Hello,
We hope you all are keeping well.
We are writing again so soon after our last email because we wanted to let you know about a web meeting open to all interested members on the topic of next steps for online meetings. The log-in information is at the bottom of this email and we will also post it on www.na.org/webinar
When
The web meeting is scheduled for Saturday, 25 July, 11:00 am to 1:00 pm, Pacific Daylight Time. We will open the room by 10:00 am, and encourage all interested members to log on early to check your connection and make sure you are ready when the meeting begins.
Translations
The meeting will have simultaneous translation so that English-, Spanish-, and Portuguese-speaking members can all meet together.
Focus of the Meeting
This continues to be a challenging time for many of our members and communities. As stay-at-home orders are lifting and many places are opening back up, NA groups that have been meeting online are making choices about whether to return to in-person meetings, stay online for now, or some combinationeither a hybrid meeting or splitting the group.
Many places have government-created guidelines for gatherings, such as limits on numbers of people or mandatory sign-in sheets for contact tracing, and trusted servants are grappling with how to help groups respond to government information and guidelines while respecting group autonomy. Even in places without such regulations, discussions of next steps for meetings that have gone online can be challenging; some members of a home group may be eager to meet in person again and others may not feel ready. A number of members have asked if we could please hold a web meeting so that people can share experience, strength, and hope. The therapeutic value of one addict helping another isnt just about personal recoveryit applies in service too.
Structure of the Meeting
We plan to start out with some brief presentations from members who have experience navigating some of these issues. Then we will spend much of the time in facilitated small-group discussion. We will have time before we close for some attendees to share what they heard during the meeting that was most helpful. We will post summary notes from the discussion at some point after the web meeting.
How to Prepare
Be sure your version of Zoom is up to date. Zoom regularly rolls out updates, so if possible, check for updates the morning of the web meeting or the night before. You do that by logging on to your Zoom account, clicking your profile picture/icon and selecting check for updates in the drop-down menu.
If you havent already done so, please read the Web Meeting Participant Orientation document posted on the Conference page: https://www.na.org/admin/include/spaw2/uploads/pdf/conference/Web%20Meeting%20Participant%20Orientation%20revised.pdf
Best Practices
This meeting is focused on issues related to coronavirus and next steps for in-person meetings that have migrated online during the pandemic. However, we are still collecting experience from members and resources related more generally to best practices for online recovery and service meetings. You can find resources we have collected so far here: www.na.org/virtual. If you have tools that have helped your group or service body, please send them to us: pr@na.org
Reminders
Dont forget that we have posted a survey to help two researchers collect information about NAs response to the coronavirus: www.na.org/survey. This kind of research can spread the word about NAs effectiveness and help addicts find NA. Please fill out the survey and help us spread the word.
We also wanted to remind you about the new Exciting Deals section in the online store. You can pick up deeply discounted special edition books and bundles or send one to a friend who is celebrating. Its no substitute for a hug, but it is a way to let them know youre thinking of them. Exciting Deals is the first option on the drop-down menu for each of our branches: https://www.na.org/?ID=OrderLiteratureOnline-content.
Log-in Information
Topic: Web meeting about NA in the time of Coronavirus
Time: Jul 25, 2020 11:00 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://NAWS.zoom.us/j/97663771180?pwd=WFpXVE1qZERiSlNoRC9PemlnNFc2QT09
Meeting ID: 976 6377 1180
Password: 07252020
If you need to connect the audio through your phone:
Dial by your location
855 880 1246 US Toll-free
877 369 0926 US Toll-free
Meeting ID: 976 6377 1180
Find your local number: https://NAWS.zoom.us/u/ab1HUcUE3L
We hope to see you on the 25th.
In service,
World Board