Has the workgroup considered the geography issue impact on the local fellowship? Geography is definitely in the thinking of the workgroup
* Funding NA Services: Where do RSOs and Conventions fit into this proposed new system? RSOs and conventions are not a part of the delegate train, but are part of the discussion. Last WB meeting (last week) we talked about events and how they sometimes consume a lot of resources and how they sometimes generate a lot of resources. We also talked about they sometimes create strife, not the conventions themselves, but the planning and the followup. We also talked incorporated service bodies, such as regions

NAWS Update:

* As of April 2010 there were 58,390 known meetings in the world.
* Literature sales and fellowship contribution are down.
* Operating reserve down to 2 months. It was approaching a 1 year reserve, but the economic downturn hit NAWS hard like everyone else
* Expenses and demand for services continue to increase
* Raised shipping charges to more reflect real costs
* Raised price of literature overseas
* Reduced WSO expenses across the board
* Reduced attendance at fellowship events and conventions
* Reduced attendance at Professional events. Our Public Relations efforts have been downsized
* Reduced translation projects
* Reduced our subsidized to literature distribution to poor fellowships and emerging fellowships from $700,000.00 to $300,000.00
* Stopped automatic paper subscriptions to the NA Way. The subscription database has been purged. Members must resubscribe to paper or e-subscribe for the digital version. The digital version has some features the the paper version does not. Bulk subscription is available for service bodies on request
* World Board not attending as many Zonal Forums and sending less WB members and staff when we do attend. Sometimes there is only one person and no staff
* These 5 Service System Workshops replace the World Wide Workshops that would have been held during this Conference Cycle

New Literature:

* (Revised) In Times of Illness
* IP #24 Money Matters
* IP #28 Funding NA Services

World Board Created Material

* PR Basics http://www.na.org/admin/include/spaw2/uploads/pdf/PR/PR_Basics.pdf
* H&I Basics http://www.na.org/admin/include/spaw2/uploads/pdf/PR/PR_H_I_Packet.pdf
* Literature Survey http://questionnaire.disc.na.org/index.php?sid=99433 or http://www.na.org/admin/include/spaw2/uploads/pdf/conference/2010_Fellow...

Coming Soon:

* Spanish 6th Edition Basic Text - December 2010
* Spanish Commemorative Edition Basic Text - December 2010
* Large Print 6th Edition (not sure when)
* Planning Basics (not sure when)

* WCNA 34 in San Diego going on sale in late 2010
* Living Clean input deadline on the last chapters December 31, 2010. The approval form (not Review and Input) will be available in April 2011. Book length pieces are out to the Fellowship for a year. This will be presented in the 2012 Conference Agenda Report
* There is a reporting template tool for RCMs being developed
* RD Reporting template already in use.

This is about all I have for notes. I know that I didn't get everything, but at least you have an idea of the weekend.

Thanks for listening,
Chris R