Clarity through Emotional Sobriety: Evolving the 12 Statements of Technology (NAATW 2025)

Transcript

This transcript has been lightly edited for readability from the original caption file. Speaker names are standardized using first name and last initial where available. Timestamps are adjusted so the edited audio begins at 0:00.

Presentation: Clarity Through Emotional Sobriety: Evolving the Twelve Statements of Technology. Presenter: J. Buck R., Delaware (Area 12). From the NAATW 2025 Workshop, Cincinnati.

[0:00] Presenter Introduction

[0:00] Jacqueline P.: Our closing presenter for this year’s workshop is Buck R., a long-time A.A. member, trusted servant, and active member of the NAATW Steering Committee. Over the past 3 years, Buck has explored the creation, feedback, and continuing need to update the Twelve Statements of Technology within our fellowship. His leadership has helped ensure that these statements remain true to A.A.’s spiritual foundation while reflecting our shared experiences in today's digital world. His presentation, Clarity Through Emotional Sobriety: Evolving the Twelve Statements of Technology invites us to consider how emotional balance and spiritual principles can bring greater clarity to our service and to our use of technology through the lens of these updated statements. Please join me in welcoming our dear friend and fellow trusted servant, Buck R.

[0:53] Opening Remarks

[0:53] Buck R.: Thank you, JP. Hi, everybody, online and in person. My name is Buck. I'm an alcoholic. I'm a grateful member. And I'm, I'm very glad to be here in this room, on Zoom, and in this fellowship that somehow keeps bringing us together in new ways. I'm especially grateful for those who helped make this workshop happen: the folks who carried the cables. Tested the microphones and somehow made the Wi-Fi behave long enough for us to talk… at last again about spiritual principles. Now, I know that whatever technology… whenever technology gets mentioned in A.A. The room can split into three groups. First, those who lean forward, those who are curious and excited. The second group, those who lean back, they're cautious. Wondering if we're about to replace the big book with an app.

[2:00] Buck R.: And the third group, those who check to see if the coffee pot is still working. So my hope today is that all three groups will find something useful with what I'm about to present. I don't speak here as an expert or an authority, only as a fellow servant. Who's had the privilege of seeing what happens when A.A. members bring spiritual principles into modern tools. I've seen it to be inspiring: messy, funny, frustrating, but most times miraculous. So rather than try to convince or defend my goal in presenting what I'm to present. I'm just here to clarify. to help us remember why we do this work and how our shared principles can keep us steady as the tools around us keep changing. With that in mind.

[3:01] Why We Revisited the Statements

[3:01] Buck R.: Why we revisited the statements. When our steering committee first looked back at the original Twelve Statements of Technology, we realized we wanted to understand not just what they said, but why they said it. The early members weren't writing tech specs, they were capturing a moment in time when A.A. was learning how to serve in a digital age. That was 11 years ago. Today, our task is the same, only the tools have multiplied. And the pace has accelerated.

[3:41] The Conference Charter Comparison

[3:41] Buck R.: Much like how the A.A. Service Manual preserves both the original and the revised Conference Charter. We've chosen to honor both versions of the Twelve Statements. We're not erasing our past, we're making it visible. We're making it say thank you to those who built this workshop long before any of us were worrying about Zoom or streaming or AI.

[4:09] Changing Times

[4:09] Buck R.: These are changing times. The world we live in today is dramatically different than when NAATW first started. We hold hybrid meetings. We manage anonymity online. We troubleshoot microphones and egos, often in the same hour. Our understanding of service has evolved, but the principles have not changed.

[4:38] Principles of Philanthropy

[4:38] Buck R.: So I send to you… from my heart, the principles of philanthropy. While NAATW is no longer a non-profit these days. We've borrowed a few ideas from philanthropy. Philanthropy is more than fundraising. it's more than fund development. It's the words linkage, interest and ability. And they remind us: Who are we linked to? Who's interested in what we're doing? And who has the ability to help carry it forward? That's how we connect with what we do here. We want to broaden the fellowship. We want to move forward. That's our way of saying thank you.

[5:38] A Restatement, Not a Rewrite

[5:38] Buck R.: The new statements are just a restatement, not a rewrite: how to use technology responsibly. How to keep this spiritually grounded. How to pass it on with clarity and grace.

[6:03] Guiding Principle

[6:03] Buck R.: A guiding principle. At the heart of this entire effort is one simple idea. Service is good sobriety, and good service, spiritually grounded, transparent, inclusive, helps us to carry the message to the alcoholic who still suffers. it's not necessarily a newcomer. It's anyone in the room. That's the north star of everything we talk about. And we'll talk about today.

[6:44] Bill’s Thoughts on Emotional Sobriety

[6:44] Buck R.: Bill W. wrote deeply about emotional sobriety. Our next frontier. He described it as becoming humbly grateful rather than fearfully dependent. That same balance between humility and dependence shows up in our technology service. It really does. It shows us in our technology service. why and when we stay spiritually centered. when we don't let the tools run us. And we let them serve the message to the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous. So here we go. Evidently, somebody is sending a, Morse code to someone, and here in the room, so we're looking forward to that.

[7:37] Legacy and Updated Statements

[7:37] Buck R.: New technology, Morse code. Legacy and the updated statements. We're gonna… We're going to remind one another that we didn’t we didn't replace the old with the new; we enriched them. And just like recovery, we don't throw away our early tools, we build upon them. Each pair of statements, legacy, and the updated, is less about modernization and more about rediscovery. I'll walk through them, not as a checklist, but as a meditation on how timeless principles meet today's tools. Notice how this one moves from caution to mindfulness. This is about mindfulness. This is about reminding us that transparency isn't about publicity. It's about trust. That's what we are taught in the 12 steps, 12 traditions, and 12 concepts.

[8:44] 1. Carrying the Message

[8:44] Buck R.: Number one: carrying the message. The legacy statement, or the original says we suggest implementing technology where it supports our primary purpose of carrying the message to the alcoholic. who still suffers. The new version says, we apply technology thoughtfully to support A.A.’s primary purpose: to carry the message to the alcoholic who still suffers, wherever they may be. This was based on the addition of Traditions 5 and 11 in Concept 11. We try to add the thoughtfulness and reach wherever they may be. The reflection here, it's not about novelty or flash. But it's about purpose. 2. Self-Support.

[9:36] 2. Self-Support

[9:36] Buck R.: Legacy. It says we are responsible and assess value when using self-support. funds for technology initiatives. We agree. The update says we honor A.A.’s tradition of self-support. By ensuring technology choices provide clear value. spiritual integrity and fiscal responsibility. Again, we go to the traditions. Tradition 7, Concept 12, especially Warranty 2. We broadened from value to spiritual integrity and fiscal responsibility. The message, we live within our means. Is it right sized and spiritually sound?

[10:22] 3. Anonymity

[10:22] Buck R.: Anonymity. The legacy says we are responsible where anonymity is more vulnerable. to a wider audience with increased speed or new sensation. we took a look at traditions 11 and 12. Concept 12, with a special… special look at warranty 6. The new one says we safeguard anonymity with heightened awareness. Recognizing that digital platforms. can expose identities with speed, scale, and permanence. We modernize from new sensation to speed, scale, and permanence, and we acknowledge risk without panic. Balance and awareness. Balance and awareness are our tools.

[11:14] 4. Group Conscience

[11:14] Buck R.: Group conscience. An informed group conscience is paramount to technology decision making. Using Tradition 2, Concepts 3 and 4, we wrote. We trust the process of an informed group conscience. as essential in making spiritually grounded and practical technology decisions. We emphasize now trust in spiritual grounding in the process. And we believe that we should trust the process, not my will. This is participation over domination.

[11:52] 5. Individual vs. Group Needs

[11:52] Buck R.: Individual versus group needs. We strive to understand where individual versus group values are different. Going to traditions 1 and 12, and Concept 5, we wrote. We remain mindful of the difference. between individual preference and group need, and strive to bridge the gap. with humility and unity. from noticing differences, we have moved to bridging with humility and unity. My preference doesn't have to win. Unity wins.

[12:34] 6. Shared Experience

[12:34] Buck R.: Shared experience. The legacy reads, we perform due diligence and rely on. demonstrable A.A. experience. Based on Tradition 9 as an addition with concepts 9 and 11. We wrote, we rely on shared experience. and thorough research, seeking out what has worked in AA, and learning from what hasn't. We went from due diligence to learning what works and what doesn't. Which means teachability beats. certainty. Listen before reinventing. Take a step back, take a breath, and breathe and find out what the need is.

[13:20] 7. Clarity First

[13:20] Buck R.: Clarity first. This is based on concepts 1 and 6. The original says we record non-technical requirements. Before making technology choices. Always true. Using using concepts 1 and 6, we wrote, we begin every project with clarity. By identifying spiritual and functional needs before selecting tools and platforms. From recording requirements, we moved to grounding and spiritual functioning needs. Principles before preferences. why before how.

[14:05] 8. Legal and Property Care

[14:05] Buck R.: Okay, something that we don't want to talk about but need to talk about. Legal and property care. The legacy tells us we take care to understand the property value and legal implications of technology. used for A.A. purposes before making binding decisions. That's a smart idea. Using Tradition 6. Concepts 8 and 12, especially. In concept 12, Warranty 4, we wrote. We examined the legal. financial and long-term implications of technology choices. Especially when they affect shared A.A. property or accountability. We've moved from property value. to legal, financial, long-term accountability. That's today. In fact, we paused before we sign, and stewardship is spiritual. Ladies and gentlemen, I offer you this thought: How many times has a trusted servant said.

[15:10] Buck R.: I'm a trusted servant. When, in fact, it's also okay to say, I'm a trusted servant, but I'm really a steward. Of what the fellowship wants me to do. I helped to deliver. To do what thy will, not mine, will do.

[15:31] 9. Transparency

[15:31] Buck R.: 9. Transparency. Transparency. We are responsible for transparency in discovery process and implementation. Well said. We then go to Concept 10 and Concept 12. With the specialty of warranty 1, and we say we uphold transparency. throughout discovery. selection, implementation, and evaluation. Those are the steps. Believing trust is built by openness. If you're not open. We don't believe it. So, honesty builds trust. and secrets corrode service.

[16:16] 10. Access, Not Gatekeeping

[16:16] Buck R.: access, not gatekeeping. We don't keep the message from anyone who needs it. We use technology to make information available, not to limit it. Good thought. So we go to Traditions 3 and 5, and then to Concept 11 and say. We use technology to increase access, not gatekeep it, ensuring that information flows freely in the spirit of inclusion and usefulness. We want you to be included. And we want the information to be useful. From avoiding limitation, we have moved that to ensuring inclusion and usefulness. And we find in our reflection that generosity of access is part of carrying the message.

[17:05] 11. Responsibility in Service

[17:05] Buck R.: Responsibility as a steward, the responsibility of service. We communicate and support the intended service level. So we look at Tradition 9, Concepts 10 and 12, especially Warranty 5, and we say. We communicate clearly, serve responsibly, support our commitments to those. who rely on our technology and service efforts. reliability. is love in action. I can't say that. less than 5 times, but you can read it. Basically, it says, do what you said we'd do.

[17:44] 12. Passing It On

[17:44] Buck R.: Last but not least, passing it on. We consider how best to pass it on. And we do. But when we take a look at Tradition 2. Concepts 9 and 12, especially. Warranty 5. We have updated and upgraded from Consider to Active. design with grace and clarity. If we don't. design with grace and clarity. We should not design. Build for the next trusted servant. That is humility, that is stewardship.

[18:28] Final Thoughts

[18:28] Buck R.: A few final thoughts. Number one. Bill said emotional sobriety is about being steady enough. Inside, so we can serve faithfully outside. So it might be reasonable to say. that when we apply that thought to technology. We make tech more than wires and code. We make it service, and we are stewards. And in service. Service becomes a channel of love and recovery that can reach the still-suffering alcoholic. Wherever they may be. As I tried to present to you today. The updated Twelve Statements of Technology are not technical guidelines. They are to be spiritual tools. They help us… They help us to live out that great challenge from Step 12 and the 12 and 12 at the bottom of page 111. And now comes the hardest question yet. How do we incorporate this program of living in all our affairs?

[19:40] Buck R.: That's emotional sobriety. That's really what these statements are supposed to invite us to do, to bring our spiritual principles into our service, into our websites, into our digital decisions, and into our group conscience.

[19:56] Reflections and Next Steps

[19:56] Buck R.: So what do we do with these? 12. statements of technology, the new and the old. Well, we share them. Go to the NAATW website, print them out, take them back to your home groups, your districts, your intergroups. Your central offices; hand them to your webmasters. your community committee members, your tech volunteers. Use them as a conversation starter to remind ourselves and each other that technology and A.A. is not about gadgets or platforms, but about service and connection. And because A.A. in North America speaks in 3 languages, English, Spanish, and French. We are currently creating downloadable PDFs of the Twelve Statements of Technology in both Spanish and French, in addition to English. This way, members who use technology in languages different than English. can share them in the same guidance, unity, and spirit of service.

[20:58] Buck R.: that we who speak English. These Twelve Statements help us. to practice these principles in all our affairs, including the digital ones. each in its own special way. So, may the God of my understanding continue to bless each of you. May the God of my understanding continue to bless alcoholics Anonymous. My name is Buck, and I'm an alcoholic, and I thank you for my life.

[21:37] Q&A / Discussion

[21:37] Buck R.: Questions and comments, please.

[21:51] Damon: Online, we're… no, please. My name's Damon, I am an alcoholic. Hey, Damon. What a great presentation, Buck. Thank you very much. Very thoughtful, and looks like it was thought out very well. one of the things… that I've learned from this is to innovate and then adopt. How do you see the path. Moving forward for… adoption of these, and also a mechanism for.

[22:22] Buck R.: taking input to refine them further. Thank you. Excellent questions, and thank you for your comments. The, uh, steering committee, um, which is the body that. As we acknowledge is charged with creating and conducting the workshop. unanimously approved last month. These, uh, principles. These technology statements. So, the codicil that moves along with that is, is that we hear. the voice of the fellowship. And you can write to, or if you know somebody on the committee, you can send your comments to them, and they will go forward. Um, we post both. the updated Twelve Statements of Technology based on the work we've done for 3 years. And the originals or legacies, so that people can see as in. As I mentioned, in the general. Uh, the, uh, service manual. the first charter and second charter, that they're both there.

[23:36] Buck R.: And they both work. And the interesting part of this is. And we call it enrichment. We've edited them, we've added words, is about. we want to make technology available to everyone, but in such a way. that is done in the A.A. way. Um, and that's the most important part. Of this whole thing is that. We have technologists who are very new to the program, and we have technologists like you who've been around for decades. Um, there's a mix here, it's just… This is not the Good Housekeeping Seal. This is just a remembrance of how we might want to do our work. It's quantifiable goals and objectives. That's what it really is, okay? Hi.

[24:28] Moderator: Can we go online with Mike? Can we go online with Mike? I'm sorry. One moment. Yes, please. Hey, Mike.

[24:38] Mike: Mike Alcoholic. Louis, thank you very much, Buck, for your talk. It was very, very, uh, language of the heart. Wow, what a spiritual talk and everything. And, um, you know, you just included everybody in the whole deal, you know? Some of us aren't that well with the computer and, uh, tech stuff and all this and that, but… I want to thank you for helping me from Friday at noon when I. When I was a little bit lost on the deal, and Uh, had to call you and got some information and uh. So, I just want to give you a big thanks. And what a heartwarming, you know, talk today, and. clarity and trusted service and. love and recovery, you know, I think that's what it's all about, so, uh, thank you very much, and thank everybody.

[25:38] Buck R.: I don't want to leave anybody out, so… for helping me, and I kind of really enjoyed it. Thank you. Mike, your kind words and your thoughts are very touching, and thank you for that.

[25:50] Doug: Doug Alcoholic. Doug, hello, Doug. Former steering committee member and chair of this, um. I don't know that you have the authority to change this without further comment from the members meeting. It sounds like you've put this up on the website. I love what you've done, I love the presentation, I love the clarity. Um, I've always looked at these things and kind of questioned, did we try to. you know, just fit with the 12, because we like the number 12, and, you know, you did clarify it for me, and I like the presentation, but I'm questioning. the authority to actually just change it out of the steering committee, and what review process went in. And I think there are 3 or 4 former steering committee members and chairs in this room where they consulted and brought into it.

[26:38] Doug: And I'd like to see this go through a review, and… I know that… we all know who originally wrote it, he had to catch an early flight today, I don't know what his input was on it.

[26:47] Buck R. / Doug: And so, there's questions and comments there. Okay, let me, uh, first, uh, if you could stand at the microphone for a moment. Um, thank you for your service to NAATW over the years. Thank you. The organization itself. Um, has… changed on a dime. Uh, in the past 2 years. And our chair, Heidi T. will, uh, give input to that. Um, at the annual members meeting. Because we are no longer, and as I said in my earlier remarks. We are no longer a non-profit organization. We operate currently the way the General Service Conference operates. with the General Service Board, in that. the General Service Board has a fiduciary responsibility to act. on the, uh, administration that the conference. votes to do. The General Service Board also has the right to say.

[27:59] Buck R. / Doug: Yes or no, or not right now. Because the General Service Conference is extraordinarily important as the voice of A.A. The steering committee currently. is set up just the same way. just as the General Service Board, we hear the voice of the members at the members' meeting. Or anything that takes place during our presentations. And what has evolved is. since we're not a non-profit, and we're a community organization, we're acting in the same model. So that's where we are and I'm not… I'll trust others to… I'm not debating that. But I'm just reporting to you that that's how we've been operating. Buck, I love you, and I don't want to… Any conflict here? I'll trust other people that are in general service a lot more than my… me on that.

[28:49] Buck R. / Doug: But I… even what… if it's legally correct or not, I think… So, in Bowling Green, you stood up during the member meeting, and you asked me to make a permanent position for the founders of the organization. They were important to you, and they're important to us. and past people are important as well. Exactly. I just want to make sure that they are consulted and brought in, and I trust. I know that I trust their opinions, and I see one of them here in line, and I want to hear what he has to say, too. I'm very grateful for your comments.

[29:21] Moderator: Okay, would you have anybody online, Jacqueline? Okay, in person, Jackie?

[29:33] Jackie: So this is my first time really delving into the, the statements, and I have to say, I like both versions, and you know what it makes me think of as a short form and a long form. And even though, you know, long forms kind of came first when it came to the traditions and comments, and then the accessible short form was created, it's a reverse, but, you know, I kind of feel like there's something that really works nicely about having a short and. in a long form that, you know, can kind of be in dialogue with each other. So, you know, I'm just… I'm not commenting on process, procedure, I think that's an interesting thing, um, to talk about, but in terms of content, like, you know, I think it fits with…

[30:20] Moderator: how we talk about principles in A.A. and the service structure. Thank you, Jackie. Anybody online? Nope. Europe.

[30:32] Peter: Hey, Peter, alcoholic. What's up, Peter? St. Louis, Missouri. That was interesting! I never would have made the connection, uh, from some of those legacy ones to where you guys ended up. Um, and I got to thinking while you're up there presenting. You had the little footnotes, you know, derived from tradition and 4 and concept. Yeah, uh, numbers, I wasn't keeping score. Were all of the traditions and concepts kind of incorporated into the new statements? Many of them were. Okay, but it wasn't, like, a wholesale, like, hey, here's tradition. 8. Uh, we kind of forgot that. Where can we sneak that in? Nope. Okay, cool, thank you. Thanks for your comments.

[31:20] Tim / Buck R.: Tim alcoholic. Hey, Tim. So, I think the new language does resonate well with me. Um, number 10, I have a question about that in particular, the idea of gatekeeping. And in my mind, especially with groups, PII, business type stuff, there is an appropriate amount of gatekeeping. Sure. And so I think I'm… my question for you is, do you feel that the statement reflects that? And if so, or should it be improved? I think it… it speaks to what you're talking about. And the legacy of the new statements is. Is that people will ask for updates. Or ask the steering committee to consider that. And they certainly will. But for today's. The headline, when it said, you know, gatekeeping, it was only the headline. They're not… They're not codified that way. The 12 of them are not codified that way. It doesn't say that it's about each of those things.

[32:20] Tim / Buck R.: It was written primarily to say exactly what you're looking for, and if it needs to be updated, it will be. Okay, yeah, I'll look at it again, but I thought it said not gatekeep. in the new words. And I can keep… Yeah, and I'm not sure that's appropriate. Only as needed. Take a look, take a look, let us know.

[32:42] Don M.: Anyone online? Yes, sir. Hello, hello. Hey, hi Buck. Hi everybody, my name's Don Miller, I'm definitely alcoholic. Hey, Don. Oh, sorry, Don M. Good to see you. You can scrub that. What's the time code for that? Sorry. This is recorded, right? Um, just a couple things. I'm always, I'm always for the, for the advent of. trial and error and feedback and getting things. We haven't really looked at these things as a group of people for a long time, and so what I'm going to suggest is that this. reviewing the draft from 11 years ago should be… I think it takes 2 or 3 years to communicate through the fellowship anyway. It takes 2 or 3, and plus another 1 or 2 to get feedback back in a meaningful sense.

[33:29] Don M.: And the other thing that I know from being around is that people don't usually start taking things seriously until you're about ready to make a decision, which is why it's useful. To propose the decision you're gonna make, and then take a breath to go back and go, okay, we're gonna make a decision here, what are you thinking about it? Which is one of the reasons why. When we're getting ready to ask for pamphlet, we're asking for stories for. for the… for the, for pamphlets and stuff, is that we have to make the first request knowing that everybody's going to think, oh, somebody else is going to do that. And then by the time we get around to making the third or fourth request, we've actually expressed the real need we have for involvement.

[34:06] Don M.: So, what I'm going to ask is, one thing that was unclear to me in these is who is the… who are these statements directed to? Are they actually for the steering committee, or are they directed for the general population of AA, or the membership of… or the membership of NAATW, the people who choose to be here? That's one. I'm not really clear. on who they're intended for. The other thing, too, that I picked up probably in the last 5 or… probably the last 5 to 10 years. is developing a habit of removing adjectives and adverbs. from statements of purpose. Because adverbs and adjectives are more subjective. to people's individual interpretation, and if you're going to use them, you have to… I think you need more debate. and more feedback sessions to get to the real meaning so that you can get a common understanding of what the adverbs and the.

[35:00] Don M.: And what the… what the words actually mean, and so it's about driving to agreement. And the other thing that kind of struck me was I was listening to this is. The intro… the introduction of. philanthropy and emotional sobriety. into an organization that serves, basically. Uh, very dis… What's the right word? A very decentralized organization where most of our innovation comes from grassroots. and trial and error. So when I put that in context, I would say. I'm not sure how emotional sobriety. Is a replacement for institutional cohesiveness. And so that part, bringing a bunch of stuff in, it seems to me can be interpreted as a… as an attack on how we're doing personally in this thing, instead of what the goals and the desires of the organization are.

[35:56] Don M.: or the fellowship, or the… or the service… the service component that's meant to serve the individuals. Uh, in our fellowship that aren't even here yet. And so, I think institutional cohesiveness. Rather than emotional sobriety as a target becomes less personal and becomes more of dealing with our institutional resentments. But the one thing that really… Sean, excuse me. I'm sorry, you know, going over by a minute 30, but finish up if you would, please. Yeah, and the other thing I would… specifically… We avoid… we avoid a lot of stuff that causes controversy, and I'm. I'm a little bit more concerned about the idea of calling things philanthropy, which is a form of not necessarily growing up and being self-governing.

[36:44] Fred: Uh, thrown into the service structure, into a service structure for Alcoholics Anonymous, may not be consistent with our overall. underlying principles for how we operate. That's all. Thanks for listening. Thank you for everything. Uh, no one online. Please, you're up, Fred. I'm Fred, and I'm an alcoholic. Hey, Fred. And, maybe I've sat in too many business meetings, and I worked as a tech support manager for 20 years for a retail company, and my job was always to try and figure out what was going to go wrong and avoid it. Um, like, in the first one, you know, it talks about, wherever the alcoholic may be, and I totally understand that. Um, but, like, our website, we pay to translate into Spanish, but we do not choose to. translate it into French, but that's part of our general service structure.

[37:35] Fred: yeah. We, uh, we have a map that shows, like, where our website's hit, and it's supposed to block out some of the bots, but we also get hit from overseas, like, different countries. So, wherever the alcoholic may be, it almost sounds like we're setting ourselves up to try and, like. Cover everything, but then in number 2, we're talking about being financially prudent. So, it's kind of like… To me, I'd like to see the wording somehow, like, work better between the two. I totally get the understanding. I understand the responsibility breaks when anyone, anywhere, but, you know. We can't be all things at all times with the limited funds that we have, so I… I don't know. Like I said, it's just… it's striking me.

[38:17] Fred: That we could be setting something up for someone to beat us over the head in a business meeting if we're taking it to the general public, like, well, you said you're gonna do it to help the alcoholics everywhere. Um, you know, we have a small group of Russian-speaking people in Philadelphia, should we… You know, start having a Russian translator at all of our business meetings. If they don't show, you know? I'm just Pandora's box I'm worried about, that's all.

[38:41] Moderator: Thank you. Please, uh, we have. I end up, uh, let's hear from Krista M, please. Hey, Krista.

[38:55] Krista / Buck R.: Hey, I'm Krista, I'm an alcoholic. I just want to reiterate a question that has already been asked, but I don't think I got a. clear answer. Uh, who is this for? Is it for members of NAATW, or a more broad… audience. That's it. Thank you. Thank you for the question. It's a good question, Krista. NAATW, is… is, for technology discussions. You don't have to be a technologist in order to come to NAATW. Many of us are not technologists. In addition, we have a global. Uh, audience, and we have people from other countries. who now attend either via Zoom or actually in person. So, let's answer the first question first, that was before you. We have 3 languages in the North America. North American portion of the United States and Canada. We have people here who are, uh, in North America. We have English, Spanish, and French.

[40:04] Krista / Buck R.: Here this weekend, we've had people from the North American portion. who have asked for information in their home language, which is either Spanish or French, and we've provided that. If somebody, for example, was from Russia and wanted that information, they'd have to have a translated. So, this is now the NAATW that is a broad sword. around the world, because we… they… everyone has access. from wherever they are at whatever time it is. to be a part of the functionality of what NAATW does. And more of that will be addressed by the chairperson in the meeting, the member's meeting. But, uh, you raise a good point. It's truly for everyone. And we wanted to create and update an asset that was available so that people everywhere could see exactly not what we stand for, but what some quantifiable.

[41:12] Krista / Buck R.: goals or objectives might be. in using technology for the better good of carrying the message. I hope that answers your question.

[41:22] Lois: Lois, please. I'm Lois. Oh, do you need me to wait? Oh, we had one online, we're gonna go… Back and forth. Go ahead, Lois, sorry. I'm Lois, I'm an alcoholic. Hey, Lois. I am a former… steering committee member, former chair. I think… It's funny, I never thought I would be a bleeding deacon. But… but I… I do feel like… what I would say is I feel like we are focused on something that is not important and not focused on what is important here within this organization. I feel like this organization may have taken a turn into, like. Authority, or at least there's something in me, my alcoholic that's, like, resisting what's happening. I can say that having been in the organization 3 years ago, we were not talking about. Rewriting the Twelve Statements of Technology. Um, we were definitely talking about our non-profit status.

[42:24] Lois: And we were talking about how to bring more people in and make this thing live. I… So I think we're… I think we need to watch that. I think we need to watch this as being a showcase for the steering committee. It's for the members. You know, we haven't heard a lot… we haven't had sharing sessions this weekend, we haven't had enough. As much time as we used to have. Between sessions to talk to each other. And so, my concern is that. Maybe… maybe… the organization is focused on the wrong things. And that this might be one of them, and that… I mean, in my perfect world, we would have started the members meeting. Uh, before we spend a lot of time talking about this.

[43:03] Lois: And that's because. That's all of us, not the steering committee. So I would really hope you guys would consider that, because it's… I still feel like this is an all of us thing. Thank you.

[43:16] Moderator: Online, we would like to hear from… Uh, who do we want to hear from? Paul Kay in San Diego.

[43:24] Paul K.: Oh, alcoholic, thank you, um, Buck, and… Everybody in the… On the committee. Workshop's been wonderful, great. It's always good. One of the best, Things have come to for me for an annual thing. You mentioned, uh, translation into… for the document. into Spanish and French, correct? Yes. So, with that being said. Um, maybe it's gonna be addressed in the business meeting, but… Once you have translate that, and you make it available to. For those members. What about the workshop being… Having the translation… Spanish and French channels, so… They can actually come to the workshop, too. Along with American Sign Language, too, I mean… As we move forward, I mean, yes, it's an expense that would. take place, but… Maybe? Is that going to be… is it a topic at the business meeting about having this… the workshop.

[44:35] Paul K.: Available with… Spanish translation, French translation channels.

[44:43] Buck R. / Paul K.: I'm not aware that that's going to be a part of it. Along with ASL. But again, I have not seen the agenda yet, the complete agenda, but that's something that we need to consider. And moving forward, that's something that we may want to do. Um, you know, by design. this workshop has two substantial costs. Um, since… not pre-pandemic, after the pandemic started. Number one, we have the extraordinary cost of technology. And, um, we're lucky to have those people who are doing that. And we also have the cost in person of the hotel. And people who attend here in person have the cost, not only the hotel. But getting here, staying here, eating here, all those things. So it's not a convention, it's a workshop. It's, uh, basically 2 days, 2 full days, you know, Friday night, and.

[45:42] Buck R. / Paul K.: Sunday and Saturday. So, you know, we take a look at how this… how this is working down, and if we can do it. certainly we would do it. There are also technology translation services that we could use. In order to do that. Do they cost anything? Depends on how good the translation is. So, that's something that you may want to bring. Uh, to the steering committee, to the membership at large, when the meeting takes place. I hope that answers your question. Thank you. Yes, it is. Thank you.

[46:17] Karen P.: online, uh, we'd like to hear from Karen P. Hi, my name's Karen, Alcoholic, and I just have a quick question, because I saw a notation on this. in Slack. having to do with the non-profit. Were these changes driven in any part because we. Lost our nonprofit status, and I know some… I think somebody asked, you know, um, were we still pursuing the nonprofit status? And no, we're not. We lost it. It's the end of that, but it's… Did we have to change our… The Twelve Statements of Technology update. Had nothing to do… had nothing to do with non-profit status.

[46:59] Buck R. / Karen P.: Okay. Oh, okay, okay, okay, that's where I got confused when we were talking about the philanthropy and… okay, cool. Not at all, not at all. Thank you. Okay… hi, Vivian.

[47:17] Vivienne: How you doing? Hey Buck, how are you? So, I think, um, you know, you brought up a lot of stuff around your 12… statements of technology that you've updated. that are probably, really more appropriate for the members meeting. Um, I made a lot of comments and. the Slack channel, you can read them later. Um, so, uh, I'm gonna hold off on it, because I'm really confused. by some of the things you said, and I mean, I'll just throw it out now, and we can address it later. you know, I'm not really sure what a community-based. organization is, I mean, that's really subject, I think, to interpretation. Um, and a lot of it does have to do with the, um. 501c3 status. So I think, um, I'm gonna hold off until. Okay. Well, I have, Vivian, as a friend is to ask. The next meeting. Thank you. Oh, Buck, you know… All right, thanks.

[48:12] Moderator: Please don't shoot the messenger, okay? I'm just saying, okay, okay, we want to hear from April G, uh, the Area 39 Tech Chair. Hello, April.

[48:24] April G.: Hi Buck April Area 39 tech chair. I was, you know, mostly just listening, but It occurred to me when you're talking about language. You know, it's accessibility, right? We have deaf members. We have sign language. Yes, yes. And those are all different forms of way of communicating. And I think when we just talk about English. Yes. Spanish or French, we are excluding those other languages. That's all I have. Thank you.

[48:58] Buck R.: Thank you, April, for your kind comments. Tanya from Area 31.

[49:04] Tanya: Hi everyone, good morning. Thank you, Buck, for your presentation. I'm here in western Massachusetts. Hey, Tanya. Uh, my question has to do with. Uh, do you foresee or would like to see? Um, this presentation and subject circulating through the regional A.A. Service Assemblies for more input.

[49:27] Buck R.: You know, that's a good question, but, you know, let me give you a bad answer. These, These… these considerations, these guidelines. are gonna go to anyone and everyone who wants access to our website. Let me tell you something that happened not too long ago. We have a, We have a trustee that was visiting South America, and. And events and happenings was talking to one of our steering committee members, and they were talking about. the updated Twelve Statements of Technology, and this person took a look at it and went, wow, I could use that. And this person took them to South America, and. and explained what was going on in the United States and Canada. Um, using and embracing. this message that everybody really appreciated this person doing, so… Whether it goes to the regions or not is truly up to the technology people or the.

[50:28] Buck R.: marketing people, or the anybody people who are active in NAATW. to say to the, you know, to Ken in the Northeast, or whoever out west, or, you know, and… And the other, uh, other, uh, regions, you know, you might want to take a look at this, because. This is what's going on, and this is… This is stuff that you might want to share with your, uh. You're a seasoned delegates, so that's… The answer. no hands online, no one in front. Ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for letting me serve. All right.