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Service
WCNA 32—Professional Panels For the first time in the history of NA world conventions, NA World Services hosted two professional workshops at WCNA-32. One focused on cooperation with criminal justice professionals, and the other on cooperation with medical and treatment professionals. Over 500 NA members and professionals from the San Antonio, Texas, USA, area, attended each workshop. The criminal justice panel was comprised of a former director of volunteer services for the Texas Department of Corrections, a current Addiction Services Bureau chief for the New Mexico (USA) Department of Corrections, and the immediate past CEO of the National Association of Drug Court Professionals and past executive director of the National Drug Court Institute in the United States. In the dialogue with members following the professional presentations, members discussed the influx of drug court clients into meetings. They explored the idea of holding “new-member workshops” at the courthouse that would function as introductory NA meetings. They also discussed the concept of meeting in-custody addicts when they are released. They took an especially close look at some of the issues that could keep NA members on the outside from doing this, particularly in larger criminal justice facilities. The medical and treatment panel participants included a physician who is the director of operations for a treatment center in Texas, a physician from Texas specializing in addiction and substance abuse medicine, a lobbyist based out of Washington, DC, USA, and a physician who works in treatment in New Mexico. Their discussion with our members focused on welcoming clients who are receiving medication as part of their treatment as well as those who receive drug replacement medications. The newly released service pamphlet, NA Groups and Medication, was highlighted as a resource that may help groups maintain an atmosphere of recovery and focus on our primary purpose. Additionally, the physicians asserted that NA needs to make a concerted effort to become part of every medical school’s curriculum. The physicians said that none of them received more than six hours of addiction training during their years of schooling. NAWS Professional Conferences Over the past six months, NAWS participated in eight professional conferences. Participating in these conferences allows us to work toward our vision that “one day Narcotics Anonymous has universal recognition and respect as a viable program of recovery.” Professionals in the treatment, medical, and criminal justice fields increasingly consider NA as a program that can help support their clients’ recovery. Annual conferences we participated in recently include: American Probation and Parole Association (Atlanta, Georgia, USA); Federal Probation Association (Nashville, Tennessee, USA); American Society of Addiction Medicine (Miami, Florida, USA); American Jail Association (Nashville, Tennessee, USA); National Association of Drug Court Professionals (Washington, DC, USA); Institute for Integral Development (Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA); and the American Corrections Association (Kansas City, Missouri, USA). At most of these events, local service committee members helped NAWS by providing information about Narcotics Anonymous to professionals and obtaining their contact information for follow-up with literature and presentations. We also participated in three Recovery Month Planning Partners meetings in Washington, DC, including the annual Recovery Month Kick-Off events in September. Cooperative Events A part of our vision statement that seems to generate special enthusiasm among members of the fellowship is “that one day: NA communities worldwide and NA World Services work together in a spirit of unity and cooperation to carry our message of recovery.” NAWS cooperated with local and regional service committees to provide an NA presence at no less than twenty-one regional and international events and conferences, mostly attended by treatment, corrections, and public policy professionals during these past six months! These events took place in ten US states and seven other countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, England, Slovenia, Sweden, Colombia, and Canada. In all these efforts, NAWS worked in partnership with the local service committees with the goal that “every addict in the world has a chance to experience our message in his or her own language and culture” of recovery. The reports, pictures, and emails that NAWS received after the conferences tended to illustrate the fun members had and their enthusiasm for carrying the message of recovery through public relations. Thank you for your continuing service and recovery energy. Public Relations Handbook Many members may be aware that there was a price increase on the PR Handbook to US $8.50, effective 1 September. With the addition of addenda and tabs, it became necessary to increase the price. The handbook is nearly double its original size, with more addenda pieces included than originally anticipated. Those who obtained the handbook prior to the addition of addenda and tabs may purchase the addenda package separately for US $3.50. We would like to hear about your experiences with the handbook. Have your areas and regions considered Chapter Three, “Effective Services” and utilized the Area Planning Tool? Have your area committees used the principles contained within Chapter Two for discussion? Has H&I used the “Criminal Justice” chapter, and has your phonelines committee used the “Phoneline” chapter with its addenda? We would love to hear of your successes and challenges with the handbook.
Membership
survey For the first time ever, the membership survey that takes place at each world convention is being offered outside of WCNA. It is available online (http://naws.org/surveys/index.php?sid=1) and in a printable paper version (http://www.na.org/PR/index.htm). This information helps us get a better picture of who we are as a fellowship and assists in our efforts to explain NA to professionals and nonmembers. Completing the form online saves paper and data entry, but we will happily accept paper copies. Paper copies may be mailed to NA World Services; PO Box 9999; Van Nuys, CA 91409. We will collect surveys until 31 December 2007. We hope you’ll complete it and take copies to your groups, areas, and regions for others to fill out. And remember; please complete only one survey per member.
New service pamphlets Several service pamphlets are being developed as resources for groups and service bodies. The idea for the “SPs” came about from a motion at WSC 2006 after lengthy discussions about the time required for service material development (two to four years) and the desire to capture the results of discussions at workshops and from the Issue Discussion Topics in a more timely manner. The motion was overwhelmingly supported and adopted. As your World Board, we have tried to be sensitive to the trust that was placed in us to deliver this type of material to the fellowship. The first group of pamphlets was distributed to conference participants and at the world convention, and they are available for purchase as well as online at http://www.na.org/servicemat/service_material.htm. Now is the time for your feedback to us on these pieces. As always, it is our members’ input that will help us provide relevant resources in a more timely way. The SPs have a distinct design, making them easily distinguishable from recovery IPs. Service pamphlets are not intended to be recovery literature or to be used as the basis of a discussion during a recovery meeting. They are our best attempt at collecting some of the more successful practices in our fellowship in dealing with sensitive or difficult topics. They are similar to what has previously been released as NAWS Bulletins and should be treated in much the same way. The format is wider (in between the size of our IPs and our booklets), but they still fit in our standard literature racks that accommodate booklets. Instead of bearing a “fellowship-approved” or “conference-approved” logo, the new SPs bear a corresponding “board-approved” logo. The five SPs that were approved in July are: Disruptive and Violent Behavior This piece is aimed toward groups looking for possible solutions to issues of disruptive and violent behavior at NA meetings. Group Business Meetings While all groups are autonomous, this pamphlet includes thoughts on effective group business meetings and a sample format and discussion topics. Group Trusted Servants: Roles and Responsibilities This piece summarizes and updates information from The Group Booklet and describes group service positions NA Groups and Medication This is a resource to help groups maintain unity as they navigate issues about which individual members hold a wide variety of opinions and feelings. An Introduction to NA Meetings Our meetings can seem strange and uncomfortable to those new to our fellowship. This piece may be a resource for referring professionals and a welcoming introduction to visitors and to newer members. (This piece has been pulled pending further discussion about the definition of the word “clean.”) These SPs can be adapted and improved at any time, based on responses we receive from the fellowship. Let us know how they work for you, whether we’ve missed anything, and ideas for other pieces you’d like to see developed. You may email us at worldboard@na.org or write us at NAWS; PO Box 9999; Van Nuys, CA 91409-9999. In the near future, we hope to put finishing touches on the following three pieces: What Is NAWS?, Leadership, and The Benefits of Service.
IDT-Who's Missing: Long-Term Members
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