Delegate

Live from Southern California, Our Regional Delegate Denise T. is sending up reports LIVE each day as she attends this Conference beginning April 25th, 2008!!! The most current will be at the bottom. Click on a date below to go directly to that days report:

Welcome to the World Service Conference Experience.
Over the next 8 to 10 days I am going to do my best to keep you informed about what it is like to attend the WSC. This, hopefully, will not be a dull, statistic-filled report. I'll save that for Region. Instead I am going to write my experience, strength, & hope. So, here we go -

Friday, 4/25/08
    There, I just checked in at Salem airport & gave my husband Jeff a hug & I'm crying dang-it!! I know, I'll be fine.....
    I am sitting here waiting for security 2 open. The flight is a little late, but they claim it won't mess up my connecting flight in SLC.
    My bag weighed 50 & 1/2 pounds! Whew, dodged a bullet there. If I bring something else back, I have 2 get rid of something. I took 2 skirts & 2 sweaters out of my bag in the car. Good thing!
    I know I brought way too many clothes. I try to bring enough 4 the week & then I wash clothes @ my daughter's b4 I come home, but I need way more causual clothes @ her house, so.... Hey they do have rocking chairs here on the other side of security! This "flying out of Salem" thing has potential.

We will be boarding by zones - I'm in Zone 2. I cannot believe the plane is big enough 2 have zones!

¡ In the air ! Salem wizzed by so fast all I saw was Lowes & the freeway. Now we are over the mountains. Our plane is 1/2 full, so I have 2 seats 2 myself, which is really nice. Small plane- seats r just 2 & 2, no middle seat. Well, I'm signing off for now- until SLC....

It was a ruff flight into SLC. Very bumpy & I almost lost it. I haven't gotten sick on a plane in a long time. Then a brisk walk to another gate and I am in the air again. Let's hope the Burbank landing is smoother!

Out the window I see the brown of so cal...yeah, we R on the ground. No more small planes for me!!

I am here at the WSC! Rode on a shuttle from Burbank to Woodland Hills in rush hour traffic- 17.1 miles in 1 1/2 hours. Did not help my motion sickness. I went to dinner with other RD's, got food by about 8:30 p.m. (They eat very late down here, local custom!) I had a $10 salad, got back to the motel & in bed by 11 p.m.
So more tomorrow.

Note: please do not be offended by my twisted sense of humor. Feel free to send me any input!

Your humble servant -
Denise T
Regional Delegate
PCRNA

Saturday - 4/26/08
I woke up this morning at my usual 5:30. I figured I could do some reading on WSC material, so I diligently got out my notebook, opened it up, & then I fell asleep! However, I woke up at 8 refreshed and ready to go. I felt bad about missing the 7 a.m. meeting downstairs by the pool, but that’s OK. Oh and yes we do have an NA meeting every morning By the Pool, let’s get that out of the way right up front – sounds way vacation-y I know, think about that for a minute and then let’s get past it. ‘K?
Saturday is the day we use to get inspired and pumped up for the work ahead. From 11 to 12:30 we attended the World Board open forum. This was our opportunity to meet all the board members and ask them questions. One question was “what can we do if there is a meeting that is not NA, but is using the NA name?” One board member shared a solution that had worked in her Area – “Several of us went to their meeting, and every week we would share during the meeting about NA and our Traditions. They finally got tired of us and changed their name!”
Tauni made from the airport it in time for the tour. We all piled onto buses and took a short ride to the NA World Services Office. It was there that we viewed various NA memorabilia. We saw many things-
•The original NA symbol drawn by Jimmy K, with all the colors and what they stand for.
•Where they print our literature, store it, and ship it out to us.
•Bins where they keep the medallions before they ship them out
•Offices where NAWs members work
After the tour they fed us homemade Mexican food & then we piled back on the buses and came back to the hotel.
We did get someone to take us to the store, where we stocked up on food for the week. Not only is this cheaper, it is also healthier (we try!). After that Tauni and I came up to our room with our food and had some “me” time before the speaker’s meeting.

7:30 - Speaker's meeting; this is The Most inspiritual (inspirational + spiritual = inspiritual) part of the pre-conference happenings. The readings were done in the following languages -->
Who– English
What - Swedish
Why - Portuguese
How - English
Traditions - French

Our Speakers were (I am including a few parts that caught my attention)-

Kitty - Australia
Manuel – Chile (I felt bad because I rode in the van with Manuel last year & couldn't even translate how 2 fill out a paper, after, like 7 years of Spanish)
Kumat – India (some of these names are just how they sound & are not the correct spelling, sorry)
Earl – Philly “I believe utter desperation is a gift" "I love people who do no service & then sit in the rooms & say I'm so grateful 2 Narcotics Anonymous"
Cisco – Sweden (now I know I didn’t spell her name right!)
"Life was very painful, because the drugs just quit working & I was just left with the pain!" "I have the best meeting in the world - Monday 7:00, in Stockholm, if you’re ever in the neighborhood, stop by"

Just 4 today - Farsi

Circle up....
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Day 3 - Sunday, April 27, 2008
Good morning world, went 2 the meeting - "Resentments"

We are in our 1st session of the day. Small group discussion format.
Quote - "No one person in this room knows as much as all of us do together!"

We started by listening to a recording of Jimmy K. Made me cry. (I have a copy of the Transcript)

The readings -
12 Traditions - W Russia (Natalia)
12 Concepts – S Africa (Cheryl)
Just 4 today - Central Atlantic Reg (Sheri)
{Iran could not be here}

Then we had intros from EVERYBODY! And I mean everybody, ALL the participants in the WSC. This incl. translators (explain) – Just like at the UN we have delegates from all over the world. So we have booths on the floor & the participants have ear-pieces that connect them to a translator. 2 languages this time - Spanish & Japanese. So after the Board and the translators each delegate, in alphabetical order of the region, introduced themselves and their delegate team mates (alternates). My intro was –
“I’m Denise & I’m an addict. I am from the Pacific Cascade Region, so called because we border the Pacific & we have a range of mountains called the Cascades. We are also shoved in the between Ca and WA.” (There was a map)

Just an example of our world-wide fellowship, at my table is a World Board member from Washington, and members from - India, Hawaii, Alaska, S. Africa, Detroit, & Illinois. During small group intros at our table, I discovered we have wide & varied backgrounds – 1 person had a new kitten named Shirley & 1 person had 5 grandkids.

After this, we circle up and say the Serenity Prayer in all languages represented. Of course the 1st session ran over – 100+ people at 1-5 minutes apiece, you do the math. So, we go to lunch and have to be back @ 2:50. This pushes the last session of the day back to 4:45 to 6:45.

After lunch we came back for a session entitled –
Navigating the WSC: Orientation
Basically we received an explanation for everything that is happening this week. All the sessions and where they will be held.
J
The afternoon HRP session was really hard. It was our first time in the "risers". And it was hard to adjust to a more formal atmosphere. Especially me! {Point of information - the room we meet in is a huge ballroom divided into 2 parts with NAWS in the middle. I will send pictures if I ever get on-line!! (It’s only $10 a day) Anyway, on one side we have tables & chairs on the other we have risers – basically bleachers that you put tables on & sit at.}

The Human Resource Panel presented their process and how they choose nominees for World Board members, HRP members, and co-facilitators. Then we were allowed to ask questions. We concluded this session at 6:45 and went to eat. Tauni and I had a nice quiet evening in our room. We ate our salads, watched TV, & diligently read profiles on WB/HRP/Co-Facilitators candidates until we fell asleep. (more on profiles later)

Good night.
Denise T
Regional Delegate
PCRNA
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We are getting ready 2 vote! Send me your positive vibes, I'm nervous.
Denise T
Regional Delegate
PCRNA

Day 4 - Monday, April 28, 2008

Good morning to my LITTLE piece of the world. Morning meeting - topic, read your just 4 today for today (4/28). I shared a story about the most obnoxious person I knew when I 1st got clean…
Listening to people share - listening 4 the similarities is really easy! This morning we have people from S Africa, S America, New Z, and ALL over the US. It doesn't matter where in the world you are from we all have the same fears, hopes, disappointments, joys - we cry, we laugh; we R family!!
I am looking 4ward to this morning's session. It will be a presentation on Fellowship development which basically is about how our fellowship is growing and how the WSO/WB/NAWS - that we have put in that position, how they r helping that process!

Fellowship Development Presentation
(Points of information that struck me, mentally or spiritually)

*We have 50,000 meetings around the world
*Inukinit – Translation of Lit in native language in Alaska is being done
*China – key tags & Lit developed before we had a fellowship there in the hope of reaching out (normally the local fellowship develops 1st)
*Middle East – all speak Arabic except Iran & Turkey
       • Local community will be done translating the Basic Text by the end of 2008
       • Now there is a woman’s meeting
*Egypt – only 3 people can meet at a time so they have to meet surreptitiously
*Iran –
       • Delegates were not allowed in the US again
       • WB did 13 Work Shop’s in 7 cities
       • There is a branch office that serves 11,000 meetings
       • Women wanted to set up their own Area – they want to do service & under the current service structure they are not allowed to do so
       • 25,000 meetings are held in parks - & it snows in Iran
       • 200,000 members
*Newest Literature –
       • Russian Just 4 Today
       • German sponsorship book
*Thailand – 2500 addicts were killed ( they were rounded up off the streets & shot)

NAWS Report-->
*Medallions-
      • Response to survey --> 5,300+
      •We own the dies
      •75% want roman numerals
      •WB recommends producing coins with roman numerals in a gold-like finish (price is more stable)
*1st draft of a simplified Basic Text in China just arrived
*Web page is changing to become more user friendly!!

Lunch will be @ 12:30 _ Hooray!

After lunch -
We are in the middle of the NAWs Q&A. Can't you just see it now - the queue (the list of people who want to talk), the chandeliers, the podium, the long answers, the cries of "slow down" because nobody from the US can remember the Spanish translators, the numb butts...I could go on but then I would start to sound like the facilitators of this session....just joking!

During question time after lunch someone asked if they would consider changing the color of the multiple years key tags to purple because that represents spirituality ?? The answer was – “We would consider almost anything.” How silly can we get?

Something to ponder - as our fellowship ages we have older members. Addicts will end up in nursing homes…some of us sooner than others! So what about literature for the elderly? Has anyone seen an H&I panel meeting in a nursing home? Why not??

your humble servant,
Denise T
Regional Delegate
PCRNA

Day 5 - Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Book Day!!
Last night I went to the greatest meeting. There was a gentleman there who was a part of the beginning of NA. He knew Jimmy K! We had a chance to talk after the meeting. I told him I felt privileged to be born in 1953 - the same year as NA & he chuckled and said, "yeah, it might have started in '53, but it didn't really get rollin' until the early '60's. It fell apart a few times before that. Yeah, Jimmy didn't think it was gonna make it!"
He said they used to get asked to come down here to speak, but wondered why they didn't ask him anymore. I told him I would check into that...

Morning Session -
We had a multimedia presentation that demonstrated the world-wide nature & growth of the fellowship. Very inspiritual (inspirational + spiritual = inspiritual). Seeing pictures of the smiling faces of NA members in a prison in Bahrain wrenched at my heart…Pictures of the smiling faces of the women at the 1st women’s meeting in Iran…The faces of addicts in Egypt who must meet surreptitiously…Hugs and one addict helping another, hand in hand…

Then we observed a World Board session where they discussed the amendments to the motions in old business. Now I know how they arrive at that recommendation. They discuss each one and do so until they reach a consensus. There are often board members who recommend to adopt, so they discuss it some more. They do not just go through the motions & say no, no, no…
One objection, from our Region to WB recommendations, was that they never recommend other motions besides those proposed by the Board. The WB recommends not to adopt on some motions because they do have a chance to sit down and discuss each motion/amendments at great length. And sometimes the motions turn out to be irrelevant. An example is the 2 motions concerning the medallions. It turns out the WB was researching the cost of medallions in several different finishes and materials because they listened to our input through the on-line survey.   75% of the fellowship that answered the survey wanted roman numerals. So they had already decided to make them. Which is 1 reason why they recommended not to adopt on the 2 motions. It may also be why the 2 motions failed.

Examples from their session-

Motion 40 – amendment to motion #7
Input from WB members –
•None of the young people that helped develop the existing youth IP (#13) were in favor of retaining the old IP.
•Recommend not to adopt

Motion 42 – remove the abstracts from the beginning of each story & only keep them in the table of contents
Input from WB members –
•No recommendation from the board

By the way all minutes of Board meetings are printed & anyone can request a copy (they meet 4 times a year)

After Lunch –
The WSC is trying to move to Consensus Based Decision Making as directed by the body. As an interim stage the business portion of the WSC is structured as follows.
1) During an informal session we discuss each motion one at a time until we have come to a consensus as measured by a     straw pool.
2) We convene a formal business meeting and vote.

Now you may have a question about why there are more motions than the original 12. When Regions, through their delegate, bring in an amendment to an old business motion it is considered a motion.

So having said all that, here are the results of the voting. (this is a shortened format, I will have more complete info as soon as I can find a way to get on-line)

We had 101 voting participants so 67 = 2/3

Motion/Amendment~Explanation~vote
Amend Motion 45~to replace all 10 stories~no
Motion 45~To replace 1 story~No
Motion 1 ~New book~YES!

Motion 41~Divide motion 2 in 6 sections~No
Motion 42~Abstracts only in index~No
Motion 2~To approve all 6 additions~YES

Motion3~Update Fellowship stats in Basic Text 6~Yes
Motion 44~Remove citations of outdated material except 4 the 5th Edition~no
Motion 4~Remove citations of material no longer in print~Yes

Motion 70~To return word attitude to the index~Yes
Motion 5~Index as amended~Yes

Motion 6~1) N.A. to NA   2)delete the footnote on Tradition 11~Yes

Motion 40~To accept addendum C: by youth for youth; but retain the old IP13 ~ no
Motion 7~Youth IP~Yes

Objection to motion 8~To not even consider this motion
Motion 8~IP for Parents~Yes

Motion 9~To add roman numerals in bronze~No
Amendment~Strike “in bronze” + these medallions are in addition 2 current Arabic numbered medallions~No

Motion 10~To add roman numerals in all finishes~No

Motion 11~Provide $$$ for N Jersey Region~No

Motion 12~Require all NA service pamphlets to be in CAR~No

Motion 13~To use the proposed Rules of Order on a trial basis~Yes

Motion 14~To adopt WSC 2006 minutes~yes

Well here it is @ the end of the day.... Its 11:45 p.m. This afternoon/evening was exhausting! We started @ 2:45 and ended about 8:30. It was exciting, frustrating, and in the end, very rewarding! At 7:26 p.m. we delivered a 2 lb baby book. We call her the 6th edition Basic Text and she is accompanied by her two brothers - For Youth by Youth and For the Parents of Youth. It has been an honor and a privilege to be a part of the process! Thank you for allowing me to serve!!!

your humble servant,
Denise T
Regional Delegate
PCRNA

Day 6 - Wednesday, April 30, 2008

All that you touch, you change....
All that you change, changes you

Morning Session
This morning we have a trusted servant who is a trainer & he is going to teach us how to be a better leader....

"Those who believe in our ability do more than stimulate us.
They create for us an atmosphere in which it becomes easy to succeed."

This facilitator is very good! He led us to our own discoveries.... Jim Delizia

Lunch - Once again we piled into buses & we were delivered to the Calamigos Ranch. Before we left we were told that it was cold at the "Ranch" so we should prepare. So Tauni & I go up 2 our room & changed into warmer clothing. Let me tell U, what California considers cold & what we consider cold r 2 different things! The sun was out and it was beautiful.
We had a very nice bar-b-q and in ice cream bar. We ate, we played soccer & volley ball. Well OK, Tauni and I sat in the sun & watched them play. Then we had a meeting.
After that we, you guessed it, we piled into buses. On our bus we had a WB member – Frannie. She was the RD from Washington/Northern Idaho. She was asking for fun facts about your region & I spoke up. My fun fact is this – In the Pacific Cascade Region we have Beavers and Ducks. And once a year they come together and fight each other, and we call this the Civil War…
…would you believe there were actually people who thought I meant real Beavers and Ducks??

When we got back we had to hurry to get to the -

Zonal Forum Planing Meeting
7 pm – 9 pm

1)Intros
2)Delegates from BC want to join our zonal forum in July
a)We will extend an invitation to them
3)Matt – vision, purpose & structure of zonal forum
4)Removed Southern Idaho from guidlines
5)Location of WSZF guidelines and our web site (wszf.org) in so cal
6)Restructured the agenda for the forum in July
a)Friday night – NAWS Report
b)Saturday – Zonal Inventory
c)Sunday – Discussion on Regional issues & wrap up

It has been another long day. We work hard, we play hard. Tomorrow we get to do the budget for the next 2 years. I am really excited about that, not. I know how hard it is to understand the budget at the Regional level, so I just hope I can understand it!

Your humble servant

Denise Toomb

Day 7 - Thursday - 5/1/08
Happy May Day. I apologize for today, but sometimes service can be boring and difficult and in no way fun…and even I cannot make it so. This was one of those days.

Morning session was on how we can better communicate with YOU!!! Any suggestions???

Our Service System
Communication = dialog
* Concept 8 – Our service structure depends on the integrity and effectiveness of our communications.

*What is working? The dialog between NAWS/WB and Delegate teams

*What is not working? The breakdown happens between

Elections –
We, as a body, elect the World Board, the HRP, and the Co-facilitators. There is a procedure we go through to protect confidentiality of the candidates and the voters.
We receive resumes on each candidate and then we turn them in when we turn in our marked ballots. Any questions?

Election Results -
World Board-
Jim Buerer
Junior Odilson Gomez Braz

Human Resource Panel-
Valerie Douthit
Paul Fitzgerald
Margaret Hardman-Muye

WSC Co-Facilitator
Jack Hovenier
Jimi Stuart

Budget presentation – This is all I have, I am sorry I’m not the best person to report on budgets!

We made less money at the Convention than we expected.
However - We have something called income conservatism –->   if income is conservative + bills are liberal this gives us a cushion for a 24 month budget plan

2:30 – 5:30 --> WB meeting & Conference Forum-

We sit through a Board meeting while the WB discuss each motion in New Business and make recommendations. There is great value in this process. Someone on the WB usually brings up a point of view that hadn’t occurred to most of us.
Here is a brief outline of which motions are connected to which topic. More will be revealed tomorrow during New Business.

Service Pamphlets - After hearing loud & clear from the fellowship, the WB has amended their motion #23 to include a 90 day review period and it will encompass the following motions:
    Motions 43, 64, 66, 68, 71
WSC Seating – Amend motion #75 – recommend a moratorium on seating regions formed by splitting up the Region
    Motions – 61, 62, 67, 69
Medication – Recommend not adopt on all
    Motions – 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 63, 65
WB/WSC Policy - mixed recommendations, but several are great input & don’t require a motion to enact
    Motions – 46, 54, 55, 56, 58, 60, 71, 73, 74, 78
WCNA – skip due to time
    Motion - 76
PR HB -
    Motions – 47 (recommend to adopt), 59

--> dinner

7:30 to whenever--> zonal forum reports. We heard reports from all zones-

Asia Pacific
Autonomy
Canadian Assembly
EDM (European Delegate Meeting)
Latin American
Midwest
Northeast
Rocky Mountain
Southeast
Southern (have Tradition workbook on web-site)
Western States (that's us!)

Now, the Latin American Zone has a lot of passion 4 NA, and they have a song they sing when they feel the spirit of NA. Not to be out done, the Western States came up with a song at our meeting last night. So the Zonal report section of the WSC closed tonight to the W States singing a rousing chorus of -
"So now its time to say good night to all our company.... M I c- (see ya real soon!) k e y - (why? Because we love you.... ) Mouse! Mickey Mouse.... "

your humble servant,
Denise T
Regional Delegate
PCRNA

8 Putting a Face on the WSC 8
Day 8 - Friday, May 2, 2008....

PR Presentation
Membership Survey
o Average age 42.8
o 3.4 to 4.2 average NA meeting attendance
o Alcohol is 1st Cannabis 2nd drug of choice
o Request info from WB by Region? Not enough data by Region to
be able to do this
o Average clean time in NA= 7.4 in 2003 to 9.1 years in 2007
o 90% addicts polled have a sponsor

Business Meeting

Roll Call -
Voting = 116
50% = 59
2/3 = 77

We have been here, in this room, for 2 days. Well not really, but we did
start the business session at 2:00 pm and it is 2:00 in the morning on
5/3/08! We did get a lot done! Just a brief rundown -
* We seated Egypt, El Salvador, Nepal, Nicaragua, N Carolina, South
Brazil, and Poland
* We passed a motion that will give us an input period in the
Development of the Service Pamphlets.
* We told the Board to -
o To start the process for a new book - "Living Clean"
o To develop Leadership Orientation Material
o To update video public service announcements
o To make chapters 5 - 13 adaptable & revisable in the PR
Handbook.
All in all it was a very productive session. There was some good-natured
ribbing amongst the Western States Delegate teams. Tauni got on the floor
with a comment for the WB. She told them when they recommend not to adopt
all, or almost all of the motions brought in by regions, you create a you
and us mentality.
Well, it is 2:30, I wish everyone a peaceful night.
your humble servant,
Denise T
Regional Delegate
PCRNA