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Download or view the OIAA
Bylaws, Policies, Guidelines, and Netiquette Advisory
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document
Purpose and Structure of the Online
Intergroup
The Online Intergroup is a service entity established pursuant to the Ninth Tradition of Alcoholics
Anonymous ("AA") to operate on behalf of the participating
groups of AA on the internet in accordance with the Twelve Traditions and
Twelve Concepts of Alcoholics Anonymous. The Intergroup exists to
aid the groups in their common purpose of carrying the AA message to the
alcoholic who still suffers.
The Intergroup is a nonprofit corporation, formed on
February 24, 1996, organized and existing under the laws of the state of
New Jersey. It maintains a registered office and registered
agent in the state of New Jersey and complies with the New Jersey
Nonprofit Corporation Law.
The principal responsibilities of the Intergroup are to
promote the unity of online AA groups in accordance with AA's First
Tradition; to use the internet to carry the message of AA in accordance
with AA's Fifth Tradition; to respond to the needs of the online AA
groups in accordance with AA's Ninth Tradition; and to provide a central
source of information about online AA through a website, directory, and
the activities of its members, in accordance with AA's Eleventh Tradition.
The membership of the Intergroup meets continuously as
an Assembly. Any
member of AA is welcome to participate in the Assembly although voting
privileges are limited to registered online AA groups, acting
through their representatives, and current officers. The Assembly elects officers
and chairs of its standing committees, who also serve ex officio as
trustees. The business of the Assembly is guided by its By-laws
and the Policies and Guidelines Document.
A Brief History
of OIAA
In 1994, the online members of the
Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous began to look forward to
participating in the International Convention in San Diego, held in June
1995. Many in our community felt it would be a great opportunity to meet
some of our fellow alcoholics face to face, further bonding the close
friendships we had made in our online groups.
The Living Cyber Committee was formed in March 1994
to coordinate the hosting of a hospitality suite at the convention.
Participation ― or membership
― in the LCC was open to all recovering
alcoholics who wished to join. Alcoholics from all corners of the
online community ― bulletin boards, commercial
online services, and the Internet ― joined
in the effort. Prior to the convention, the LCC endeavored to
communicate its existence, purpose, and activities to all known online A.A.
groups. A Web page was set up. Flyers containing
information on how to contact the Fellowship online and how to find
online A.A. resources were compiled, printed, and distributed at the
convention.
Our plans evolved to include a link to the online
fellowship ― to those who could not attend the convention in person.
Three computers were set up in the suite and stayed online
continuously with
alcoholics around the world.
The Living Cyber Suite was a resounding success,
providing a gathering place for members of online groups to meet each
other in person, usually for the first time. Visitors were given an
opportunity to log on to the actual online Fellowship. Those unable to
travel to San Diego were able to "virtually" attend the convention
through the suite. Two major email groups, several groups from the major
online services, and an Internet Relay Chat channel participated in
uniting alcoholics from all over the world with the online members and
visitors in the suite.
Following the convention, it was decided to
dissolve the existing committee and reform. All online A.A. groups were
invited to send a representative to the committee. We decided that we
should serve as an Intergroup, serving the A.A. groups online.
The Online Intergroup of Alcoholics Anonymous now
represents scores of online groups with a combined membership numbering
many
thousands. Original Purpose and Objectives
Statement (circa mid-1990s)
The
phenomena of the new technology of computers, modems, World Wide Web, and
Internet communication gave birth to a new medium of exchange through which
alcoholics could interact with other alcoholics. Over the last several years,
many new online meetings have sprung up which, having no geographical
boundaries, were not able to fit the service structures of the usual face to
face (f2f) meetings of A.A.. Out of this grew a recognition on the part of many
online groups that some form of service group was necessary to assist and
facilitate communication and coordination of the cyberspace A.A. milieu. While
the official service structure of A.A. is attempting to develop a strategy for
including the online meetings within that structure, the Online Intergroup of
Alcoholics Anonymous (OIAA) was formed to
provide services typical for Intergroups or Central Offices of face-to-face meetings.
While most Intergroups serve specific geographic regions, OIAA was established to serve cyberspace.
The
primary purpose of all Alcoholics Anonymous groups is to carry its message to
the alcoholic who still suffers. Out of that purpose, OIAA has committed
itself to assisting member groups in several ways, most of which are related
specifically to the medium of cyberspace. Because personal recovery depends upon
A.A. unity, we at OIAA are dedicated to assisting and facilitating the best
possible unity of service to and for A.A. in cyberspace. Communication and
information are two essential ingredients for establishing and maintaining
unity; therefore, OIAA is obliged to provide a central forum for the
dissemination of information about and for the online community of A.A. and A.A.
as a whole.
OIAA currently provides information
in several ways,
and we are hoping to develop even more ways in the future. One way OIAA
disseminates information is the development and maintenance of the World Wide Web
Meeting Directories that includes
email meetings
and groups as well as real
time (chat) meetings and
groups. Another communication vehicle is the OIAA Unity
Committee, which is charged with communication with other A.A. service
bodies, such as local districts, intergroups, areas, regions, AAWS, GSO-NY, and
GSO-UK. A third form of communication is the OIAA Public Information
Committee, which responds to needs at the public level and facilitates public awareness and understanding of Alcoholics Anonymous by means
of the Internet, news media, personal contact, or non-AA public functions
through conference approved literature, speakers, or
correspondence and in accordance with the 12 Steps, 12
Traditions, and 12 Concepts of Alcoholics Anonymous.
The
OIAA is also in the process of developing guidelines to assist its member
groups, future groups, other intergroups, f2f meetings, districts, areas, and
GSOs, and AAWS with the ins and outs of the online experience. This may
translate into online publication of how-to service pieces on establishing
online groups, or dealing with the traditions in cyberspace, or a number of
other nuts and bolts issues (like creating home pages, etc.).
Another
priority for OIAA is the development of joint projects for its member
groups. These would include providing a presence at International
Conventions, local conventions and round-ups, and demonstrations of how online
A.A. works. OIAA itself was born out of one such project at the 1995 International
Convention in San Diego. We hope to provide such a presence at many
conventions in the future.
The
online phenomenon is relatively new, but the membership of online groups has
been swelling tremendously recently as news of its existence reaches
the world-wide membership of A.A. We expect this trend to continue and hope that
OIAA will be able to provide the cyberspace community with the kind of
services such membership will require. It is an exciting experience and one
which all of us at OIAA are dedicated to provideingunder the principles of
A.A.'s steps, traditions, and concepts. Governing Body of the Intergroup and Membership
The
governing body of OIAA is the Intergroup Committee. The Intergroup Committee
consists of one Intergroup Representative or Alternate Representative from
each member group; the officers of OIAA; and the
past officers of OIAA (for one year after their term of office). A group is
a member group of OIAA by having a representative or alternate in the
Intergroup who participates in the bi-annual elections and the business of the
Intergroup. However, any online A.A. group which chooses not to participate as
a member group cannot be denied the services of the Intergroup (such as listing
in the Meeting Directories), so long as they qualify as an A.A. group
under the traditions of A.A. and the guidelines of the Intergroup. The primary
qualification for an A.A. group is that, as a group, they have no other
affiliation (Traditions 5, 6, & 10).
Each
group has one vote (through their representative or their alternate) and no
individual can have more than one vote ― so it is recommended that each
representative only serve one member group. Upon election to an OIAA office, the officer-elect steps down
from representing the member group which formerly elected them. In this way,
each group is assured of representation specific to it's concerns and each
officer can then address the concerns of OIAA as a whole.
The
OIAA officers currently consist of an Intergroup
Chair, Alternate Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Historian/Archivist, Listkeeper, and the Chairpersons of our
standing committees: the Policy and Admissions, the World Wide Web, the
Finance, Public Information, Convention, and Unity.
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