Massachusetts Area 25 is working to prepare for the Area Assembly to vote on accepting Al-Anon Family Groups which only meet electronically into the MA Area service structure. This page refers to these groups as Permanent Electronic Groups (PEGs). If this transition time has been confusing for your group, your group is not alone. Here are some frequently asked questions and helpful words from our Area Chair, Paul G., to keep your group informed. Read the recommendation from the Area 25 Electronic Meeting Thought Force.
1. Will online meetings that are not also meeting in-person be part of MA Area 25?
- Yes, the Group Representatives (GRs) at the 2022 Area Spring Assembly voted to have these meetings become part of Area 25.
2. When can a new online-only meeting join MA Area 25?
- Although a vote was approved to include online meetings that are not also meeting in-person in Massachusetts at the 2022 Spring Assembly, the procedure to do this still needs to be finalized and voted on by the GRs. Read more about 3 policy decision that need to be made by the GR’s from our Chair.
3. What should a group do that was an in-person group but is now online-only and wishes to remain online-only?
- Hold off on registering as a new meeting — we recommend that you wait until the process for establishing PEGs in Massachusetts is complete. In the meantime, your group can participate in the Area service structure and vote at Area assemblies if you have a GR. There is no current time limit on how long formerly in-person meetings can remain “temporarily” online and this assures that no representation at or communications from the Area will be interrupted.
4. Does a group need to do anything differently if they are meeting both in-person and Online?
- No changes need to be made. Since both parts of the group share one GR, hopefully, the in-person and online part of the meeting find a way to coordinate business meetings so all members are represented.
5. If a group that meets in-person and online desires to split into two separate meetings, (one that meets in-person and one that meets online), what should they do at this time?
- If possible, PLEASE wait until the process for accepting the online meeting into MA Area 25 is complete. As long as both the in-person and online parts of the group share one GR and can find a way to coordinate business meetings so all members are represented.
6. My group doesn’t have a GR, can we still be an electronic group associated with Massachusetts and have our meeting listed on the MA Al-Anon/Alateen website meeting list?
- Whether your group has a GR does not affect its ability to be an electronic meeting in the Massachusetts Area. But like any group, you will only have representation at District and Area Assembly meetings if you have a GR. If you do not have a GR, a member who regularly attends the group needs to register as the Current Mailing Address (CMA). As the CMA this member will receive the monthly bulletin (via email), all WSO communication, and any other correspondence which normally goes to GRs.
7. Our online and in-person part of our group already split into two meetings, and the online meeting wants to remain on the MA website until it can formally be part of Area 25. How can the online meeting do this?
- If your group split into two groups and the online portion already registered as a new meeting with the WSO electronic area, please fill out this form to remain on the MA website meeting list.
8. Can an online-only meeting be part of the Shared Zoom Account?
- Yes, any online meeting that appears on the MA website can request to be part of the Shared Zoom Account by filling out this form. However, if the group decides not to join the MA service structure once they are able to do this, they will not be able to renew their Shared Zoom slot at the renewal time