Secretary Funding - 121.89 + 27.56 =$149.45

Updates on NAWS - The Board is recommending the seating of 5 new regions: North Carolina, Kentucky (Blue Grass Appalachian), Iran, South Africa, and Western Russia (C.A.T. page 115).

Public Relations Handbook: Chapters 1-9 have already been submitted to the fellowship for input and review. If the material is accepted by the fellowship, Chapters 10-13 will be reviewed by the Board and added to the handbook in the same way that the Sponsorship book was handled. The intent is to have the entire handbook approved at the Conference so as not to prolong the process until the next cycle.

CONFERENCE AGENDA REPORT

Motion 3 - The question was asked, were the World Board Members whose primary language is not English on board with this motion? The answer was 'yes.'

We have gotten review and input from all over the world relative to our new literature so that there seems to be enough of a timeframe for review and input. Also, the belief is that any group or area or country has the right to translate whatever literature is pertinent for that area of the world. It is not necessary for every country to translate all new literature.

Issue Discussion Topics -

Atmosphere of Recovery:
1. What is working within your group? That is, in what ways is your group carrying the message, rather than the disease?
- Keeping the meeting recovery-oriented
- Be welcoming to new members
- Income can play a part in the attendance of events
- Trusted Servant inventories to keep the group strong
- Give newcomers "information packets"
- Diversity of meeting formats

2. Who, from your local community is missing from your group and why do you think they might be missing?
- Cultural socialization
- Meetings have shrunk because of our behavior
- Spirit of disunity seems to prevail
- Members with substantial clean time are no longer showing up

3. What are some things that you can do as an individual to create and maintain the atmosphere of recovery in your home group? What can you do when you see things happening that take away from that atmosphere
a. Be still during the meeting; don't be disruptive
b. Be the power of example
c. Attend Business Meetings
d. Pay attention to the newer members

4. What are some of the things the group can do?
- Develop a strong Home Group
- Physical set-up of the meeting
- Periodic group inventories
- Avoid the "warm body syndrome"
- Clarify Trusted Servant positions

Leadership:
5. How do we, as a fellowship, better match people with positions - identify talent and match it to task?
a. Stick with the requirements of the position
b. Have clear description of the Trusted Servant position
c. Communicate the need for specific talents
d. Don't waive clean time

6. What steps can we take to help Trusted Servants to be more successful through mentoring, training, and orientation?
- Sharing the responsibilities of the position with your teammate
- Lovingly mentor prospective servants
- Developing orientation packets for various positions
- Passing on your resources
- Educate through PowerPoint presentations
- Make service attractive
- Overlapping Service Positions

7. How can we instill a sense of personal responsibility, ownership, and stewardship for the roles we take on?
- Make Servants financially accountable
- Recognition; give affirmations for service well done
- Appreciating the legacy; passing on our history
- Share service information
- Maintain a sense of being a "resource" after a position is fulfilled

8. What do we mean when we refer to "leadership" in NA? What is the difference between "leaders" and "leadership"?
- A leader is a person who practices these principles in all their affairs
- Leadership is synonymous with "cream always rising to the top"
- Leaders don't necessarily hold service positions

Targeted Literature:
- Literature for professionals regarding addicts on medication
- Mentally ill and recovery
- More digital technology
- Racism/ prejudice in recovery
- Literature for elderly
- Interacting with drug courts

Basic Tools for Groups, Areas, and Regions:

- Downloadable database maintained by NAWS
- How to run meetings with mentally ill members
- Make the NAWS meeting database accurate and interactive
- Guidance in the proper way to set up tax ids
Infrastructure:

13. Is the current structure in your local community best suited to carrying the message? What about the current structure could be better suited to carrying the message?
- Stronger PI involvement
- Geography makes it difficult
- Better communication
- Not enough people
- Insurance issues with facilities
- Area Conventions are a huge diversion of service resources
- Coordination between sub-committees
- Duplication of services
- We need to be willing to make changes in our service structure; demonstrate open-mindedness

14. What are we trying to accomplish and how can we best meet those needs? What are the underlying principles involved, and what is the basic minimum structure required?
- Start at the group level
- The underlying principle of service is selflessness
- To strengthen what we already have
- Getting past the fear of the unknown
- Being open to change
- Strengthening our commitment
- Trusting your trusted servants
- Mobile H&I panel
- Moratorium on starting new meetings

15. What are we doing for those we serve? If we are an area, what are we doing for our groups? A region, for our areas? A zone, for our regions?
- Keeping the lines of communication open to groups throughout the infrastructure
- Stress involvement
- Make sure information is detailed and accurate
- Responsibility for clear and accurate information on both ends of the communication line
- Hold information workshops
- Be a resource of information
- Having information and resources available

16. What can I do to make service more effective? Why should I be of service?
- Fulfill commitments
- Service keeps us clean and coming back
- The fellowship requires us to do service
- Encourage others to be of service
- Be responsible to the commitment
- I need service to stay alive
- Selflessness; giving back
- Make service exciting
- The antidote to self-centeredness is service
- Make myself visible and available
- Creates a world-wide network

Sunday, January 29, 2006

- Northern New York Region put forth a proposal to host the NEZF in July of 2007 at their Regional Convention. The vote was passed to accept this proposal.

- We have June 23-25, 2006 in Northern New England scheduled for the NEZF in July of 2006. We will be meeting in Manchester, New Hampshire.

- We are tentatively scheduling the hosting by Northern New Jersey of the NEZF for January 19-21, 2007.

- Ad Hoc: A committee was put together for the purpose of considering the zonal interest of having Zone wide Workshops.

- Discussion of Administrative Committee Report

- Total cost for hosting the NEZF for this session was approximately $3,300.00.

- The topic for the next NEZF sharing session will be Conference Experience and the two Issue Discussion Topics that would come out of the World Service Conference.

- We are planning to have a Zonal Report (oral and written) to submit to the WSC. We have elected Jim G. (Zonal Vice Chair) to give the report.