WSLD Guidelines

Approved October 23, 2016

A PDF copy of these guidelines is available: Western Service Learning Days Guidelines 2016.

WSLD Charter

Charter (similar to a constitution) – The agreement among the members (see Article III) on purpose and organization – Document resistant to change, requiring prior notice with a two-thirds (2/3) vote by member service bodies.

Purpose

This charter represents the agreement among the member NA service bodies on purpose and organization of the entity known as the Western Service Learning Days.

Article I: Name

The name of this entity is Western Service Learning Days of Narcotics Anonymous. WSLD is an unincorporated member benefit association organized under the laws of California.

Article II: Object

Western Service Learning Days (WSLD) is an annual NA service conference that focuses on Narcotics Anonymous services in Public Information (PI), Public Relations (PR), Hospitals and Institutions (H&I), Phonelines, Web Pages, Outreach Services, and other NA services. This service conference gives NA members an opportunity to learn and share about issues and solutions, and develop valuable relationships through networking. WSLD is hosted each year by a different Area or Region within the thirteen western United States, two western Provinces of Canada, and Mexico.

The WSLD service conference is an NA event with the characteristics of an NA multi-regional or multi-area service learning event held over the span of several days, and includes multiple zones.

The NA service entity known as Western Service Learning Days (WSLD) is the steward of the franchise for this annual service event, its name, service marks, and all related materials. The NA service body that is selected to host a WSLD event is assigned the right to produce a WSLD event as a franchisee.

Article III: Members

WSLD represents, but is not limited to, the following regions and areas (service bodies) in the 13 western United States, western Canada, and Mexico (Alaska, Alberta, Arizona, Baja, British Columbia, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Mexico, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Saskatchewan, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming).

The members are comprised of all regions within the territory of WSLD. In addition, any Area that has previously hosted a WSLD is a member.

Article IV: Officers

There are no regular officers for WSLD. The chairperson of the current event shall either serve as, or provide, a facilitator for the business meetings.

The Chairperson of each WSLD event is elected by the hosting region or area and serves according to the requirements of that body.

Article V: Meetings

Two business meetings will be held at the annual conference.

On the Friday of the conference, a preliminary business meeting will be held to entertain bids to host the event. Other business to come before the Sunday business meeting may be introduced during this meeting.

The regular business meeting will be held on Sunday following the day’s programming. At this meeting, hosting bids will be considered along with other business.

If a WSLD event is not held in a given year, the Steering Committee shall organize and hold a teleconference to serve as the annual business meeting during the prescribed timeframe intended for a regular WSLD event, with a minimum 90-day notice to members.

Article VI: Executive Board

The Annual Business meeting serves as a decision-making body and the Steering Committee serves as an executive body.

Article VII: Committees

The Steering Committee carries out the duties of the organization and other such other projects and tasks as decided by the Business meeting. The Steering Committee members serve until replaced.

Article VIII: Decision Making Process

The Sunday Business Meeting and Steering Committee will make decisions by consensus. Should a vote be necessary, each voting member participating shall have a vote.

Article IX: Amendments

Amendments to this Charter require prior notice to the member service bodies with a super majority vote (two-thirds, 2/3) at the business meeting and with the decision ratified by a simple majority of the member service bodies voting.

Article X: Dissolution

Upon dissolution, any assets of WSLD will be transferred to the World Service Conference of Narcotics Anonymous.

Western Service Learning Days Operational Rules

[Operational Rules (similar to by-laws) – decisions made by the participants with the conscience of their service bodies about the operation of WSLD as a service body – easier to change than the charter, but more difficult to change than policies. Changes require prior notice and 2/3 vote of the participants.]

Purpose

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 NA members and the public about our fellowship. It is an educational conference for best practices and innovations in NA service and presents the broad diversity of services practiced in NA.

Website

1. WSLD is to maintain a website at www.wsld.org. A trusted servant shall serve as web servant. The web servant is responsible for maintaining the website.

2. The current and next hosts of the WSLD events are proportionally responsible for paying the operational costs of hosting the website. The two hosting service bodies (next year and two years away) of the event are responsible for providing content for maintaining the site. Please direct all internet traffic through www.wsld.org with a link from the local host site.

Business Meeting

1. A preliminary business meeting will be held on the Friday of the event, with the regular business meeting occurring on the Sunday of the event. All interested NA members are welcome to attend. Decisions affecting WSLD, including acceptance of the next bid, will be made at the Sunday meeting. The Friday business meeting will 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 will be accepted at this meeting. Other motions for guideline changes and any relevant business may be made during the Friday meeting and voted on at the Sunday meeting.

2. 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.

3. The Chairperson of WSLD is the Chairperson of the business meetings.

4. The business meeting has no officers, but includes past chairs as advisors and the future chair from the region/area 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. Past chairs and elected steering committee members shall have a 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 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.

Bids

1. A region or area that would like to host the event should bring an approved bid to the event two years prior to the one they would like to host.

2. Any region or area within the WSLD territory 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
b) Any promise of additional start-up money
c) The proposed dates for the event
d) The host city
e) Potential hotel and approximate costs
f) Commercial airport and ground transportation information

3. The steering committee will contact all regions within the WSLD territory at least six months in advance to encourage them to submit a written bid for a future event at the upcoming event.

4. Should no regionally- or area-approved bid be brought to the business meeting, this 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 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 current chair will contact the area/regional chair to explain the challenges and ramifications of hosting the event
d) The business meeting will vote whether to accept the bid contingent on the bidding service body sending a written bid letter to the current chair within 60 days of the bid meeting.
e) The bidding area/region will include a commitment to adhere to these operational rules

5. The business meeting will discuss bids and make a decision by consensus. Should a vote be necessary, only voting members participating in person shall have a vote

Hosting

1. The Chairperson of WSLD is elected by the hosting region or area and serves from the end of the previous conference through the end of the conference their region/area is hosting. The outgoing chair will act in an advisory capacity for the upcoming event.

2. Banners from previous events travel with the event. Arrangements for getting the banners should be made by the next hosting Area or Region.

3. A proposed workshop topic list is to be made available by the host committee no later than 120 days prior to the event in order to attract Regions and Areas to send representatives and to meet the room block. The topic list shall also be posted at www.wsld.org no later than 120 days prior to the event. It is up to the hosting committee to judge the diversity of workshops needed and reflect this in their programming choices. These will include workshops with a primary focus on current NA services.

4. Archival information shall be provided by the host committee to the steering committee within 90 days in order to post on the website for the benefit of future host committees. This will include host body guidelines, hotel nights (booked and purchased), budgets, topic lists, flyers, merchandise designs, event logos, and any other relevant information.

5. Should there be a conflict between these operational rules and the host guidelines, these operational rules will take precedence in matters affecting the WSLD franchise.

6. The hosting region/area should have financial accountability procedures contained in their event’s guidelines passed by their service body.

7. 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.

8. The event shall cover three days (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) and be located near a major airport with affordable transportation to the facility.

9. Any requests for participation to the NA World Board will be made by the hosting body at least six months before the event.

Funds and Assets

1. There is presently a $1,500 seed money fund which is moved between three iterations of the event. The current host should have $1,000 WSLD seed money and the next event should have $500 WSLD seed money.

a) The current host received $1,000 seed money for the event, which is comprised of $500 each from the prior two events
b) The current host will send $500 of the WSLD seed money to each of the next two hosting bodies
c) Additional start-up money and all fundraising are the responsibility of the hosting region/area
d) In the event that a future hosting body has not been selected, the service body holding the portion of the WSLD seed money intended for that future host will hold that seed money until a host is selected, and then promptly deliver the funds to the selected host.

2. The hosting service body (regional service committee or area service committee) has sole financial responsibility for their iteration (current version) of the event, thus any gain or loss is their responsibility.

3. Any money (except for WSLD seed money), inventory, or other asset, including surplus merchandise, shall be disposed of by a decision made solely by the hosting service body.

Western Service Learning Days – Policies and Procedures

Policies and Procedures are decisions made by participants that are easy to change, do not require a notice, and uses a simple majority vote. This provision is intended to allow the Sunday Business Meeting and the Steering Committee to make decisions about policies and procedures eg., create a bid procedure package. create an event guide, checklist, timeline, How-to document “So You Want to Host WSLD”, a history appendix, and operational details of the website.

Adopted October 23, 2016 in San Diego, California