[Businessmtg] Requirements

[Sandie Parkker]

  I am going to quote and comment on Jerry's and Kim's responses.

 "Some members are too quick to equate their F2F meeting
greeter experiences with the requirements of this online format."

     I agree.  ASP is a whole different dimension of awareness than
 F2F.  With different requirements.  ASP has it's own flavor, if you will.

"In F2F new members can be gently brought into greeter service as they
slowly acquaint themselves with the Al-Anon basics. Much more is required
of our ASP Greeters including having to ask and answer some fairly
technical questions, track files, communicate well, etc."

I agree.  A kind of weeding out process making sure not to dilute the
Alanon principles and the principles this group has chosen through our
group process.

 "I guess what I'm getting around to is saying that we have a serious
problem with recruiting members to serve at all levels, and I believe the
solution is not cutting our participation requirements, but finding a way
to better encourage service as a significant part of personal recovery."

I agree.  Honestly, sometimes I wonder why we are spinning our wheels on
this subject, trying to force a solution.  I do think people need to step
up, but people have free will and can't be forced either.

What is the rush?  Can someone please explain this to me?

"Sponsors encouraging sponsees into service ["Get in the
   car."] Finding a way to keep the service workloads down on each
individual so no one feels burdened. Make service attractive instead of
onerous. Everyone bending over backward to keep all our service
communications civil and friendly. "

I agree to make service friendly and attractive.  How can we manage service
requirements without lowering the bar?

Sometimes sponsors don’t think their sponsees are ready for service.

 "This ties in with Kim's input about asking new ASP members to serve in
busy positions which could easily detract from their early ASP experience
and personal Al-Anon recoveries. Asking our very newest members to do what
our experienced members will not seems very upside down to me."

I agree.  What is the value of recovery?

Whether we all like it or not, we are all influenced by each other, if we
weren’t, we would not be here, chuckling.    Someone’s drinking bothered me
enough to do something about it.  Thank you Lois and Bill, our founders.
Can’t change the past.

I had to learn to crawl before I could stand and walk.  I had to be fed
before I could feed myself. Then I had to learn how to hold the fork and
spoon and learn to cut with a knife.


"This problem could be as simple as lowering our standards, but I don't
think so. When service is made attractive, people serve. If we do decide to
lower ASP's participation requirement for greeters to 6 months I believe we
should at least call it a trial measure so we can study the consequences
before making it permanent. That's my thinkin as of today anyway."

I agree, I don't think filling in service positions is that simple.  How
can we be the message of attraction?  In its pure form, *we *are the
message.  We carry the message to others.  Our program is based on
attraction.  We have something those without Alanon have.  How do we
portray it?

It seems to me this site ran ok, for over 20 years. It seems like a well
thought out plan IMHO.

You know, if you GOOGLE online Alanon groups, ASP comes up right at the
top.

I do know the meeting, a few years ago, ran into quite a long period of
rift , break, breach, and fracture and maybe, just maybe the meeting itself
needs some recovery time.

If it comes down to a trial basis lowering the requirements, I’m not crazy
about the idea.

I just know myself how unmanageable my life was when I found this Alanon
meeting.  Everyone was very friendly.

In addition, wouldn't that mean more oversight, more burden on the trainer
because of lowered standards? Trying to do with less ASP experience?  Would
not there be more room for error, as in rush thru and skip steps?  Idk.
Sometimes I see a stray post that does not mention alcoholism.  Who
discerns whether there is or isn’t alcohol? Our gate keepers, the Greeters.
   Greeters are important.  That’s why we have specific questions to gain
access to our site.  It’s a filter.  An ASP filter.

Another thought is at first when people enter into any Alanon meeting it is
usually done in the midst of a crisis.  People don’t and aren’t thinking
too clearly until they get some relief from the problem, which takes
whatever it takes or how ever long, individually.    Do we want gate
keepers in this state, screening members?

What do we want for the unanimity of our recovery meeting?

Is the ASP membership concerned with integrity and want  to develop, grow
and recover?  Some things to consider.  Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Regards,
  Beverly



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