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Duties and qualifications quoted from The AA Service Manual Combined
with Twelve Concepts for World Service, 2004-2005 Edition, pg S28-30
THE DISTRICT COMMITTEE MEMBER
The district committee member (D.C.M.) is an essential link between the
group G.S.R. and the area delegate to the General Service Conference. As
leader of the district committee, made up of all G.S.R.s in the district,
the D.C.M. is exposed to the group conscience of that district.As a member
of the area committee, he or she is able to pass on the district’s thinking
to the delegate and the committee. (The pamphlet “Your D.C.M.,” available
from the General Service Office, provides basic information on this service
job.)
FINANCIAL SUPPORT: Current experience indicates that many districts
provide financial support for their D.C.M.s to attend service functions.
Invariably, this pays off in increased activity, interest, and group
participation.
Qualifications
- The district
committee member has usually served as a G.S.R. and is elected by other
G.S.R.s to take responsibility for district activities. If the person
chosen is a current G.S.R., a new G.S.R. should be elected to fill his
or her position
- A D.C.M. should have
enough sobriety (generally four or five years) to be eligible for
election as delegate.
- He or she also needs
to have the time and energy to serve the district well.
Duties
The D.C.M.’s job is primarily that of two-way communication. The D.C.M.
·
Regularly attends all district meetings and area assemblies.
· Receives
reports from the groups through G.S.R.s and through frequent personal
contacts with groups in the district.
· Holds
regular meetings of allG.S.R.s in the district.
· Helps
the Conference delegate cover the area, which would be impossible for the
delegate to do on a group-by-group basis.
· Assists
the delegate in obtaining group information in time to meet the deadline
for A.A. directories.
· Keeps
G.S.R.s informed about Conference activities; this includes setting up
opportunities for the delegate’s Conference report, occasionally making the
Conference report if the delegate cannot be present, and inviting the
delegate to regular district meetings.
· Makes
sure that G.S.R.s are acquainted with The A.A. Service Manual, the Twelve
Concepts for World Service, the G.S.O. bulletin Box 4-5-9,
workbooks and guidelines from G.S.O., and any other service material.
· Helps
G.S.R.s make interesting reports to groups, and encourages them to bring
new A.A. members to service events.
· Keeps
groups informed about Conference-approved books and pamphlets.
·
Organizes workshops and/or sharing sessions on service activities.
·
Regularly keeps in touch with the alternate D.C.M. and the delegate;
sends district minutes to the delegate and alternate, and exchanges them with
other districts.
· Brings
Traditions problems to the attention of the delegate.
· Makes a
regular practice of talking to groups (new and old) on the
responsibilities of general service work.
Term, Eligibility, and Election Procedures
The D.C.M.’s term of office is two years, coinciding in most areas with
the terms of the delegate, committee officers, and G.S.R.s. Some areas,
however, rotate half their committee members each year. D.C.M.s are
generally elected in the fall of the year. The election should take place afterthe
G.S.R. election and before that of the area delegate, because the
D.C.M. is chosen either from among currently serving G.S.R.s or from a
combination of past and present G.S.R.s. In most areas, a candidate for an
area committee officer or Conference delegate must be a committee member
before being eligible for election. While district meetings to elect
committee members are most often held in advance of area assemblies, and
separate from them, occasionally travel distances make this impractical
and/or a hardship. (This usually means more districts should be set up.) If
necessary, therefore, meetings to elect committee members can be held
immediately before area assemblies at the place where the assembly meets.
The committee member who is finishing a term sets up the election
meeting and, in most districts, notifies the G.S.R.s who have just been
elected and those who are going out of office.
The method of election should be decided by the area assembly or by the
district committee. Some options are:
· Most
district committees allow all current voting members of the district
committee to vote in district elections.
· Some
committees also allow newly elected G.S.R.s a vote, even though they might not
take office until some time after the election.
Many district committees include alternate D.C.M.s, a secretary and/or
treasurer, and other officers or service committee chairpersons in addition
to the D.C.M and G.S.R.s. Sometimes, these jobs are held by the G.S.R.s
already on the committee; sometimes, they call for additional voting
members, who are eligible to stand for D.C.M.
Election is either by written ballot or show of hands,
with a majority needed to elect. A district may also choose to follow Third
Legacy Procedure (see page S20), which requires a two-thirds majority.
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