Links of Service
Through service and voluntary contributions, each Al-Anon meeting we attend is supported by an Al-Anon Family Group (AFG), which is a fellowship of those whose lives have been affected by the family disease of alcoholism. Al-Anon’s Twelve Traditions and Twelve Concepts of Service guide AFG members as they work together in unity as a Group.
When a decision affecting the whole Group is to be made, the matter is discussed openly in a meeting and all possibilities are voiced so the Group can arrive at an informed group conscience. Once this group conscience is reached, everyone agrees to support the decision, which strengthens the unity of the Group.
Group Representative
Each AFG elects a Group Representative (GR) who serves as an essential link in the chain of communications throughout the Al-Anon organization as a whole. The GR attends District Meetings and Area Assemblies to solve their common problems and to vote on behalf of the Group on any matter that arises.
Most of these matters are brought to the GRs by those who manage the day-to-day operations of the District and the Area (i.e., officers, coordinators, and committees). The research and recommendations brought to the GRs by these officers, coordinators, and committees are openly discussed by the GRs — just as they are among the members of each AFG — so an informed group conscience can be reached. In our case, these decisions would become the group conscience of District 11 (in Marin County, California) and of NCWSA (the Northern California World Service Area).
GRs also carry back to their Groups the information they glean at District Meetings and Area Assemblies.
District Representative
District business meetings are led by a District Representative (DR) elected by the GRs of that District. In preparation for — and as a followup to — these meetings, the DR facilitates the flow of communications between the GRs, District Officers, and District Coordinators. DRs are also part of the Area World Service Committee (AWSC), which is tasked with discussing Area and District matters, planning and preparing for Assemblies, initiating Area-level projects, and formulating recommendations to be presented at an Assembly. As a service link, DRs provide Area-level information to GRs in their Districts by maintaining open communications with the Area Delegate and with fellow members of the AWSC.
Area Delegate
The Area Delegate brings the group conscience of all AFGs in a defined Area (e.g., Northern California) to the World Service Conference (WSC), which is held annually as Al-Anon’s largest group conscience. Matters are openly discussed at WSC meetings and then brought to a vote by the Area Delegates. Elected by GRs, each Area Delegate is the link of service and communications between AFGs within a particular Area and both the WSC and Al-Anon’s World Service Office (WSO).
WSC and WSO
Written information regarding topics of discussion and decisions made at each World Service Conference is prepared for circulation to all AFGs by the WSO. It is important to remember that these are not mandates issued by the WSO but, rather, documented clarification of the group conscience of all AFGs through these links of service. This process of attaining an informed group conscience at every organizational level ensures that Al-Anon members can gather together for AFG meetings that are consistent with the principles of this worldwide fellowship.