AAWS:
AA World Services Inc. is one of the two operating corporations of the General Service Board (The AA Grapevine Inc. is the other one); it oversees the General Service Office in NYC and publishes both Conference-approved literature and service material.
Alternate (as
in Alt. Delegate or Alt. GSR):
An AA member and service worker who supports and assists a trusted servant, substituting for that trusted servant when necessary.
Appointed Committee Member:
An AA member serving on an Area Committee who is not a DCM or GSR, generally someone with knowledge and experience in the field.
Area:
A geographical division within a
state. Each Area elects one General Service
Conference Delegate. Ohio is divided into four Delegate Areas.
Area Assembly:
A meeting of GSRs and DCMs to discuss
Area affairs and, once every two years, to elect a Delegate and Area officers.
Area 56 meets twelve times per year. Some meetings are Assemblies (voting takes
place) and others are Committee Meetings.
Area Committee:
A committee made up of DCMs and Area Officers which serves as a "steering committee" for the area.
Conference:
See General Service Conference
Conference-Approved
Literature, Videos & Films:
Pamphlets, books, videos and films
which the appropriate Conference committees have reviewed and reported favorably
to the General Service Conference meeting for its approval, and which have been
approved by the Conference.
C. P. C. Committee:
Cooperation with the Professional
Community - the committee charged with informing professionals in the community
- doctors, educators, court officials, the clergy, and others who are often in
contact with active alcoholics.
DCM:
The District Committee Member. An
experienced GSR elected by the other GSRs to carry the collective group
conscience of the AA Groups in the District to the Area Committee. The DCM is
the vital link between each group's GSR, and the Area service structure. The
qualifications for a good DCM are not complicated:
background in AA service work that goes with the GSR job, and perhaps some
Central Office or
Intergroup service; enough sobriety (say four to five years) to be eligible for
election to Area office; and the time and energy to serve the
Groups and District well.
In districts which have become
inactive, the Delegate or Alt. Delegate may appoint a DCM to reactivate and stir
interest in the district. Duties of the DCM include holding regular
meetings of all GSRs in the District, assisting the Delegate in obtaining Group
information in time to meet the deadline for appropriate AA directories, keeping
GSRs informed about Conference activities, acquainting GSRs with the Service
Manual and other AA literature, holding
workshops on carrying the message of the Seventh Tradition to non-supporting AA Groups, holding sharing sessions on just about any service
subject, and talking to Groups on the responsibilities of General Service work.
Delegate:
The AA member elected every two years
to represent the Area at the annual General Service Conference in New York City
and report back to the Area.
Director (non-trustee):
Non-trustee member of the board of AAWS or The AA Grapevine Inc., selected for relevant business or professional service.
District:
A geographical division within an
Area which is represented by a DCM. Area 56 is divided into 30 Districts.
District Meeting:
The meetings of the DCM with the GSRs
of the Groups in the District.
The General Service Office located in New York City that supports AA service activities worldwide.
GSR:
The General Service Representative is
an AA member elected by the Group to voice the Group's opinion at the Area.
Voting members of the area assembly, GSRs elect the DCM, the Delegate and other area officers.
Grapevine representative; the group or district contact with the Grapevine office.
General Service
Conference:
The annual meeting of Area Delegates
held each April in New York City.
General Services:
Movement-wide services performed by anyone in the general service structure.
The Grapevine is the international monthly journal of AA and is often described as "our meeting in print." Conference Advisory Action, 1986: "Since each issue of the Grapevine cannot go through the Conference-approval process, the Conference recognizes the Grapevine as the international journal of Alcoholics Anonymous." The AA Grapevine Inc. is one of the two operating corporations of the General Service Board (AAWS is the other).
Group Conscience:
The group conscience is the
collective conscience of the group membership and thus represents substantial
unanimity on an issue before definitive action is taken. It should be fully
informed and is generally ascertained at a group’s business meeting.
Mini-Conference:
Yearly conference held in late winter
by Area 56. The purpose of the Mini-Conference is to shape the Group Conscience
for the Delegate to take to the General Service Conference in New York City each
April. GSRs receive questions and issues from the
Delegate to discuss with their Groups. The GSR brings back the results to the
Mini-Conference for a vote.
Panel:
The
service structure involving DCMs, GSRs,
area officers and other area committee members
for a specific
two-year period.
P. I. Committee:
Public Information - the committee charged with informing the general public about AA Area 56's PI Committee is currently merged with its CPC Committee.
Region:
A
grouping of several Areas from which a Regional
Trustee comes to the Board of Trustees. There are six regions in the US
and two in Canada. Ohio is part of the East Central Region, which
consists of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio & Wisconsin.
Sharing Session:
A meeting which can take place on any level in which everyone is invited to contribute ideas and comments on AA matters and during which no actions are taken.
Third Legacy:
AA's Third Legacy is Service, the sum
total of all AA services from a 12th-Step call to worldwide activities.
Recovery and Unity are AA's other two legacies.
Third Legacy Procedure:
The Third Legacy Procedure is an
electoral system unique to AA. It is presented in detail in the Service
Manual and may involve going to “The Hat.”
Trustee:
A member of AA’s General Service Board, the chief arm of the Conference. Fourteen Trustees are AA members (Class B); seven are non-alcoholic (Class A). The Board administers overall policy and finance.
Many of the above definitions are from the Glossary of Conference Language found in "The A. A. Service Manual."