District Sixteen Minutes

Introductions: Todd T., DCM; Doug M., Alt-DCM; Denise B., Treasurer; Ken H., Co-Corrections Chair; Sue M., GSR Center Group; Doug C., Secretary; Lois P., Co-Corrections Chair; Tom H., Archives Chair; Samira A., GSR Third Tradition Group; Julie M., PI Chair; Chris G., Alt-GSR Vision 4 U Group; LaMoyne S., DCM District 3; Tino - member

Report from West Central Regional Service Conference (passes out written report)

(Distributes General Service Conference agenda items from GSO to corresponding committee chairs.

Ideas from DCM Sharing Session: form a "Support Your Services" committee to support District committees; appoint each GSR to a District committee; encourage GSR's to attend area & regional functions.

Other ideas from the Service Conference: there are few if any newcomers in meetings in correctional facilities, therefore these meetings should stress how to work the program, rather than how the program works; districts can be organized by culture or language, for example, having a Spanish-speaking district; round-ups could be used to fund the service structure.

District 3 DCM also attended the WCRSC. He reported on iterature packets being assembled and given to newcomers, the limited lifespan of audiotape, and how archives can be used to carry the message.

District meeting directories have been reprinted ( passes out to GSR's).

Julie M., PI Chair, agreed to make a list of public places where our District meeting directories can be distributed.
Suggestions: Take directories to Detox; check with past Third Tradition Group PI chair regarding where she istributed directories; check with John D./Treatment Facilities Chair regarding where he's distributing directories; attempt to find out where previous District PI chair distributed directories; and maintain a list of where District meeting directories are being distributed.

General Service Conference agenda items will be discussed at Area Assembly and Delegates' Workshop before next District meeting. We have the option of scheduling a special District meeting to discuss the Conference agenda items if we want to.

Correction to District Mailing List: Treasurer's (Denise B.) e-mail address should be geobudd@deskmedia.com.

Minutes for 2-15-01 approved

(Passes out financial report). This report doesn't include several outstanding expenses: DCM's room at January Service Conference, Secretary's copying and mailing expenses, and DCM's plane fare and room at the West Central Regional Service Conference. District funds are insufficient to cover all these expenses at this time.

District Financial Policy specifies paying outside venders first.
Sense of the Meeting: Pay oldest expenses first - January Service Conference Hotel. Then pay outside vendors - Secretary's expenses. Then pay DCM's plane fare to Bozeman WCRSC. This leaves DCM's Bozeman hotel room unpaid, and a balance of approximately $75 in the District checking account.

Suggestion: GSR's could encourage their groups to support the district financially. The district is active and needs money. Give 7th Tradition talks at your groups. DCM's trip to Bozeman brought back ideas that will benefit our groups.

Birthday envelopes are available for making contributions to the Area.

We sent our Alternate GSR to the West Central Regional Service Conference.

Jail/Annex Meeting Formats: Our group conscience is to use the first 164 pages of the Big Book in the jail annex. We have no experience at the County Jail.

Sponsorship Pamphlet: We had no agreement, it was tabled until our next Group Conscience Meeting.

District Web Page: We support having a District Web page, but we need more information.

Jail/Annex Meeting Formats: Our group conscience is to leave the formats unchanged.

Sponsorship Pamphlet: Our group conscience is to leave the pamphlet unchanged.

District Web Page: Our group conscience supports utilizing a page on the Area web site. We do not support an independent District web page - no need to duplicate effort.

Attendance 16 or 17 last Tuesday.

Sponsorship Pamphlet: Delete "more than 1 sponsor"; leave as is "newcomer's inventory".

Jail/Annex Meeting Formats: Our group conscience is to leave the decision up to the District Corrections co-chairs.

Our meetings are huge, we have several repeat newcomers.

District Web Page: We support, will support it financially.

Jail/Annex Meeting Formats: We have no objection to expanding to cover the first 164 pages.

Co-chairs will give their names to the jailers.

Southern Minnesota Area Corrections luncheon is at the Trucker's Inn in Faribault on May 3rd. Names of corrections professionals who might attend will be passed on to the Area.

Center Group is taking over the Men's Jail meeting in April. Ken will call Ron, who is the Center Group's contact responsible for the jail meeting.

Does the current format give inmates the solution? If the format is broader will it be more likely that inmates will hear what they need to hear? Is it clear to inmates that the Big Book is a textbook for how to recover?

Should the meeting chair be allowed to change the format? Should the group putting on the meeting be allowed to change the format? Does some structure keep the meeting from becoming a free-for-all?

Are there parts of the first 164 pages that are not essential for inmates (for example, the chapters "To Wives" and "To Employers")?

Do the chapters after chapter 4 make any sense if you haven't admitted powerlessness over alcohol and the need for a Higher Power? Can we assume that inmates haven't yet admitted their powerlessness and need for a Higher Power?

Decision: The Corrections co-chairs will meet and put together a jail/annex meeting format to be brought to the next district meeting.

Planning a PI luncheon for this fall. Will coordinate with CPC.

The letters have been sent to the treatment facilities.

Workshop with District 3 - The District 3 DCM will bring this to their next district meeting. He'll also ask if the Owatonna Alano could be the location.

Reaching out to the District - In reference to the Faribault Alano we need to be careful not to view the situation as "us" and "them".

District Meeting Directory - The Alternate DCM will contact Minneapolis and St. Paul Intergroups to update their listings of our District meeting directory.

District Web Page - Sense of the Meeting: The groups support having a web page. The groups require more information before deciding whether to use the Area web site or to set up a separate, autonomous site. The DCM will ask the District Web Chair to provide this information.