Western Washington Area 72 Alcoholics Anonymous

District Committee Member Job Description

“The District Committee Member is an essential link between the Group's G.S.R. and the Area's Delegate to the General Service Committee.  As the leader of the District Committee, made up of all G.S.R.s in the District, the D.C.M. is exposed to the Group Conscience of the District.  As a member of the Area Committee, he or she is able to pass on this thinking to the Area Delegate and the Area Committee.” - page S30, AA Service Manual

“The duties of a qualified District Committee Member range from a few to a lot, depending on how far along an area is in general service work.  But there is general agreement throughout all areas that duties should be spelled out in detail.  Not only does this help clarify what D.C.M.s should or should not be doing - it also has a strong morale effect; it makes each of them aware that a D.C.M. is an essential wing of the Area Committee.” - page S, AA Service Manual

With this in mind, the Western Washington Area 72 Committee has put together the following thoughts and information for the use of future D.C.M.s:

In the Western Washington Area 72 our D.C.M.s traditionally meet with the other members of the Area Committee in January, April and July.  The fourth meeting of the year is in October at the Western Washington Area 72 Assembly.  Some of the functions of the Area Committee members have been:

  1. Sharing experiences, ideas and problems in each of the Districts represented.
  2. Receiving information to take back to the Districts from our Delegate, other Area Officers and special committee chairpersons about G.S.O., the General Service Conference and various Area activities.
  3. Presenting, reviewing and/or clarifying motions concerning Area policy, procedure and organization.

We have found that the first two functions: experience sharing and information gathering, though often time consuming, have been enjoyable and worthwhile.  Efforts to shorten oral reports through time limitations and the submission of written reports will, we feel, prove effective.

The processing of motions has often been very confusing; therefore, we would like to share some of our experience about this important area of committee work:

  1. The idea for a motion can originate from an individual, a group, a district or from the floor of the committee meeting (see point #6 below) or Assembly.
  2. The Committee tries to be responsive to the needs of the Area by choosing the most appropriate course of action for each issue and by using the Traditions, The A.A. Service Manual and Concepts as guidelines.
  3. It would seem that some motions, such as non-controversial housekeeping actions which would ensure the orderly functioning of the Area, would be best handled and voted on at the committee level.  The Concepts clarify the advantages for the groups in being able to delegate such responsibilities to particular bodies within the service structure.
  4. Some situations may dictate that the Committee might need to take action at a quarterly committee meeting on an issue normally handled at Assembly.  In such a case, polling groups through their G.S.R.s has proven an effective procedure (75.1, 65.9).
  5. Some ideas or changes by their very nature or scope need to be put on the Assembly agenda for approval by the G.S.R.s (82.8).
  6. Ideally, motions to go before the Assembly will be presented to the Committee through the “quarterly process,” discussed, clarified and rewritten for inclusion on the Agenda.  One role of the Committee is to clarify the language and structure of all motions to insure that their intent is clear to the individual member or group in our Area (82.9, 84.1A).
  7. Ideally, motions intended for inclusion on the October agenda would be introduced at either the January or April meetings to insure ample time for their discussion, evaluation and clarification.
  8. Should the Committee choose to not include a proposed motion on the agenda, the makers of the motion could still present it as new business at the Assembly.
  9. The Committee, through the collective wisdom of its group conscience, seeks to represent the best interests of the Fellowship in Western Washington Area 72.

Finally, we would like to share a few recommendations based on our experience:

  1. Ample time should be made available during committee meetings for the discussion and clarification process.  The committee meetings should not be so formally structured that free discussion about a concept or new idea is discouraged because it is not in the proper form of a motion.  Communication has seemed more important than parliamentary procedure.
  2. We would hope that the Western Washington Area 72 Newsletter will be more frequently used as a forum not only for district activities and Area Activities, but also for new ideas, problems and proposed motions.  This would allow the Committee members time to gather information on an upcoming subject, get feedback from the groups in their Districts and come to the Committee meeting better prepared to reach an informal group conscience.
  3. Experience has shown that informal meetings by D.C.M.s from nearby districts have been valuable for the exchange of ideas and the clarification of issues.
  4. As the Fellowship continues to grow, many members feel that the Twelve Concepts should be more actively used to clarify issues of authority and responsibility within our Area service structure.

In summary, the Western Washington Area 72 Committee meetings, in our experience, have been opportunities for learning and growing within our Fellowship.  Here is the ideal place to work on the unity of our Area.  The quality of these meetings has often been directly proportional to the participation and preparation of the individual members.  We hope these thoughts will be helpful to new and future D.C.M.s on the Western Washington Area 72 Committee.