PRAASA Guidelines
PACIFIC REGION ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS SERVICE ASSEMBLY (PRAASA) GUIDELINES
PRAASA is sponsored by the Areas of the Pacific Region. The Region boundaries are designated in the AA Service Manual.
PURPOSE
The purpose of PRAASA is to develop greater unity among the members, groups, and Areas of the Pacific Region; to encourage the exchange of ideas and experiences; and to provide an opportunity for members to discuss pertinent aspects of AA. The Assembly and the PRAASA committee should always foster the Recovery, Unity and Service legacies of AA.
DELEGATES
The Delegates of the Pacific Region have overall responsibility for implementing the PRAASA. They will meet at the Conference each year to select, from among the interested Areas, the site for the PRAASA three years ahead. Special consideration should be given to bids from Areas which have hosted fewer Assemblies than other bidders. The Delegates select an Advisory Committee which represents the Pacific Region Delegates' in lending continuity and guidance to host committees in the periods between PRAASA business meetings. The Delegate of the area whose bid is accepted shall appoint an archivist for that assembly within 60 days of the close of the Conference. The archivist will implement, under the supervision of the Advisory Committee, the updating of the Assembly history book as follows:
a. Compile a comprehensive historical report from the time of the bid until the applicable data is passed to the next hosting Area.
b. Use the same page format as previous Assembly histories.
c. Page numbering will continue from the previous Assembly history.
d. Forward one copy of the historical report to each Area Archives in the Pacific Region or to the Area Committee if there is no Archives. This report should be added to the appropriate section of the book maintained by the Area.
e. Additional memory-lane items and copies of the revised guidelines will be added to their sections of the Area history book.
f. All memorabilia will be passed to the Archives of the hosting Area to be stored and maintained by that Archives. It is part of the Area history.
Advance planning is of great importance to an effective PRAASA. Therefore, the Delegate of the next host area shall announce the name and address of the next PRAASA chairperson at each Assembly business meeting.
GENERAL
The dates for the PRAASA shall be that weekend (Friday through Sunday) which includes the first Friday in March.
1. A business meeting will be scheduled for each Assembly and listed in the program, which will also encourage all AA members to attend. All AA members in attendance shall have one vote.
a. Minutes and the Uniform Standard Financial Report from the preceding meeting shall be read for approval.
b. Bids shall be submitted from those Areas willing to host the Assembly three years ahead.
c. Motions concerning internal operations of the Assembly should be presented for approval, which will require a majority of the AA members present and voting. Whenever possible, motions should be submitted to the Assembly chairperson in sufficient time for inclusion in the registration packet.
2. All current Delegates and the Trustee of the Pacific Region should attend the Assembly, which shall pay the Trustee's expense in full.
3. After all expenses have been paid a positive balance may exist. If the balance is 0 to $1500, it will be sent to the current Delegate of the Area which will host in the second year following. This seed money will be transferred within 60 days after the close of each Assembly. In the same time span, any excess after taking out the $1500 seed money shall be divided equally among the next three Assemblies. Any excess transferred to the next three Assemblies shall be a factor in setting the fee for registration. It should be the policy of the chairperson to keep the registration fee as low as possible to encourage attendance, particularly at the local level. A large surplus should be avoided.
4. Include a copy of the PRAASA guidelines with the other pertinent information in the packet given at registration.
5. www.praasa.org is the official web site of the Pacific Region Alcoholics Anonymous Service Assembly and thus the host and domain registration shall be the responsibility of PRAASA to fund. The purpose of the site will be to provide information on upcoming PRAASA's as well as historical data from past PRAASA's. The custody of the site will be passed on yearly to the next hosting committee. To adhere to AA's tradition of personal anonymity, last names of AA members and personal e-mail addresses will not be listed: photographs of AA members will not be used. Only links relating to the current PRAASA should be allowed.
6. TRANSLATION EQUIPMENT: The translation equipment will be the responsibility of the current PRAASA host committee. The current committee will be responsible for inventory/transfer/shipping of the equipment to the next host committee. The equipment will be stored in a protected environment.
CHAIRPERSON
The Assembly chairperson should have a general overall knowledge of AA and experience with conventions, conference or assemblies will be helpful. He/she should be willing to devote considerable time and effort for a period of about 13 months. Some of the chairperson's many responsibilities follow:
1. Make commitments and agreements only for the specific Assembly which he/she chairs.
2. Select an Assembly committee including a secretary, treasurer, and others as needed.
3. Arrange for the meeting place.
4. Determine how housing and transportation will be handled.
5. Produce and mail fliers at least twice, once early (four to six months prior) and again about six weeks prior to the Assembly date. The mailing list furnished by the preceding chairman should be kept confidential.
6. Notify Box 459 and the Grapevine, approximately 4 months in advance.
7. Formulate a program to cover such aspects of AA as the General Service Conference agenda topics and other topics directly concerning AA. Only AA members and trustees should participate in the AA program. GSRs, DCMs, and other service people who have not been on a PRAASA program should be seriously considered for participation. Printed programs shall include, verbatim, the PURPOSE of PRAASA as has been defined elsewhere in these PRAASA Guidelines; for printing purposes, estimate 2.5 programs for each person expected at the Assembly.
8. Provide literature needed. Good judgment will be used so that only conference-approved literature, Grapevine material, local service material and PRAASA tapes may be displayed or sold, but not trinkets or tapes from other meetings.
9. Submit a Uniform Standard Financial Report to the Area Delegates and the Regional Trustee within 90 days from the close of the Assembly.
10. Turn over to the current Delegate of the next hosting Area a copy of the Uniform Standard Financial Report, a mailing list and a copy of the business meeting minutes; and maintain a file of all letters, reports, printed matter and other material pertaining to the Assembly.
11. Direct the treasurer to distribute funds specified in paragraph 3 under General.
12. Plan on providing certified interpreters for the deaf. This service will be cancelled if no requests have been received within a deadline consistent with local practices for this service.
13. Plan on providing professional translators for Spanish-speaking participants. This service will be cancelled if no requests have been received within a deadline consistent with local practices for this service.
