2024 Topic #012 Online Meeting Guideline

Supporting the growth and effectiveness of the Australian AA Fellowship through authentic online meetings listings.

The Board to refine the criteria for listing online meetings on the national website to ensure it fulfills its intended purpose of supporting the growth and effectiveness of the Australian AA fellowship.

The issue is that alcoholics use meetings.aa.org.au to find Australian meetings, both in-person and online. However, the national website includes international and overseas online meetings.

These international meetings reduce the incentive to create Australian meetings, as they compete for attendees, listing times, and often request 7th Tradition contributions from Australian members, diverting resources away from local services.

The idea is to establish a workable, clear and objective criteria for listing online meetings, to ensure that meetings on the national website are genuinely part of the Australian fellowship. This will support the growth and effectiveness of the Australian AA community to help alcoholics get sober and stay sober.

WHAT IS THE BACKGROUND OR REASON FOR THE TOPIC?

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the national website was inundated with requests to list online meetings. Due to the urgency, there was no time to create a fair and objective method to ensure listed meetings were Australian. Consequently, many international and overseas online AA meetings are now listed alongside Australian ones, reducing the incentive for new Australian meetings to form.

Attempts to restore the meeting list to its original purpose have used insufficient criteria: ‘hosted in Australia’ (ambiguous), requiring an Australian suburb (easily circumvented), and ‘meetings originating in Australia’ (ineffective for online meetings). Efforts to remove international meetings have led to disharmony and relisting, as international meetings can meet these criteria.

Until a fair, clear, and objective criterion is implemented, this issue will persist, reducing the website’s effectiveness in supporting the Australian fellowship.

Notably, meetings.aa.org.au already links to aa-intergroup.org/meetings for those seeking international meetings.

DO YOU HAVE A SUGGESTED SOLUTION?

Only allow online meetings to be listed on meetings.aa.org.au if they are exclusively listed on websites with a ‘.au’ domain. Examples include meetings.aa.org.au, aameetings.org.au, aatimes.org.au, and any other ‘.au’ intergroup or CSO list.

This criterion is clear and objective, making it easier to manage. It avoids the problem of trying to define what an Australian online meeting is, while remaining completely fair and unbiased.

Listings violating this policy can be easily identified by searching for their Zoom ID (or other identifier) in a search engine to determine if they are also listed internationally.

HOW WILL THE ALCOHOLIC WHO STILL SUFFERS OR THE FELLOWSHIP OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS BENEFIT FROM THIS SUGGESTION?

• Stronger local support network for alcoholics needing immediate help and resources, and ensures urgent advice is accurate and informed of local services.
• Compliance with local regulations and laws, including the scope of the GSB’s public liability insurance and the Australian Member Protection Policy.
• Direct connection with the local fellowship leads to higher attendance and engagement at local events, workshops, conventions and increased opportunity for service.
• Supports members to contribute financially to local AA services, maximising the Australian fellowship’s capacity to carry the message effectively and ensuring we remain selfsupporting.
• More incentive for the creation and growth of Australian online meetings, ensuring alcoholics looking for Australian meetings find them.
• Supports development of geographically closer support networks, making it easier to form connections and find sponsors or sponsees.
• Maximises access to culturally relevant recovery resources and support for alcoholics in regional and remote areas of Australia.
• Fosters a sense of fellowship, belonging, and community among members, crucial for the effectiveness of the AA recovery program.
• Increased opportunity to promote and distribute Australian AA literature, more relevant and impactful for local members.
• Simplifies listing management, ensuring accurate, up-to-date meeting information, reducing the administrative burden on local service bodies and trusted servants.
• Stronger PI/CPC opportunities and partnerships with local organisations and professionals.

WHAT ARE THE ESTIMATED COSTS OF IMPLEMENTING THIS SUGGESTION?

Nil

HAVE YOU ASKED YOUR GROUP, DISTRICT OR AREA TO MAKE A DECISION ABOUT THIS TOPIC AND, IF SO, WHAT WAS THE OUTCOME?

Based on discussions with Australian alcoholics that attend online meetings and trusted servants that administer local meetings lists.