Minutes for the DA UK Intergroup (IG) Meeting
Saturday 24th May 2008 at St John’s, Hyde Park Crescent, London.
1. Opening
12 people present, with 6 voting members (GSRs):
Chair
Literature
Refreshments and GSR Cambridge
Treasurer and Web Master
Vice Treasurer
Web Team Member and GSR Westbourne Grove
GSR Hyde Park Sat am
GSR BDA Hinde St. Sat.
GSR Southgate.
GSR DA Hinde St. Sat
GSR BDA Wed & Web Team Member.
GSR DA Flood St.
2. Apologies for Absence:
Telephone contact; Secretary
3. Minutes of the Previous IG Meeting
Passed
4. Treasurer’s Report
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Donations received at the meeting from:
o Thursday BDA (£5)
o Friday BDA (£60)
Finances up to the meeting presented:
o credit £3375.51
o commitments
 immediate £91.26
 prudent reserve £273.08
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 spending plan agreed Jan 08 £2214
o uncommitted funds £797.18
As literature money is now held in the same account, there was a discussion
about keeping £800 aside for the next purchase. Agreed to include this in
future.
5. Literature Secretary’s Report
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A delivery is waiting in customs for £214.30. It needs £20 to be paid for release.
It is supposed that this is because there are CDs in there. Agreed that the
customs fee will be added onto the CD price.
Literature has been successfully being sold on the last Saturdays of the month at
the Hyde Park meeting 12.30-1pm
6. Other Service Positions:
(a) Website
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Two member of the web group had had a meeting and suggested a number of
changes.
It was agreed that the meetings list would be changed to a tabular format on the
web site to aid clarity, using pages from other fellowships as models.
Suggested that individual groups could have their own page(s) on the website.
This would be for information such as groups special focus and maps etc.
Agreed to fund small increase in cost to allow unlimited pages, and to
develop this idea. Action: investigate whether such pages could have their own
passwords
It was pointed out that several webpages with ‘debtors anonymous’ in the
domain name were in fact finance selling companies. Two domain names
remained that we felt might be used in a similar way (.net and .eu); it was
proposed that Intergroup buy these domain names at £20 per year in order to
prevent their misuse; the idea would be that we kept them but did not use them,
as that would incur extra expenditure. Agreed to buy these domain names.
[post-meeting note: both domain names purchased]
The issue of putting the Intergroup minutes on the website was discussed,
particularly in terms of whether names should be included. The Chair proposed
we have anonymous minutes on the web site and this was agreed.
The website is now being monitored through Fasthosts and through Google
Analytics for usage. Apart from the UK, hits had come from the USA, Italy and
France. The home and meetings pages were the most popular.
(b) Telephone/email contacts
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The webmaster reported that he passes on about 5 calls a week from the phone
line (these come as short computer files).
Email contact: We are continuing to receive the emails.
(c) Vacant positions
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Secretary. Since the last meeting, we have voted in a new secretary by GSR’s
online (our first online vote).
Vice chair -still vacant. ANNOUNCE PLEASE
PI: The Chair will be checking in with the PI officer at a later date
Refreshments. Everything is good, and IG would like to thank the Hyde Park
meeting for its contributions.
7. Other business
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A big thank you was given from IG to the previous Chair who has stepped down
from Intergroup. There have been a number of emails supporting her hard
work.
The Californian DA steps had been circulated within intergroup and they are
going to be forwarded for discussion at the next IG meeting.
CAB mailing list: There have been technical difficulties, and have now been
sorted out. Members are taking action in re contacting the CAB and getting flyers
out to meetings for distribution.
We need a key for the room. Action Chair (email sent).
8. Reports from Working Groups.
(a)Events and Fund Raising Working Group
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We need a chairperson for this as the incumbent has stepped down. This is a
vital group, and is an ideal opportunity for someone with energy and ideas. They
do not need to be a GSR. PLEASE ANNOUNCE TO GROUPS
PRG days – The Flood St GSR for agreed to take forward organization.
(b) Outreach working group.
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A spending plan was discussed. Within this the following issues were raised:
What do groups outside London want help with? Information gathering to-date
suggests groups would welcome Chairs, want publicity, but are less keen on other
ideas we had put forward – maybe IG should do things slowly
Some outside groups seemed to be worried they ‘aren’t doing it right’ – on the
contrary, it was mentioned that West Penrith (Cornwall) Friday evening Group
has more up-to date versions of The Tools than we have in London.
Possible Email newsletter to outer groups?
Money is available to support travel costs for sharers to do chairs at meetings
that are distant from them: The group provisionally allocated £150 of their
budget, and proposed to do one as test run. This could be e.g. for a chair from
Cambridge to visit Manchester – not just from London.
Support for outside London groups to attend Intergroup: Proposed that 25% of
their costs towards attending Intergroup could be subsidised, on a needs basis, to
be reviewed yearly. Agreed.
Proposal that people be recording giving chairs: One GSR had seen this done
elsewhere, using a hired space and recording several chairs at one session.
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Allocated £110 (room hire + costs). Solvency/recovery requirements for doing
chairs is 3mths abstinence from incurring unsecured debt. Outreach Group is
to produce a form for people to put their names on, which GSRs could take to
their meetings. PLEASE ANNOUNCE TO GROUPS
DA Convention in October:
o The literature secretary is making contact re recording chairs at this
Proposed that Intergroup ask to have a table at Convention.
Loners support group – a list will also be made up for volunteers who would like
to undertake this service to enter their contact details on.
Re: Phone and Internet meetings from the UK, Different GSRs are researching
Skype, the Internet, and DA phone meetings in the UK.
Does anyone have any input for a newsletter to send out to outreach groups and
members? Please contact IG. PLEASE ANNOUNCE TO GROUPS
Next Outreach Group meeting on 21st June.
(c) World Service representation
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Intergroup had set aside £1400 to send someone to the World Service
conference. Two GSRs (Ealing and Sat BDA Hinde St) were interested in going.
The BDA Hinde St GSR was successfully voted to go to World Conference 2008
with the other candidate as first backup. It was noted that the Hyde Park meeting
had offered sum funds to help with this if Intergroup needed them. PLEASE
ANNOUNCE TO GROUPS
There was discussion about how to do this in the future, and whether it had to
be a GSR.
9. Meeting Reports.
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New meeting Southgate is going well.
Flood Street (Tues evening) is a busy, strong and well-off meeting.
Portobello (Thursday evening) is doing well.
Hinde St. Sat. DA 11.30 is doing well.
Westbourne Grove has 15-20 people and newcomers and is doing well.
Hinde St. Wed. BDA going well.
Ealing Sat. 6pm DA needs support. Meeting has emphasis on working the Steps. PLEASE
ANNOUNCE TO GROUPS
Hinde St. Sat. BDA 11am has 6-12 mostly regulars is doing well.
Hyde Park Sat. DA 11am has 30-40 regulars and newcomers, all service positions are full and
is doing well.
Cambridge is doing well and service positions are full.
DATE OF NEXT MEETING 26TH JULY 2008.
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