Hi all,
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We have had an incredible year of growth in the program. As a result of pa-a’s growth, there are expanded service positions and healing opportunities available to all interested members starting in 2023. You do not have to have had service experience within the group in order to be on one of the committees. The time commitment will be meeting 1x a week for roughly an hour initially.
We have created several groups that need committee chairs and volunteers. If you are interested in hearing more, and possibly being on a board, please join us Saturday April 15th on zoom, at 730 am PST to learn more. The link is here and below. Your interest and enthusiasm is all that’s required for involvement, none of us are professionals. Also, if you have particular expertise in one of the areas below which you’d like to share, we welcome your input 🙂
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83357758955?pwd=RzN1NFZxSVI0NXF2S3cwZ0ZrUEpYdz09
The frameworks that have been laid out below will need some collaboration and tweaking as we start meeting in the groups. All suggestions are welcome.
Below are the initial sub-committees we will form in order to create some processes to support the PA-A service arm, growth, continuity and, most importantly, to support the newcomers.
1-fundraising
· Please send me an email if you have a desire to be on the fundraising committee. We will have a chair or co-chairs depending on interest.
· If you have experience with crowdsourcing, setting up mission & value statements or any other fundraising experience we can really use you. Writing email sequences etc.
· Help make sure our messaging is consistent across all our social media platforms, PA-A meetings, PA-A websites and any other communication platforms we use for fundraising.
· Help with writing our content.
· Help create an email sequence to support the fundraising effort.
· Manage a transparent budget on google sheets so everyone is aware of how much is raised, and how we are spending the funds. 100% transparency is the goal.
· Establishing our core values as an organization.
· Homework, please look at Greystone foundation and bakery to get an idea of what a similarly aligned organization is doing in their niche.
2-PA-A 2024 convention planning
· Please send me an email if you have a desire to be on the convention planning committee. We will have a chair or co-chairs depending on interest.
· Contact other existing conventions and ask for best practices and existing frameworks that they currently use.
· Establishing the length and format of our initial convention.
· What subcommittees will we need for the convention?
· How will we handle technology?
· In person or on zoom, or a hybrid.
· And all other logistical infrastructure that is needed.
3-Advocacy, virtual art gallery
· Please send me an email if you have a desire to be on the advocacy/virtual art gallery committee. We will have a chair or co-chairs depending on interest.
· We will have a virtual art gallery to advocate for anyone experiencing PA, estrangement, erasure, or any kind of family disconnect.
· Here is the theme we will like and we are open to all suggestions. https://redart.wpengine.com/
· We will request personal art pieces to help us populate the website from current community members.
· Also, a brief explanation of each art piece will be included. We will set parameters as to exact length and content that is useful.
· Help curate artwork and any form of creative expression from all our platforms and meetings. Paintings, poems, dance, video, clay, sculpture, music, poetry ect
· Generate an announcement explaining the advocacy project to the worldwide PA community.
· Create a framework for accepting art submissions, getting written releases in order to use the art work. This will be an automated email sequence that we develop.
.developing layout of website.
. Posting artwork in the appropriate space on the website.
· Curating some high profile folks to submit to our project.
· Creating an e-book with art and mini blogs.
· This will be a collaborative and emerging discussion.
4-Communication liaison
· Service position only requires one person, possibly two.
· Creating a calendar of all speciality meetings, subcommittees, fundraising etc., so everything is transparent to our community and the community at large.
· Sending a weekly/monthly email with updates for all specialty events. Possible just managing this on a simple app.
· Sending replies from our PA email address to newcomers. To get a link for meeting schedule access and weekly emails.
· Managing the resource page. Getting a couple volunteers to grab resources from all other PA groups and put them in a simple spreadsheet.
5-Meeting security/trainings
· Please send me an email if you have a desire to be on the security/training committee. We will have a chair or co-chairs depending on interest.
· Refining security guidelines for meetings.
· Creating a framework for hosts/co hosts to understand their roles on a meeting level.
· 1x a month training on how to lead and secretary a meeting.
· How to handle larger meetings and potential threats.
· Adding a reading of guideline announcements on the meeting level. 1x a month instead of steps. (first Monday of every month)
· Establishing a common language to read when a member needs some support in redirecting their share.
· Training on other service positions. Mini blog, social media etc.
· Training for people that want to lead workshops.
· Create a document clarifying what a secretary does and doesn’t do. What authority do they have over meetings?
6-sponsorship
·Please send me an email if you have a desire to be on the sponsorship committee. We will have a chair or co-chairs depending on interest. We currently have fewer available sponsors than members looking for sponsorship, and want to support folks considering becoming sponsors, as well as offering creative alternatives. Some ideas to support sponsorship include:
· Facilitating a 1x month/weekly meeting. The meeting will support anyone that is a current sponsor, or someone that is getting a sponsor. Also create a WhatsApp group to ask questions live, so that the whole community will be able to participate.
·Create guidelines for WhatsApp sponsorship groups.
·We can ask questions, talk about best practices, and create worksheets/videos and other resources for people to use.
·”How to sponsor” meetings. Create a format and have them scheduled once month/quarter with rotating leadership if needed.
·Create a framework for pods of 3-4 people to get (work?) through the 1st 3 steps. Possibly with the assistance of a sponsor or just a group member. Lots to discuss and dissect here?
· Weekly workshops on steps 1,2,3. Or a variation of this. Still, lots to vet out.
· Have a list of sponsors that are available and sponsors that are full, possibly all who are open to dive into a step conversation if someone needs additional assistance.
· Experiment with asking for who is looking for a sponsor, or who is willing to sponsor on the meeting level.
7-Newcomers
·Please send me an email if you have a desire to be on the newcomers committee. We will have a chair or co-chairs depending on interest.
·Develop a 6-8 week email sequence. Welcoming newcomers and then a weekly suggested plan of action and resources.
·Manage WhatsApp groups for people to ask newcomer questions.
·Offer WhatsApp newcomers liaison for 1 on 1 chats about group questions and support. Specific to help navigate the 12 steps and recovery. Not therapy.
·Breakout rooms on the group level that are consistent and the same at every meeting. Newcomers breakout, related step breakout room, and hang out room. Have specific people in these rooms example. Secretary and 2nd co host, maybe the leader stays in the hangout group.
·This is also an emergent and collaborative conversation.
8-Diversity, equity and Inclusion
·Please send me an email if you have a desire to be on the newcomers committee. We will have a chair or co-chairs depending on interest.
·Develop scripts and formats for LGBTQ+ meetings
·Develope scripts and formats for BIPOC meetings.
·Offer WhatsApp newcomers liaison for 1 on 1 chats about group questions and support. Specific to help navigate the 12 steps and recovery. Not therapy.
·Develop a plan to reach out and engage marginalized communities.
.Develop scripts and formats for grandparent specific meetings.
.Develop scripts and formats for alienated young adults specific meetings.
.Creating a budget and allocating funds to outreach, engagement and raising up marginalized voices on the topic of alienation.
·This is also an emergent and collaborative conversation.
9-IT, website and all technology
·Please send me an email if you have a desire to be on the newcomers committee. We will have a chair or co-chairs depending on interest.
·Developing new technologies to streamline our organization.
.Website maintenance and best practices.
.Social media support. Facebook, instagram and all other platforms.
Please let me know if you have any questions. And remember, we need your input and involvement to keep growing.
