Assembly Bytes | Fall, 2016
The 2016 Region 6 Spring Assembly was held the weekend of September 24th in Albany, NY. We had 50 voting reps 1 alternate rep, 6 visitors and 5 board members present at the event hosted by the most active OA region in the world! To fill everyone in on the great work we did in Albany, we decided to put this quick report together!
If you don’t already do service beyond the group level, we want to make sure you know that service is for everyone! Not only that: it’s vital to your personal recovery. Consider checking out your local intergroup to learn more about what sort of work is done at Region assemblies.
2017 R6 Convention
Region 6 Convention in 2017 will be held in Toronto! We haven’t decided yet where the 2018 R6 convention will be held. To register for the 2017 Convention click here: https://oa-r6-convention-canada.ticketleap.com/toronto-stepping-up-for-recovery-r6-2017-convention/
New Region 6 Treasurer Address
There is a new treasurer’s address for Region 6 to send in contributions and donations. Please make sure to send this information out to all of your local meetings. The new address is:
Region 6 Treasurer
PO Box 1792
Westfield, MA 01086
Creating a Region 6 Available Sponsors List
Our R6 Trustee is collecting names of people who are available to sponsor so that she can refer OA members looking for a sponsor in places where no sponsors are readily available. If you’d like to be on the list, please send your name and email address to trustee@oaregion6.org
Election Results for New Board Officers
Three officers were elected to the Region 6 Board this month. We are thrilled to announce that Kelly C. was elected to serve as the Vice Chair, Lyn C. was elected to serve as the Treasurer and Susan P. was re-elected to serve as Secretary.
OA Facebook Page for Young People
There is a new OA Facebook page for young people! Search Overeaters Anonymous YP. Curious about how anonymity plays into this new medium? The page discusses it. Check it out!
Unity + Diversity Committee: Update!
In our last issue of Assembly Bytes, we shared that a motion was on the floor to create a new Unity With Diversity Committee. This time, the motion was withdrawn, but the committee will live on! It’s now an Ad Hoc Committee, as part of the 12 Step Within Committee.
As part of their breakout effort on diversity and inclusion, The Unity With Diversity Committee urges all groups in the region to add the following paragraph to their meeting formats.
“As we extend the heart and hand of the OA Fellowship to those who still suffer, let us be mindful of OA’s Unity With Diversity Policy, which respects our differences, yet unites us in the solution to our common problem. Whatever problem you may have with food, you are welcome at this meeting, regardless of race, creed, nationality, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other trait. Are there any compulsive eaters here besides myself?”
This paragraph can be found at OA.org as part of the suggested meeting format. Here is a link to the Suggested Meeting Format document: https://oa.org/files/pdf/Suggested-Meeting-Format-2016-1.pdf
Intergroup Renewal Trainings
In our last Assembly Bytes, we shared that R6 allocated about $15,000 (a huge amount of money for us), to go toward Intergroup Renewal Trainings, which will serve to bolster our shrinking OA community in the region, and hopefully beyond. The first of these workshops was held on Aug 5 & 6 in Mt. Kisco, NY with 34 attendees from 11 IGs. The next one will be held on Oct 14 & 15 in Chelmsford, MA. There are 44 registrants from 17 IGs. There will also a training held in Rochester in the Spring of 2017 and one held in Toronto before the R6 convention. Once set, the dates and times will be published on the Region 6 website. the go. I’ll post the Bytes r
PI/PO = Public Information + Professional Outreach
How do we carry the message? How do we get the word out about OA through attraction rather than promotion? The PI/PO Committee has created a data sheet that explains the scope of the Public Information and Professional Outreach Committee. It can be found here: https://oaregion6.org/region-committees/pipo/
Here’s some great news: Intergroups can apply to Region 6 PI/PO Committee for funding to support outreach projects, or PI Blitzes, aimed at carrying the message to the general public and professionals in their communities! If you would like to apply for project funding, please note that all PI Blitz applications are due 60 days prior to the date of the next R6 Assembly. Funding decisions will be made and announced at the Assembly. Applications for PI Blitz funding can be found on the R6 website: https://oaregion6.org/region-committees/pipo/
Writing Exercise for the Messenger!
Here’s a chance to use the tool of writing to carry the message of OA to the whole of Region 6. At each Assembly, we propose a writing question and then publish the responses on the Region 6 newsletter, the Messenger. The question posed at the Fall Assembly is “How does doing service beyond the group level help my recovery?” Submit responses to: newsletter@oaregion6.org Please add “DOING SERVICE” to the email subject. Deadline for submission is Nov. 23, 2016
Mark Your Calendars: Upcoming Dates for Region 6 Fall and Spring Assemblies, which will all take place in Albany
2017: April 8th at the Radisson on Wolf Rd. and September 16th at the Hilton Garden Inn
2018: April 14th and September 29th
2019: April 13th and September 21st
