What are Subcommittees for ?
These individuals are responsible for administering the general affairs of the entire area committee. Because of that, it’s important that great care be taken in their selection. A substantial amount of clean time and personal maturity should be the first consideration, along with experience in the steps, traditions, and concepts of service. Our trusted servants should demonstrate the stability and personal sense of direction that serve as an example to others. They should be capable of serving without attempting to govern. The specific amount of clean time required for each office will vary from area to area according to how long the local NA community has been in existence.
If you would like to be part of or would like more information about any of the subcommittees click here for the relevant subcommittees details.
Translations
JHB translation is a subcommittee which does translation for the JHB area. We have translated the readings in Sesotho and Setswana so far and We intend to translate our readings into the languages that area used in JHB where language has been a barrier. We are looking at working on the basics before embarking on any major projects.This is a slow process where we need to be really careful that the NA message doesn’t get lost in translation however it’s humbling to be a part of a committee that will help addicts to access recovery in a language they understand.
Fellowship Development
The Fellowship Development subcommittee involves the development of the NA Fellowship. The subcommittee does this by assisting members to start a meeting within the Johannesburg area by helping with NA letters for the venue and providing starter pack once venue has been secured. Fellowship Development will assist to have the meeting registered on the website and also providing starter pack and guidance on running the meeting. We also assist struggling meetings who find themselves struggling with chips and other items they may need to run the meeting. All of this is in effort to open doors and keep doors open for the Newcomer so we can spread the message of NA.
Events
Dances, picnics, camp outs, special speaker meetings—these events are put on by the Johannesburg NA area Events Subcommittee. Activities like these can provide a greater sense of community for the local NA Fellowship and produce additional area income. It should always be kept in mind, however, that these functions are designed to enhance NA’s primary purpose, not to replace group contributions in funding area services.
Website
Website Committee enhances communication in our area by making information of meetings, events and operations of Narcotics Anonymous readily and easily accessible online to both newcomers and established members, this is so that any addict has access information surrounding Narcotics Anonymous in the Johannesburg area.
Treasury
General financial oversight. Oversee and present budgets, accounts and financial statements to ASC:
- Financial planning and budgeting
- Financial reporting
- Banking, book-keeping and record-keeping.
Hospitals & Institutions (H&I)
Hospitals and institutions subcommittees conduct panels that carry the NA message to addicts who often have no other way of hearing our message. Treatment panels are conducted for patients at addiction treatment centers, mental health facilities, and therapeutic communities. Correctional panels are held for inmates at jails, prisons, and forensic hospitals. The Hospitals and Institutions Handbook, available from your local H&I subcommittee or by writing the World Service Office, explains more about how to conduct panels, interact with facility administrators, and organize subcommittee work. The amount of work your local H&I subcommittee does will depend on a variety of factors: the number of treatment and correctional facilities in your area, the number of NA members in your area who are interested in H&I service, and the amount of collective experience in H&I work in your NA community.
Phoneline
The helpline team is within the the scope of Public Relations and helps maintains a telephone information service for Narcotics Anonymous that helps addicts and others in the community find us easily and quickly. Helpline volunteers often serve as the first point of contact between the community-at-large and the NA Fellowship. For this reason, it’s vital that careful attention be paid to the work of this subcommittee.
Public Relations
The general mission of your area public information subcommittee is to inform addicts and others in the community of the availability of recovery in Narcotics Anonymous. Services provided by PI subcommittees vary widely from area to area. The simplest kind of PI project is the production and distribution of fliers throughout the community announcing that NA is available and that more information can be had either by calling the local NA information phoneline or by attending an NA meeting. As PR subcommittees become better developed, they often conduct public meetings for community members, distribute public service announcements to local radio and television stations, and respond to public media inquiries.
Literature
Literature sits at the heart of our fellowship not only reflecting the NA official positions in writing, but is also an expression of the collective experience, strength and hope that assists us to better carry the message. “What message? That an addict, any addict can stop using drugs, lose the desire to use, and find a new way to live. Our message is Hope and the Promise of Freedom.”We know our recoveries can only be strengthened when we integrate our literature into a simple programme for complex people. So making it available to newcomers and members is given importance within Johannesburg with the subcommittee making it available to our groups and members.
Policy
The Policy subcommittee is concerned with those matters, which are the policy of the JASC. The general policies of Narcotics Anonymous are expressly stated in the Traditions; however, the application of these Traditions within our Area is the concern of this subcommittee. This subcommittee also studies and makes recommendations on JASC policy as directed by the JASC.
TRADITION NINE
“N.A., as such, ought never be organized, but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.”