Western Service Learning Days ConventionWSLD Guidelines
WSLD has been a loosely organized group of service enthusiasts from some of the participating regions. At the WSPILD Committee meeting in Salt Lake City in 1993, it was decided that we would like to continue in this informal manner, but there are several things we wanted documented so that this convention can continue to be a success for as long as there is interest. In 2003 at Phoenix it was agreed that the event had grown to the point that the guidelines needed to be modified to create more definite points of accountability in the procedures for the event.
1. WSLD is comprised of those interested in Public Information, Phonelines and Hospital and Institutions service from the regions and areas in the 13 western United States, western Canada, and Mexico. WSLD is comprised of members from the regions and areas in the 13 western United States, western Canada, and Mexico who are active in Narcotics Anonymous services that interface with the public the professional community and addicts whose access to meetings is limited.
2. WSLD’s purpose is to share information about what works and does not work in being of service carrying the message of Narcotics Anonymous and effectively informing the public about our fellowship.
3. Two committee meetings will be held on the Friday of and on the Sunday of the event. All interested attendees are welcome to participate. Decisions affecting WSLD including acceptance of the next bid will be made at this meeting. The opening business meeting on will be on Friday to give regional and area representatives the opportunity to seek guidance from the service body sending them on issues to be voted on. Bids for hosting the event in two years will be accepted at this meeting. Other motions for guideline changes and any business relevant to the upcoming events may be made during this meeting.
4. The closing meeting will be held after the Sunday morning main meeting. At this meeting hosting bids will be voted on. Work groups and task groups may also be appointed at this time. A brief inventory of the event will also be completed at this meeting.
5. The Committee is comprised of one or more members from each of the interested regions and former hosting areas.
6. The Chairperson of WSLD is elected by the hosting region or area and serves from the end of the previous convention through the end of the convention their region/area is hosting. The outgoing chair will act in an advisory capacity for the upcoming event taking care to consider differences in the current hosting body from the previous hosting body.
7. The Committee has no other officers, but includes past chairs as advisors and the future chair from the region hosting the event next year. WSLD shall have a steering committee that includes past chairs, current chair and up to 5 elected members who have attended at least 3 WSLD events in the last 5 years. All past chairs and elected members shall have a single vote at the WSLD business meetings. Each region attending WSLD shall have a single vote at the business meeting. The regions will be responsible for determining who will be given the vote of confidence to carry their conscience. Areas or regions that have hosted WSLD will also have a vote. Those areas or regions will be responsible for determining who will be given the vote of confidence to carry their conscience.
8. There is presently $1,000 seed money for the event that travels with the event. Each event will send $500 seed money to the next event and $500 seed money to the event following in 2 years. Additional seed money and all fundraising are in the responsibility of the hosting region/area.
9. The hosting region/area should have financial accountability procedures for money handling and fund flow donations contained in the event guidelines passed by their service area.
10. The event shall be hosted in rotating regions/areas within the six week period of three weeks prior to the last weekend of October and the third weekend in November.
11. The event shall cover three days (Friday, Saturday and Sunday), be located near a major airport with shuttle service to the facility. It is up to the hosting committee to judge the diversity of workshops needed and reflect it in their programming choices. These will include workshops with a primary focus on PI, Phonelines, Internet, H&I, Outreach, and other current NA services or recovery oriented material.
12. The hosting committee will contact all the participating regions at least six months in advance to encourage them to submit a written bid, for the event two years away, at the upcoming event. The contact will be made to the Regional and Area Chairs in writing by US Mail or e-Mail with return receipt. All areas and regions contacted must be registered with NAWS.
13. This event is not affiliated with the WSC, WSO, or NAWS but attempts will be made to invite and include participation from them. Although this event is not affiliated with NA World Services requests for participation from NAWS will be completed by the programming body at least 9 months before the event. A minimum of two workshops will be offered to NAWS for the purpose of informing the fellowship of current methods or trends in service.
14. At the WSPILD Committee meeting in San Diego in 1991, it was decided to use a two-year bid process. A region/area that would like to host the event should bring a region/area approved bid to the event two years prior to the one they would like to host.
15. Any region/area in the geographic area listed in item #1 may present a bid for the event. The bid must be in writing and should include:
a. Permission from region/area to host the event, including the promise of seed money
b. The date proposed for the event
c. The host city
d. Potential hotel and approximate costs
e. Any other information about the workshops or event that might be helpful
16. Should no regionally or area approved bid be brought to the committee meeting the following procedure will be followed:
a. Bids will be solicited from the regions and areas in attendance at the Friday business meeting.
b. If an area or region puts in a bid the area/regional chair must be contacted by telephone before the close of the voting on the bid to confirm whether it is acceptable to that area/region to submit a bid with later approval by the area/regional service committee.
c. The outgoing and event chair will contact the area/regional chair to explain the challenges and ramifications of hosting the event.
d. The committee will vote whether to accept the bid contingent that the bidding service body sends a written bid letter to the outgoing chair within 60 days of the bid meeting.
e. The bidding area/region will include a commitment to adhere to these guidelines over the coming two years.
17. The committee will discuss bids and make a decision by consensus. Should a vote be necessary each region participating shall have a vote.
18. These guidelines were first adopted in Portland in 1994. The WSLD Chair for the next year’s event is responsible for updating the history section and amending the WSLD Guidelines to implement any changes voted on at the WSLD Sunday business meeting. If amended, changes will be reviewed and confirmed by two current or past WSLD chairs that were present at the business meeting so that the changes reflect the group conscience at the business meeting.
19. A copy of these guidelines will be sent to each region as defined in item 1 with pre-registration flyers each year and also have copies of the guidelines available at the upcoming business meeting.
20. Banners for previous event travel with the event at the discretion of the area/region owning the banners. Banners should be taken home at the end of the event by the next hosting area/region.
21. Past hosting areas are included as voting members of the committee.
22. WSLD is to have a web site www.wsld.org that the two hosting regions (Next year and 2 years away) of the event are responsible for providing content to the body maintaining the site. The body responsible for maintaining the web site will handle technical issues and posting the page. The registration flyer, participation applications, chair and other event officer e-mails will be set up on the web site with forwarding to those trusted servants’ personal e-mails, and other information relevant to the event will be posted on the web site.
23. A workshop topic list is to be published and made available by the host committee at least 60 days prior to the event. The topic list shall also be posted at www.wsld.org 60 days prior to the event.
24. The following years WSLD committee shall bring 500 copies or registration flyers to the WSLD event for distribution.
25. Archival information may be posted on the web site for the benefit of future events. This will include host body guidelines, budgets, topic lists, flyers, merchandise designs, event logos, and any other relevant information.
26. Should there be a conflict between these guidelines and the host guidelines these guidelines will take precedence.
It is the hope that these simple guidelines can be used to keep this loosely affiliated group of service enthusiasts able to perpetuate WSLD.