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Al-Anon/Alateen Structure
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The Three Legacies:
Al-Anon’s Guiding Principles
Al-Anon has three
sets of guiding principles that are referred to as our Three Legacies. These Legacies were adapted from Alcoholics
Anonymous. The Legacies include:
Recovery through the Twelve Steps,
which encourage individual members to carry the Al-Anon message to others. The Twelve Steps of Al-Anon are a practical tool for change for
Al-Anon members. They help us find answers to our questions and solutions to our
problems, and to make peace with the past and live productively in the present.
The Twelve Steps guide us to acknowledge our powerlessness over alcoholism,
find a power that can help us change our lives, change our attitudes and
actions to be more productive and more loving, and share these gifts with
others. The Twelve Steps offer help and hope.
Al-Anon’s Twelve Steps, copyright 1996 by
Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc.
Reprinted
with permission of Al-Anon
Family Group Headquarters, Inc.
Unity through the Twelve Traditions, which protect the Al-Anon groups from influences that might distract
or disrupt them from their common purpose. The Twelve
Traditions of Al-Anon are a set of guidelines for the Al-Anon program. The
Twelve Traditions help us to maintain unity. They help to hold our program
together so we can provide a consistent message of hope, un-influenced by
outside interests, for Al-Anon members and newcomers. Since there are no rules in Al-Anon, our
Twelve Traditions form a framework for us to carry out our group activities,
resolve conflict, and solve problems. Many Al-Anon members find that principles
of the Twelve Traditions also assist them in their personal lives and
relationships.
Al-Anon’s
Twelve Traditions, copyright 1996 by Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters,
Inc.
Reprinted
with permission of Al-Anon
Family Group Headquarters, Inc.
Service through the Twelve Concepts of
Service, which provide a guide for Al-Anon service. The Twelve Concepts of Service of Al-Anon are a guide for
broad-scale service within the Al-Anon program. They provide guidelines for
spreading Al-Anon’s message world-wide.
The Twelve Concepts illustrate how Al-Anon members can apply the
principles of the Al-Anon program to the working relationships in within
Al-Anon’s service structure. They help
us to make cooperative and practical decisions about issues that involve
others. Many members have found the principles of the Twelve Concepts to also
be a helpful tool to apply to their personal and work situations.
Al-Anon’s
Twelve Concepts of Service, copyright 1996 by Al-Anon Family Group
Headquarters, Inc.
Reprinted
with permission of Al-Anon
Family Group Headquarters, Inc.
In addition, the General
Warranties of Al-Anon provide guidelines for the proceedings of the
World Service Conferences of Al-Anon, which is held annually to maintain
communication between individual groups and the Al-Anon service structure.
The General
Warranties of Al-Anon are reprinted with permission of ©Al-Anon Family Group
Headquarters, Inc.,
Structure of the Al-Anon/Alateen
Fellowship
This is intended
to provide a general overview of the structure within the Al-Anon organization.
We suggest referring to the Al-Anon/Alateen Service Manual or the World Service web site Member’s Area for detailed
information. The
following descriptions may vary in Al-Anon around the world. In general, Al-Anon is structured to provide
a chain of communication and input from the membership, to each group, to the
district level, to the area level and area assembly, to the World Services
Conference, and back through the same chain to the membership.
The membership is the keystone of the
Al-Anon fellowship.
The basic unit of Al-Anon is the
Al-Anon or Alateen group, which may consist of any two or more individuals
coming together for mutual help. The group membership may elect officers, who are
considered “trusted servants” and have responsibilities towards the operations
of the group, but no authority over the group.
Officers are usually rotated periodically, to provide everyone with an
opportunity to serve the group. Our
fourth Tradition states, “Each group should be
autonomous, except in matters affecting another group or Al-Anon or AA as a
whole.” Structure within groups varies. Suggested
officers and duties of group officers can be found in the Al-Anon/Alateen Service
Manual. Each group is encouraged to elect a group representative to attend and vote at district
meetings. See our Meetings
page for a list and description of the groups within District 5 of
Michigan. Click here
to see a list of the
ID numbers of groups within District 5 that are registered with the Al-Anon
World Service Office.
Beyond the Group Level
Districts are formed by and made
up of Al-Anon/Alateen groups located within a city or state. Each district may
have officers and/or coordinators. Districts hold meetings periodically. Each group is encouraged to provide a “group representative” to attend and vote at district
meetings. Each district elects a “district
representative” to represents the district at area assemblies and World
Service Committee meetings. The district
that includes most of
Al-Anon Information Services (Intergroups)
are local service centers established by one or more districts or groups. An
information service functions to maintain and facilitate communications and
cooperation among member districts and groups, and assist districts and groups
in outreach to others. Al-Anon Information Services hold periodic meetings
attended by information service representatives, where matters affecting groups
are discussed in light of the Twelve Traditions. The WSO developed guidelines for information services.
Areas are comprised of
groups and districts in a geographical area, usually an entire state or
province. The Upper and
The area assembly is a
business meeting where participating members share experiences and ideas, and
group representatives vote on behalf of their members. An area assembly meets
at least once every three years, and may meet more often. In
The Area World
Service Committee plans for the
general improvement of both the area assembly and the Al-Anon groups. Voting
members of the Area World Service Committee (AWSC) meeting are usually officers
of the Assembly, District Representatives, and service coordinators and
liaisons from any Information Services (i.e. Intergroups.) These meetings are
called and chaired by the Area Chairperson for the purpose of informing and unifying
all groups within the Area. At these meetings, the Delegate gives a report,
Area matters are considered and discussed, items of interest for the Area
newsletter may be suggested, Assembly agendas are planned, the Area budget is
prepared, and the need for new or alternative suggestions to those listed in
the Al-Anon Service Manual may be studied so that these findings and questions
can be presented at the Area Assembly.
Questions that can not be resolved at the District or Assembly level are
compiled to be submitted to the World Service Office.
There are two major lines of
communication between the individual groups and Al-Anon as a whole:
1) The World Service Conference serves Al-Anon groups in the
2) The
World Service Office (WSO) is the clearinghouse
and headquarters of the Al-Anon Family Groups. The WSO acts as the service
center for groups throughout the world, and is the link with other national
general service offices, several of which have their own conferences. The WSO
publishes all conference-approved literature. Work at the WSO is performed by
paid staff, some of whom are Al-Anon members, and by volunteer Al-Anon members.
The
WSO Board of Trustees serves as the legal entity responsible for administering
Al-Anon’s services and funds, and meets quarterly. The Executive Committee,
which is a service arm of the Board of Trustees, is delegated by the Board of
Trustees to make administrative decisions between Board meetings, and meets
monthly. There are several committees, each of which consists of a Conference
staff member, a volunteer Chairperson and other volunteers that meet regularly
to perform services designated to their committee and to assist with problems
that may arise. The
relationship of the WSO to the groups is explained in “Al-Anon’s Twelve
Concepts of Service.”
Regional Service Seminars (RSS) take the World
Service Office (WSO) out of
District 5
Al-Anon/Alateen –
How does your district work?
District 5 of Al-Anon
includes the area in and around
District
5 meetings
District 5 usually
holds meetings three times a year. Each group within the district is encouraged
to elect a group representative to attend these meetings. Many groups also
elect an alternate group representative.
Each group may have one person vote on its behalf when a vote is taken
on district issues or for district officers.
Any member who wishes to attend district meetings is welcome to do so.
The dates and location of district 5 meetings are posted on our Announcements page and Business
page.
District
5 officers
District 5
officers are elected from among District 5 group representatives and
members. Our District 5 officers
include:
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District Representative, Alternate District Representative, Treasurer,
Secretary, Group Records, Public Outreach, District Alateen Coordinator.
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For a description of District 5 officers’ service
responsibilities, please click here.
Please see our business page to
learn who our current District 5 officers are!
Al-Anon/Alateen Officers
Beyond the Group Level – Our “trusted servants”
Service provides personal benefits to the
individuals who perform it as well as to other Al-Anon members and to Al-Anon
as a whole.
Al-Anon’s Tradition Two states, in part, “Our
leaders are but trusted servants – they do not govern.” For a pictorial representation of the
opportunities for and personal benefits of providing Al-Anon service beyond the
group level, please see the Al-Anon publication, “Joy Of Service” (S-57.) For a pictorial representation of
the Al-Anon service structure, please see the Al-Anon publication, “Links Of Service” (S-28.) Reprinted with permission of
©Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc.,
For comprehensive information about the
responsibilities of various officers, we suggest referring to the
Al-Anon/Alateen Service
Manual.
Quoted
Tradition Two excerpt is reprinted with permission
of ©Al-Anon Family Group
Headquarters, Inc.,
It is
required that the district representative and the
alternate district representative must be current or past group
representatives (elected by their Al-Anon or Alateen group to represent the
group at the district level.) Other
district officers may be elected from the general Al-Anon/Alateen membership.
Al-Anon and Alateen members who are
also members of A.A. may hold office within their own Al-Anon or Alateen group,
but may not serve as Al-Anon group representatives or hold Al-Anon office
beyond the group level, per decision of the Al-Anon World Service Conference.
This was decided in order to avoid potential conflicts of interest if members
of A.A. also become members of the World Service Conference.
We suggest referring to the Al-Anon/Alateen Service Manual for detailed
information about the responsibilities of various officers at the group level,
district level, and beyond the district level. The responsibilities of the group and
district representatives, as suggested by the Al-Anon/Alateen Service manual,
follow. Groups may also elect an
alternate group representative and districts may elect an alternate district
representative to assist with these responsibilities.
Group Representative:
The group representative is elected for a three
year term. The group representative attends maintains communication between his
or her group and the district, and the group and the Area World Service
Committee. The group representative votes on behalf of the group.
Responsibilities include:
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Attends
District meetings
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Attends
Area Assembly meetings
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Maintains
an up to date current mailing address for his/her group with the World Service
Office
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Represents
the group’s views to the district representative and at district meetings, and
keeps the group informed of district news
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Assists
with local public outreach
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Reminds
the group of the seventh Tradition and encourages group-level support of the
Worlds Service Office
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Encourages
use of Conference-Approved Literature at meetings
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Encourages
subscriptions to the Forum (Al-Anon’s monthly magazine)
District Representative:
The district representative must be elected from
among incoming, outgoing, or active past group representatives from the
district. The district representative maintains communication between the
district and the Area Assembly. Responsibilities include:
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Calls
and chairs district meetings, at regular intervals
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Helps
to disseminate Conference information and reports
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Keeps
in touch with the group representatives in the district and represents their
views to the Area World Service Committee or the Delegate.
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Helps
groups in the district (especially new groups) receive necessary information
and help
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Helps
groups in the district understand and apply the Traditions
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Prepares
a current mailing list of the district’s group representatives in the district
for the Area World Service Committee
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Encourages
groups in the district to return the group data sheets that are sent out by the
World Service Office each year
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Checks
with the group representatives to be sure the group mailing address is current
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Checks
that the groups are receiving and sharing mail from the World Service Office
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Attends
World Service Committee meetings and reports on activities within his/her
district
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Notifies
the Area World Service Committee and the World Service Office of groups that
have disbanded
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