Archive for category: Intergroup

Intergroup Meeting Minutes July 3, 2017
Intergroup meeting: Was hosted by the International group of Eindhoven. Intergroup sends there appreciation to the IGE Group and its volunteers that made this meeting possible. It was attended by 20 people. Seven groups were represented with their GSR’s:  International Group Eindhoven, As Bill sees it Wednesday Amsterdam, Kiss Saturday group in Eindhoven, Utrecht group, Monday night 12n12 The Hague, Friday Mustard group Amsterdam, The Enjoying life group Rotterdam , along with 7 observers.
Minutes: The minutes from our last meeting on April 2, 2017 was approved
Intergroup Service reports
Convention Report:
Mark the convention chair was not present. Marco (treasure) gave the update. There are enough volunteers.
The registration for the Convention is open and on the website for people to sign up. At this moment, the 50 – 60 registrations are not covering costs. We are experiencing communication difficulties with Mennerode while they had raised some costs. It was mentioned that the 7th tradition will be the method to cover costs. It is possible that next year the convention will be held at a different location. GSR’s are asked to promote the registration, so committee gets people (and money) in as soon as possible.
Website/Webmaster Report:
Tim was present. First Tim gave extensive thanks to Dimitrij who did a great job getting the website updated to what it is now. IG also express their thanks!! After 4 years of hard work Dnitrij has decided to step down. Actions
accomplished lately: meeting finder,2) Big Book on line, 3) Safety has been updated, 4) The shop has been redesigned. Tim express that he would like to have help to support him (someone good with servers )
Helpline:
Jonathan, the helpline coordinator was not present. Jonathan sent in the report, this was read and no questions were asked. An email from Jonathan explaining why he could not be present was read and accepted. Mathieu stated that it is important to keep track of who has whatcontract (such as ADSL). He had difficulty in finishing this contract because the name on the contract has long left Intergroup.
Treasury Report:
The treasurer Mathieu handed out the report and explain. There were no questions.
Literature report:
The literature representative Mircea was not present. Report was sent in by email and read by the Chairperson.
No further questions/ comments were made. Members were invited to email Mireca if they had further questions. Mireca communicated to Tom that his commitment is finish in Romania and will be at the next IG meeting.
Public Information Report:
Danny the PI representative for Intergroup gave his report. The main goal up to now is the convention.
where PI is going to give a workshop. The PI meetings are averaging 6 people and are very enthusiastic about arranging the workshop. All PI reps will be wearing T-shirts at the convention so people can recognize them easier. Danny mention that there are many groups that did not update the contact info with the web site. An idea was mention that it could be an good idea that groups have their own email so in case of an newcomer that needs an meeting that the group could be contacted rather than trying to find someone. Kim from Amsterdam is taking in “Doctors in training “ to meetings and after the meeting there is coffee and an after-talk. Both sides are content
with their relationship. . Danny emphasized that it would be great if more groups would have PI represent them at their next meeting which will be held on Sept 10 at Adriaan Kluitstraat #170 Rotterdam 3052 RJ. IG sends its thanks to the whole PI group for their work.
CER Report: The CER Representative Jason was not present. The 2nd Cer Haylen moved back to USA and is not available anymore. The GSR of Utrecht express his groups concerns once again that he cannot give his group any information regarding CER. Because of the report was not present it will be presented at the next IG meeting.
Topics that were discussed:
1) It was expressed that GSR’s should announce in their meetings that the about the convention scholarship in case people have difficulties with registration payments.
2) IG Facebook page: Tom to look into the idea of a Facebook page not for interactive but only for outgoing information. He will report back at the next IG meeting.
3) IG Commitments: Attending the IG meetings must be taken seriously. It is a commitment of 4 times a year. If you cannot make your commitment please arrange that someone can fulfill your commitment at IG.
Positions that are available at Intergroup:
Chairperson
2nd CER
Next Meetings: Sept 30 at APCH in Den Haag 11 to 3 pm, Jan. 2018 in Rotterdam. April in Eindhoven, July in Amsterdam
Please check website for any changes.
Closure: The meeting closed with the serenity prayer and sincere thanks to all.

Free parking

By train: The Hague Central Station, take bus 22 direction Duinzigt (15 minute drive)

Intergroup Meeting Minutes                                                                                         January 28, 2017

The Intergroup meeting of January 28, 2017 was held in Utrecht and was attended by 24 people, in which 8 groups were represented and we are very happy to report 10 observers also attended to experience what happens at an Intergroup meeting.
Groups Present:Monday 12 & 12 The Hague, Utrecht, Friday Gratitude the Hague, As Bill Sees it Amsterdam, Saturday Morning Amsterdam, TGIM Lunchtime Amsterdam, Saturday Evening 11step the Hague, Tuesday steps Groningen
Minutes: The minutes from our last meeting October16, 2016 were approved.

Intergroup Service reports
Convention Report: Feedback Pre Convention meeting at Holly’s place on Jan 22:A lot of people showed up with interest for being part of the 2017 committee. Holly pointed out that the 500€ placed for helping newcomers or people not being able to afford the 2017 Convention were collected to this intent, the 2017 committee should keep that in mind.
Reimbursement of 40€ for food and drinks to Tom: Is agreed by Intergroup.
Holly is not putting any reimbursement request forward.
Chairperson: Mathieu read the requirements for convention chairperson position. Holly added it’s important that the person has a sponsor and 2 years of sobriety. Previous experience in the Convention committee is mandatory. Two candidates, Cheryl and Mark put their names forward for this position. Mark is elected as a chairperson for the Convention.
Treasurer person: Mathieu read the requirements for the position of treasurer: One candidate, Marco put his name forward.
Marco is elected as a treasurer for the Convention.
Website / Webmaster report: Dimitri presented the report created. Website attendance is decreasing a bit; this is partially due SEO (search engine optimisation) that needs to be improved. Major improvement has been made on the website making it much faster for visitors. Fellows interested to take part to the website developments can contact the webmaster: w…@aa-netherlands.org
Treasury report: Treasurer report was read by Mathieu: Financial situation as of January 27^th, 2017. Balance as of January 27th, 2017 is 9954,62 €. During the reporting period, Intergroup bank account has been used to support the Literature position because of administration problem. The 2016 accounts were approved and voted upon. The budget of 2017 was presented. No donation to CER is foreseen and the PI budget was reviewed to be lowered. The account being exceeding the prudent reserve by a large amount, it is proposed to increase the PI literature figures to 900€. PI needs to come with a consolidated budget for 2017 at the next Intergroup meeting. A donation to CER needs to be presented for the next reporting period. Intergroup will be requested to approve the updated 2017 budget at the next meeting. Mathieu stated donations made by the groups have been received by Intergroup with gratitude.
Literature report:Mircea mention that the shipping costs from the Grapevine books have increased thus books price from the Grapevine are increased accordingly. 1 group made use of the 40€ voucher for “start-up package” for new groups. 1 bug on the website shop was discovered and solved. Balance Literature Fund bank account as of 27^th of January: €706.02. The literature report is voted upon and approved.

Public Information report:Dany updated us on the PI situation. PI had 2 business meetings since the last Intergroup meeting and the business meeting was attended by former PI members, now PI is focusing on getting the basics. The committee consist of 4 people. Kim was invited to join as she is really active in doing PI work in Amsterdam. A chairperson still needs to be voted in, Tom read the requirements taken from the AA website. Intergroup agreed and voted upon using the job description as presented on the AA.org website adding knowledge of the Traditions for 2 years duration. Dany is putting is name forward and was elected as P.I. Chairperson.
CER Report: Jason the CER Representative was not present. Utrecht group would be interested in having inputs on what CER is doing,how it functions and what it costs. Would it be possible to have example of CER actions?
Help line : Jonathan T.(helpline coordinator) was not present. Mathieu presented the situation of the helpline and the possible remedies. Jonathan could take the necessary action to get the solution in place as of March 2017.

Election of the Intergroup Officers for the following positions:
Convention Chair position : Mark from the “Friday “ Design for living sober“ group in Amersfoort was voted in
Convention Treasurer: Marco from “Monday night 12 n 12 step” in the Hague was voted in

Topic that were discussed
Next Meeting: Next meeting will be in Amsterdam, Sunday April 2, 2017 11am to 3 pm. Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 282A,Amsterdam

Message from IG Chairperson

We want to thank the “Thank God it’s Monday “ Lunchtime Group in Amsterdam for hosting the next I.G. meeting on April 2. We look forward to meeting you all at the meeting. If you are curious what goes on at the Intergroup meetings we would like to extend a warm welcome to you and say that you do not have to be a GSR to attend, observers are always welcome and we will answer all your questions. If your group is not represented at I.G. we encourage that every group discusses the importance of having a GSR and to attend the quarterly Intergroup business meetings. Being a GSR is an excellent service opportunity and having GSR’s help secure the future of AA. We need your input / ideas and votes, so we also would like to know your needs and how to better serve you! We ask that announcements are made at your home group to inform people about IG and why it is important to be a part of IG. Please print out this newsletter and make it available at your Literature table while making announcements at your regular meetings about its content. If you have any questions please contact us at: s…@aa-netherlands.org

The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.

Message from the Chair
Our Intergroup meeting of April 30, 2016 was held in Den Haag and was attended by 15 people. The following groups was represented: Friday Night Gratitude Group The Hague, Keep it simple Eindhoven, Enjoying life Rotterdam, Monday 12&12 The Hague, The Steps we took Amsterdam, As Bill see it Utrecht, 12 Steps International Amsterdam, Daily Reflections The Hague ( total 8 groups )
Of the 34 A.A. groups in Holland only 8 was represented in our last business meeting. We encourage all groups to have their GSR’s attend our quarterly business meetings. We need your input / ideas and votes, so we know your needs and how to better serve you!! We also need people that are willing to take on the positions of Secretary and Literature positions at IG.
If interested please contact us at s…@aa-netherlands.org.

New Ideas & taking part
This is your Intergroup. You may want to introduce new events (or reintroduce old ones). Let us know what you want from us. It was mentioned that the Newsletter is being received well!! We are looking at more ways to be creative with the newsletter.
If you have any suggestions please email us at: s…@aa-netherlands.org

New positions to fill
Unfortunately the Secretary and Literature positions were not filled!!
These are very important positions at IG and is a good opportunity to do service. We encourage all GSR’s to make announcements and for Sponsor’s to suggest this to their sponsie’s; the importance of IG and why it is important to be a part of IG.  If you are interested please email us at s…@aa-netherlands.org

Minutes: The minutes from our last meeting  January 2016 was approved

Website
Alot have been done and still more to do! They said they received alot of positive reactions to the website but they need help. If you want to participate in creating or updating content, please drop us a note at w…@aa-netherlands.org.
You don’t need to have fancy computer skills – experience in editing Word documents suffices. The site publishes blog articles, event announcements, keeping meetings up to date and more. If you see something which can be better, or have ideas or suggestions, please email us. We think all of us can be very proud with this achievement so far. It was a long process: lots of thought, design, testing, and funds went into this production.

Thank you all for participating in this project!

Convention
Our Convention Chairperson step down and we are happy to announce that Holly B. from the 12&12 steps The Hague volunteered and was nominated as Chairperson. Organization and registration is a bit behind schedule.
If you would like to help please contact our secretary at: c…@aa-netherlands.org

Treasury
Mathieu stated that our financial situation is stable and expresses gratitude and thanks to all the groups for their support.

Literature report
no report. We are currently looking for a Literature person

Public Information
The present PI Chair has step down at the PI movement is at a stand still. Eli volunteer to take initiative to communicate about PI and to kick start it again.

CER (continental European Region)
CER was away on business so there was no report. We had to postpone voting on whether to have a 2nd CER representative to the next business meeting awaiting her input on this subject

Topic that was discuss: Service center in Amsterdam

Mark explained what the possibilities of a “service center” could do and the financial support that would be needed from Intergroup. After further discussion it was decided that GSR’s should go back to their groups and explain the idea of a service center. Also to explain the need of volunteers for hosting it in Amsterdam; along with the commitment linked to the Service center. Votes to be taken at each A.A. group.
“ARE WE SUPPORTING THE GENERAL IDEA OF A SERVICE CENTER”
GSR’s to present their groups decision at the next IG business meeting

Next Meeting

Sunday July 3rd, 2016 Amsterdam –Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 282A

Open Positions: Secretary, Literature position, 1st & 2nd CER representative

Message from the Chair

In our last Intergroup meeting it was well attended by 24 people. It is a great time to join in as a GSR in representing your group at Intergroup or to take one of the service positions as members rotate out. Even if you are not in a position to make a long term commitment, we welcome you to attend Intergroup meetings and to contribute your ideas. We would like to offer everyone  the opportunity to come and join us at our next IG meeting in Amsterdam on January  10th and be a part of what goes on “ behind the scenes “ . Lunch is provided.  Check our web site for all details

New Ideas & taking part

This is your Intergroup. You may want to introduce new events (or reintroduce old ones). We have supported Gratitude Days, Christmas celebrations and workshops. Let us know what you want from us.

Telephone Answering

We are immensely grateful to our dedicated volunteers who provide this service, day and night, every day of the year. It is still a main lifeline to our newcomers, who call us in despair, as well as helping visitors to find a meeting and so on. If you want to know more about how it is handle or would like to be of service by answering the help line, you could contact the Helpline Coordinator at: o…@aa-netherlands.org

Website

Dimitri reported that the web site is up and running!!! . We owe a lot to Dimitri and Tim for all their hard work in setting this new web site. If you haven’t seen it please visit us at aa-netherlands.org We welcome all comments on how we could be of better service. w…@aa-netherlands.org

Literature

We maintain a large stock of books and medallions which are made available to groups more or less at cost. They are easily ordered on-line or by telephone. We hope that payment will be made even easier on our updated website.  Willemien our Intergroup Literature person announce that Due to AAWS raising their prices and the decline of the value of the €uro that Books, pamphlets, and coins prices had to be raised. As always she tries to find ways to keep the cost down to a minimum. Willemien announce that there are 2 new books that are now available to us:

• “Daily quote”
• “Forming new partnership”.

Convention

Mathieu our 2015 Convention chairperson stated in his final report to Intergroup that it was a pleasant event and it was very rewarding to be a part of the committee that puts it all together.  It went extremely well and exceeded their expectations. There was a profit of 129.41 and it was transferred back to Intergroup.

New positions voted on

Joris from Amserfoort as our new chairperson for the Convention 2016

Mark from Amserfoort as our Convention treasurer for 2016

If you are interested in being a part of this great event please contact Joris at c…@aa-netherlands.org. Check the web site for further info regarding the Convention.

New Meetings (Check website for details)

• Utrecht:  “ABC meeting “Big Book Sunday 12:30 ABC straat # 5 Utrecht
• Rotterdam: “Enjoying Life “Thursday 19:30 Schiedamse Vest # 121
• Den Haag: “Daily Reflections: Thursday 12 noon at Koningin Marialaan # 2
• Like all new meetings they need our support. So please make announcements at your home groups

Treasury

Jackie our IG treasurer stated that our financial situation is stable and since we were not able to send money to GSO York in 2 years that she recommended that we now could send 350e

Workshops

Recently Monday night in Den Haag hosted a workshop on “ sponsorships “ that was attended by close to 100 people from all parts of Holland . Workshops are a valuable part of our AA Journey and is strongly encouraged either as a group to organize one or as individuals to attend one. It is a great way to interact with other AA members and at the same time get valuable information and receive answers to any questions we might have concerning the workshop topics.

Public Information

Recently the P.I. representatives of Monday 12 steps group in Den Haag held a 2 day workshop at the American Womens Club in Den Haag and was received extremely well and attended by over 100 People. They also put an advert in the monthly magazine about AA and Al Anon. If you like to know more about P I or would like to be involve either as an individual or a group rep you could contact John R.:  p…@aa-netheerlands.org

CER (Continental European Region)

Intergroup connects to the larger fellowship through CER, which, in turn, is a “region” with AA UK.  CER is formed from English speaking Intergroups like our own throughout Europe. CER also has a website which provides information on English speaking meetings in Europe and has a web mail answering service. This is important in reaching out to the newcomer. More recently CER has started to sponsor PI activities, such as attendance at the European Mental Health Conference and a master class for nurses in Cluj (Romania). We in Dutch AA have been very involved with this.

CER connects to York (the AA office in the UK) and sends 6 delegates to Conference. This body considers questions from the fellowship, providing guidance on topics of current interest as well as being responsible for approving and publishing AA literature.

CER is financed through contributions from Intergroups. Earlier this year we contributed €1200.

Dorien serve us as our CER for the past 3 years and we owe a great amount of thanks to her for making herself available in service to us.  Her term as CER is up in end December 2015.

Jennifer from Amsterdam was voted in as our new CER representative. We are looking for a 2nd CER representative and if you think you would like to be a part of the CER team please email our secretary at s…@aa-netherlands.org
and attend our next business meeting in Amsterdam.

We A.A.s do not stay away from drinking one day at a time

We grow away from drinking one day at a time.

(Lois Remembers”, page 168, quoting Bill)