Aide-Memoire
WKIG GSRs ‘AIDE MEMOIR'” FRIDAY 22nd SEPTEMBER 2023
For the information of new GSRs: – the Aide-Memoire is sent out by the intergroup secretary, within a week of each intergroup assembly. It lists everything that GSRs have been requested to take back to their groups between now and the next assembly. It also gives maximum time for group discussions on any matters requiring group feedback. The full minutes will follow within 3 weeks of each assembly.
1. ‘RACE TODAY’ CONVENTION
The “Race Today” Online Convention is being held this coming Saturday 30th September from 12pm-5pm. This is a one-day Convention with new media workshops from the AAGB ‘People of Colour’ Working Group. All Fellowship members are welcome to attend “The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking”. For more information, or to register, please email AAInformation@gsogb.org.uk or Tel 01904 644026 and they will give you the logon details
As this is only 4 days away, time is of the essence for anyone wishing to attend this is the reason why this is number 1 on the Aide Memoire
2. NEW-LOOK, UPDATED 2023 AA SERVICE & STRUCTURE HANDBOOKS
Please inform your groups that, as of last week, the 2023 edition of The AA Service & The AA Structure Handbooks are now available for order from the AAGB Shop and are free of charge. They can be ordered online from the website, or, if preferred, the price list can be downloaded and items ordered by post. Please note that there is also a new 2023-2024 price list so please don’t order on an old order form that you may find sitting in the bottom of the group’s literature box! The handbooks have also been given the new AA ‘family look’ branding which is being done gradually with all new or updated AAGB leaflets and pamphlets. Individual members may wish to order copies for their own use and/or to give to sponsees. Groups are encouraged to have their own copies of the Handbooks, which are then available for members to reference. Some display them on their meeting’s front table alongside the orange pamphlet The AA Group. Others leave them on their literature table. GSRs are requested to draw their group members attention to the handbooks and inform them where they can be found, if required.
3. YOUNG PEOPLES’ MONTHLY ‘TOPIC & DISCUSSION’ ZOOM MEETING
The Young Peoples’ Saturday Evening Zoom meeting is reaching out for support. The group meets online on the first Saturday of every month from 6pm – 7pm. It’s a fairly new meeting and is struggling with poor attendance, which could just be because it hasn’t been publicised widely enough. In an effort to boost attendance, please can GSRs help to raise awareness of this, West Kent’s very first ‘Young Peoples’ meeting. A YPs’ meeting offers young problem drinkers an opportunity to meet like-minded people of a similar age, many of whom found sobriety at a young age in AA. The newcomer may find identification with others who share their experience, strength and hope about getting sober at a young age and experience that first flicker of hope. With the meeting being on Zoom, there is the additional benefit that there are no travelling issues. This is a great opportunity for younger people coming into the Fellowship to develop friendships with others who choose not to drink and can mutually support others. People with experience of getting sober at a young age can better relate to the particular problems faced by young people seeking to live sober. Please pass on the following meeting details to any young AA members that you think might benefit from attending the meeting
Log on details for the Young Peoples’ Zoom meeting:
- Meets on the first Saturday of every month – Meeting ID: 821 1207 6032 Password: odaat
- Just in case anybody asks, the term ‘Young People’ applies to anybody that came into the Fellowship at the age of 30 or younger
4. EAST SUTTON PARK FEMALE PRISON MEETINGS
Nick K, Prison Liaison Officer, is still desperately seeking a willing member of the local Fellowship to chair the weekly Thursday, AA meeting at East Sutton Park Women’s ‘Open’ Prison. Preferably, this would be a female, as it is a female prison and inmates tend to relate to another female better. If anyone would like to have a chat with Nick about what this commitment entails, please get in touch with him
5. AREA ORGANISERS OF SCHOOL TALKS IN WEST KENT
Although Chloe B, YPLO, has made some headway in her search for people to co-ordinate school talks in the various geographical areas of West Kent, she still needs:
- 1 more volunteer for the Maidstone area
- 2 volunteers for the Sittingbourne & Sheppey area and,
- 2 volunteers for the Medway area
Chloe explained that she would accompany each of the volunteers on their first school talk. Following that, the new Co Ordinator will organise a small team of volunteers to cover the schools asking for school talks in their area and would liaise with Chloe, keeping her informed of how things are progressing. Each Co Ordinator is required to have a sponsor and have been through the 12 Steps, but members just going in on a one-off basis to assist the experienced member will not be required to meet any requirements, apart from being sober! Please contact Chloe if you are interested on
6. Chloe B, is also looking for three fellow members to assist with a set of school talks booked for 12th October in Tonbridge. On this occasion the people going in are required to hold DBS checks. Chloe has emphasised that DBS checks are not normally needed to do school talks, but this one does. Please let Chloe know if you can help as soon as possible
Tony M volunteered to be one of the two if he’s free, but Chloe will still needs two more people to help. (See Chloe’s contact details above)
7. OPTION FOR GROUPS TO RECEIVE HARD COPIES OF WKIG ‘WHERE TO FIND’
To overcome the on-going problem of some groups not having the facility to print off hard copies of the local ‘Where to Find’, to take along to their meetings, the intergroup voted in favour of Tony B’s proposal, that he would print off 10 updated copies and post them out to the groups every quarter. This will be done on an ‘opt-in’ basis, whereby the group will apply to receive hard copies and provide a postal address at the time of application. Tony will maintain a list of participating groups and add/delete groups as required. The proposal was carried with a two-thirds majority.
- Tony is happy to continue sending out electronic ‘WTF’s on a monthly basis.
- With regard to other flyers, it is hoped that groups can assist their GSRs with printing the occasional random flyer to support the group
8. SOUTH EAST REGION GSO FORUM
SE Region will be hosting a GSO Forum on Sunday 3rd December 2023 at Hartsfield Manor, Sandy Lane, Betchworth, Surrey RH3 7AA (6 miles off J8 of the M25). Each of the 16 UK regions can only request a forum once every 3 years. Members of the GSB and GSO staff members will run the Forum and three service disciplines will be represented by the Board Trustee for that discipline. The board members will talk about what their role entails and members will be able to ask any questions that may have. The Forum will be starting at approximately 10.30am and close about 3pm. Times to be confirmed nearer the time. Pre-registration with the Regional Secretary will be required nearer the time to ascertain the catering numbers but flyers with all the details will follow nearer the time. Meanwhile, if you interest has been raised, do please ‘save the date’.
9. VOLUNTEER DRIVERS NEEDED TO HELP THE HEALTH LO AT KENWARD TRUST
Tim D, the Health Liaison officer, is still looking for one or two volunteers to share the service of picking up residents of the 12-Step Barn at Kenward House in Yalding and taking them to a local meeting in Maidstone. Tim has been covering this service single-handed, almost every Wednesday evening for many months and would really appreciate having someone step up and offer to share the load, even once a month would help. Tim has pointed out that the volunteer process is pretty rigorous and would require an interview and CRB check, a clean driver’s licence and a reasonable period of sobriety. If there are any members interested in helping Tim, please him on,
10. OFFICER VACANCIES
GSRs are requested to announce the following vacancies at their group meetings, regularly and encourage group members to think about intergroup service:
There are three current vacancies & an upcoming vacancy immediately following the January assembly:
(i) PROBATION LIAISON OFFICER – The previous officer, Sarah P, is happy to speak to Anyone wishing to find out more about this service position, please contact the previous officer, Sarah P. Also see AA Service Handbook for GB, Chapter 9, pp59-64, Probation/Criminal Justice Service
(ii) PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER – this post has become vacant again. Interested members can call Tony M to find out more about this service position on Also, see The AA Service Handbook Chapter 3, Public Information pp17-29
(iii) INTERGROUP CHAIR – Tony M, the current WKIG Chair, has now reached his rotation date as of the end of this September assembly so we are now actively seeking a new Chair. The main responsibility of the Chair is to convene and conduct all intergroup meetings. Other duties include approving the agenda and minutes before they are published by the secretary. Tony is happy to cover the position for a while, whilst a replacement is found and is willing to sponsor his successor into the role if they wish. To find out more, please feel free to contact Tony on,
(iv) ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS LIAISON OFFICER (Upcoming vacancy). The current ECLO rotates out following the January assembly. The intergroup ECLO is the liaison point between the Fellowship and the Electronic Communications Sub Committee, advising the intergroup on the availability and use of the facilities available on the AAGB website. They are also responsible for checking the accuracy of the information posted on their intergroup’s web page on the website. Anyone wishing to find out more about this position, please contact the current officer, Barry B on ecomm.westkent@aamail.org Also see AA Service Handbook for GB, Chapter 93AA and Electronic Communications pp35-38
Nominations are now being accepted for all the above vacancies, for possible election at the next intergroup assembly on Friday 24th November 2023. Contact either, Shirley S, Secretary or Tony M, Chair
11. 2024 WKIG MINI-CONVENTION
SAVE THE DATE! Next year’s Mini-Convention will be held on Saturday 1st June 2024 at the usual venue – Aylesford Community Centre, Aylesford, Maidstone. Full details will be circulated nearer the time
12. PI SUB COMMITTEE
Tony M is planning to get the WKIG PI Sub Committee up and running again in the near future. If any group members would like to do some PI service, please contact Tony for a chat, on
CHANGES TO MEETING DETAILS ON WKIG ‘WTF’
Please inform Tony M directly, of any meeting changes, so that he can update the WKIG ‘Where to Find’ (see above for Tony’s contact details)
13. UPDATING YOUR GROUPS’ PINK FORM
You ALSO, need to separately, inform GSO of any meeting changes by updating your group’s Pink Form. This is the responsibility of the group and is not automatically done by intergroup. Groups are reminded of the importance of keeping their meeting details up-to-date at GSO, and to ensure that it remains accurate, it is advised that all groups update their ‘pink form’ details annually (see Structure Handbook, page 76)
14. GROUP CONTRIBUTIONS – Please thank your groups for their contributions. Jayne P, Treasurer, asks that GSRs pass on a copy of the Group Contributions table, to your group treasurers (this will be sent out within the next couple of weeks with the minutes), so that they can confirm that intergroup has received their group’s contributions. If you are missing any contributions, please let Jayne know, including the amount, date paid in, by whom, and reference used. (Full BAC’S details will be found at the bottom of the Group Contributions table when you receive it)
15. 2024 WEST KENT INTERGROUP ASSEMBLY DATES
Friday 12th January – Conference Questions Workshop (Zoom)
Friday 19h January – Normal Assembly (Zoom)
Friday 8th March – Pre-Conference Assembly (Zoom)
Friday 19th April – Normal Assembly (Zoom)
Friday 5th July – Post Conference Assembly (Zoom)
Friday 13th September – Normal Assembly (Zoom)
Friday 22nd November – AGM & Conscience Assembly (Face-to-Face)
16. 2024 SOUTH EAST REGION WORKSHOP & ASSEMBLY DATES
Sunday 28th January Workshops (morning only for I/G & Regional officers) & afternoon full assembly F2F
Sunday 24th March Pre-Conference Assembly F2F
Sunday 30th June Post Conference Assembly F2F
Sunday 29th September Workshops (morning only for I/G officers) & afternoon full assembly F2F
Sunday 24th November – AGM & Conscience Assembly F2F
DATE & VENUE OF NEXT INTERGROUP MEETING:
Friday 24th November 2023
This will be a physical meeting and will be held at the Maidstone Community Support Centre, 39-48 Marsham Street, Maidstone ME14 1HH. Doors open at 7pm for a prompt 7.30pm start and the meeting will close at 9.30pm. Full details and agenda will be sent out two weeks prior to the assembly.