Characteristics of a Delegate
Delegates have personal qualities that prepare them for the often-challenging work at the World Service Conference meeting – the ability to work in harmony with others, even amid controversy; the stamina to stay focused for long hours during the busiest days of the WSC meeting; and the willingness to follow the spiritual principles by which the conference operates.
Duties of a Delegate
- Participate on a World Service Conference Committee throughout the conference year. The work of the World Service Conference occurs throughout the year. WSC committees develop and deliver services to GSA as a whole. The amount of time required varies.
- Committees meet on varying schedules – some twice a month, some monthly, some quarterly.
- Larger committees typically have subcommittees which may also meet regularly.
- Attend two Delegate Trainings. The first training occurs shortly after registration and the second occurs shortly before the WSC meeting. Because WSC meetings differ, the training is important for all delegates even if they previously attended a WSC meeting or Delegate Training.
- Training 1 on how to prepare for the WSC meeting held immediately after registration in the Spring.
- Training 2 on how to participate in the WSC meeting held immediately before the WSC meeting in the Fall.
- Attend the monthly Committees Connecting meetings throughout the year.
- Committees Connecting meetings take place on the 2nd Sunday of the month at 12 pm ET on Zoom (663-470-166). See the Delegate Calendar for details.
- In the six months prior to each WSC meeting, the Committees Connecting meetings inform delegates about the motions on which they will vote at the WSC meeting. Committees Connecting is an opportunity to ask questions and to provide input on these motions.
- In the six months following each WSC meeting, the committees inform delegates how they are implementing the decisions made by the delegates at the WSC meeting.
- Be familiar with the Twelve Traditions and Twelve Concepts. Delegates are encouraged to attend the monthly Twelve Traditions and Twelve Concepts meetings.
- 30-minute discussions on the 3rd and 4th Sundays 1 PM ET on Zoom.
- Delegates read the chapter in the A.A. Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions or the A.A. Service Manual before the meeting. Participants share about applying the Concept or Tradition to their work as delegates. Many find the discussion valuable even if they have not read the chapter.
- All GSA members are welcome to participate.
- Attend and encourage attendance at Quarterly Town Halls on the last Sunday of January, April, and July at 11 AM ET.
- Town Halls are open forums for members of the fellowship to ask questions, make suggestions, and raise concerns to the Board of Trustees and the World Service Conference
- Delegates encourage their group or intergroup members to attend and attend themselves to hear updates.
- Subscribe to Service Matters, where the links and notes for these meetings and other World Service updates are published. GSRs share information from Service Matters with their groups.
- Serve as liaisons between their group or intergroup and the conference throughout the year.
- In the six months prior to the WSC meeting, GSRs and ISRs explain the proposed motions to their groups and intergroups for their input.
- After the WSC meeting, the GSRs and ISRs report the decisions made at the WSC meeting to their groups and intergroups.
Delegate Training Overview
The following is an overview of the type of information covered in each delegate training session. Training materials (agendas, handouts, notes) for each session are provided to delegates before and after the session and can be found on the appropriate World Service Conference page.
Delegate Training 1: How to Prepare
The World Service Conference of GreySheeters Anonymous World Service is a business meeting where we make decisions for the future of our fellowship. One of our responsibilities as delegates is to come prepared, and some of the preparation requires that we start immediately.
- What’s different about this year’s conference meeting
- The role of a delegate and how to prepare
- Reading the motions and supporting documents
- Sharing the motions with my group or intergroup
- Answering my group’s questions about the motions
- Finding out my group’s conscience on the motions
- Approving the minutes from the previous WSC
- Studying the Twelve Traditions and the Twelve Concepts for World Service for the conference
- How to use the Zoom polling feature to vote on the motions
- What we will cover in Training #2 right before the conference meeting
Delegate Training 2: How to Participate in the Conference
The World Service Conference of GreySheeters Anonymous World Service is a business meeting where we make decisions for the future of our fellowship. As a formal meeting of 70+ delegates from all over the world, there are expectations and procedures to make everything run smoothly and fairly. This training will cover how the conference runs and the role each delegate is expected to play.
- The Standing Rules of the Conference
- What to bring to the Conference meeting
- How to read the agenda
- Book of Previous Conference Resolutions
- Participating in debate on the resolutions
- Asking a procedural question
- Dealing with technical issues