Get ready for WSC 2004!

We know that if we were to arrive at the conference tomorrow we would all be ready, right? Okay, well maybe not. We could always use a little help from those who have more experience than we do. We have compiled the following orientation material based on experiences gathered from current and past conference participants. As you will notice, we received only a narrow scope of personal experience (show in italics) from past conference participants.  We encourage you to make this orientation material more in-depth and multi-faceted by submitting your unique input from now until the conference. In the meantime, here are some tried-and-true strategies that worked for many conference participants as they navigated through a first (or second or third) WSC. Whether this is your first conference or whether you are a seasoned world services trusted servant, we hope this material will provide you with some basic and practical assistance—from preparing for travel to having a rewarding experience conference week. At the very least, these tips from fellow conference participants will hopefully be entertaining and serve as a break from all the service material you have been getting lately!

And of course, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call us. We are here to help and would be happy to assist in any way possible. We are looking forward to a great WSC 2004 and Moving Forward…together…Toward Our Vision.

v    Before the conference…group conscience and facilitating CAR workshops

As your region’s facilitator you might want to make a decision about whether or not you are going to be gathering a conscience or just providing information.  Different regions have a variety of ways of gathering a regional conscience.  Some regions have two meetings—one to distribute and discuss information and another to gather the conscience.

Be careful of your own biases about the specific service issues in the CAR. Try to be conscious of how much you are “swaying” the conscience of regional participants. Remember that we are supposed to be providing a balanced presentation of these issues. Another thing to consider when discussing motions with the members of your regions is that the wording of a motion can change on the floor of the conference.  Therefore, it is better to talk about the “spirit” or the guiding principles of the motion rather than the actual words.

Gathering a group conscience is more of a spiritual process rather than a parliamentary procedure.  It is more important to get a sense of what your regions really cares about than yes/no votes. As stated in the Sixth Concept, “Developing a collective conscience provides us with the spiritual guidance we need for making service decisions. We pray or meditate together, we share with one another, we consider our traditions, and we seek direction from a higher power.”  Since the conference is headed away from being dominated by motions, your regional conscience about various issues will be important during the discussion sessions. It is also likely that there will be some issues of importance to your local fellowship that are not represented in the motions, or anywhere else in the Conference Reports.  It is good to find out from your region what these things are so you can be better prepared for the discussion sessions when you get to the conference. The discussion questions contained within the CAR can help in generating these discussions with members of your region.

You may also want to get a clear idea from your region about how much latitude you have as the regional delegate. Some regions have only specific duties they would like their delegate to carry out and others might like to allow for more leeway.

Read the conference approval track material and make a decision about how much of that material you want to share with regional participants. The conference approval track material always comes up in new business and it is material that the conference decides on. It contains things such as the annual budget, project proposals, changes to service manuals, changes to standing rules of order at the conference or changes to election procedures.

Another thing to consider about facilitating CAR workshops is the following input offered by a conference participant:

I come from a small region that is still underdeveloped in some areas so I felt a little out of place with all the talk of CAR workshops and regional assemblies. I think it would be a great help for RDs who come from smaller developing regions to know that it’s okay not to have these things going on in their communities, that they take time and one day they will get there. They are not less of a community because they haven’t reached that stage. It’s ok to just be and to have done it differently.

v    Arriving at WSC 2004…

Try not to arrive on sight the day the conference begins.  It is better to participate in any pre-conference activities instead of just having to go directly into the conference.  The purpose of this is to begin the process of coming together, which will hopefully occur more intensely throughout the week.  The pre-conference activities should include some discussions about how the conference will attempt to build a community.  It will remind everyone that the conference is a place where everyone can listen, everyone can be heard, and we can begin to practice consensus-based decision-making.

If your region is a member of a zone you may want to find out if your zone will be meeting during the week.

Remember that the conference is the one week, every two years, where you get a chance to have face-to-face interactions with delegates from around the world, board members, and WSO staff—use this opportunity to begin a dialogue and to request any information your region may be wanting.

There should also be an orientation session at the conference that will provide specific information about elections, the layout of the conference, and any other specific information that you may need.  It is important attend this session!

v    Traveling, rooming, translations

In the coming weeks you will receive more specific travel information which you will want to pay close attention to.  Following is some experience offered by veteran conference participants about things to expect during conference week:

In LA, the downtown or public transportation isn’t helpful, but there are plenty of people here with cars.

There was a time when I had to share a room with someone who had a serious breathing problem. The best thing for me was to sort it out as soon as possible and not let it ruin my WSC. In that case I asked to change rooms, it was the best thing I could have done and it really worked out [see Mike Polin with questions about room changes during conference week]. I think it’s very important that the RDS know if they have these type of problems there is someone they can talk to freely about it and that a solution can be found other than putting up with it.

Filling out forms to do with money was a little frightening as I wasn’t really sure what was the right thing for me to spend or not spend. I asked other RDs what they were doing and their confusion helped me see that I was not alone. I tried to look for someone who I knew had experience, such as a world board member.

Obtaining the US visa was a trip. The first time I requested it I was turned down and I got angry and depressed, then I tried again with a more positive attitude I got it!

I have always needed translation in the WSC. I have been a good friend with all the translators and that has given me the trust to ask them questions when I didn’t understand something.

Always be sure to look after personal belongings.

Drink bottled water.

v    Maintaining sanity during conference week

As a funded world services traveler, you bear a unique set of responsibilities. Resisting the urge to escape to Disneyland, as well as having to work at staying emotionally present during the conference sessions, may become challenging during what can be a surprisingly taxing week. It cannot be stressed enough—make sure you are well rested and prepared for eight 8 to 14 hour days of information and interaction:

Every minute is not deadly serious—I got to meet new people and have a good time!

Everyone has their own physical and emotional limits and should honor those limitations.

When I had a roommate I asked him to say a prayer with me before we started the day at the.

I got up early to exercise a little bit in the morning and go in the Jacuzzi, so I can relax myself.

It is a good idea for the Latin American RD’s to have a recovery meeting everybody so the can focus better on the priorities of the day and to relax at night to go out for a walk with other RD’s and try not talk about the conference during the walk.

Make sure that I ate at the right times, when I had a break. Drink plenty of water and force my self to go to bed early. As an RD there is always excitement and socializing. I had to resist the urge to stay up all night drinking coffee.

A lot of other delegates will help you by “lending you their alternates”, I mean they will share information with you, give you their notes of a session that you might not have been able to attend, have their alternate help you with something.  ASK FOR HELP.  There are people willing and happy to help. 

I was so grateful for the recovery meetings built into the week’s agenda because it helped to remind me why I was here.

One other thing I suggest from personal experience.  This is a big one for me.  This is a direct suggestion.  When you go to dinner, or lunch, or breakfast, whatever, take a minute and get settled, then suggest to the delegates that you are eating with that you make this a “personal recovery only” dinner, only personal recovery allowed, no long discussions of motions, no talking about service.  It’s amazing that without setting this boundary you can spend a week with other people and at the end not actually know anything about them personally, besides what they feel about service stuff

There was a nine-hour time difference so I tried to fit in with the time in LA. Go to bed at the same time. Take things easy and let my body get use to it all.

 I tried to find myself a temporary sponsor so I knew I had someone who would listen to me if I wasn’t feeling good.

As I was on my own (no alternate) I felt that I could not leave the WSC at all, this was a mistake. When I did get an alternate I found the importance of stepping outside for a while and letting my head rest from too much information.

Phoning home was important too. The voice of a loved one or a friend outside the program was really helpful.

v    Business sessions vs. discussion sessions…

World services is working toward moving to a more discussion-based conference rather than a motion driven conference. You will find more specific information about what to expect at WSC 2004 in the conference reports. However, there are still four general sets of specific business sessions that you can expect to occur:

1.)    Old business—CAR motions & amendments. Every conference participant (delegates, alternates, and board members) may participate, but only RDs can vote.

2.)    Budget—projects are discussed and approved (RD or alternate can vote, as well as board members)

3.)    Elections (RD or alternate can vote, as well as board members)

4.)    New Business (RD or alternate can vote, as well as board members)

The discussion sessions have an extremely important purpose.  These sessions are where the conference, the body that has been charged with the duty of realizing the NA Vision Statement, can begin to realize that statement…(insert vision statement).  During the discussion sessions everybody participates, and both the delegate and the alternate have an equal voice. These sessions will be in the form of presentations, small group sessions, or some combination of both.

Remember that during this week long process the conference forms one of the most diverse communities in NA.  There will be worldwide participation by members, with varying lengths of recovery and service experience, helping to shape the future of NA. Following are tips gleaned from some of that diverse experience:

Motions and the like were complicated to start with. It took me some time to understand what was going on. Luckily I was sitting near some world board members and asked them for help. I asked the RDs who had been before to help me understand things and that really helped.

One suggestion I have in the way of the business or discussion session: if you have something to say get in line to say it, EVEN IF YOU ARE AFRAID OR THINK OTHER PEOPLE WILL COVER IT.  Listen while you are in line (or queue) and if you feel the essence of your point has been covered by another persons question or answer, don’t be afraid to pass when it comes to you.  Remember, we are working as a group together, you’re not just talking to hear your own voice, all questions and answers are useful to all listening so don’t be so self centered, ask your question as much for yourself as all others in attendance.  So often I either made the mistake of not getting in line and assuming that someone else would ask the question, OR feeling attached to my question that is so intelligent...  It’s a fine line.

v    Going home…reporting conference information to your regional service committee

You will leave the conference with more information than you can report. So, in a lot of ways you have to weigh the relative value of all the information gained during the discussion sessions of the conference.  For many, writing a more thorough report but presenting only the highlights is a good way to maintain the balance (between too much and too little information). Also remember that the results of the motions are important but the discussions that occur may be truly significant to your region; these discussions can often inform your region about issues that face the fellowship as a whole or that the regions have been asked to discuss, work on, or look at. It will help to keep track of support materials (from regions and the WSO) that you get during conference week to assist in your explanations back home.

It’s never too late share! We encourage you to continue to submit your own experience, strength, and hope so that no new conference participant need arrive at WSC 2004 unprepared.

Input received from Delegates from around the world

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