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| 1. | The New Grapevine's Are Here. . . When announcing to a group that a new issue of the Grapevine is in, some GvRs (Grapevine representatives) have found it helpful to describe the issue in a few sentences--for example, mentioning that there's a special section on a particular topic, a special Step or Traditions article, or perhaps just reading a title or two from the table of contents. It's usually a good idea to read or skim through the issue before making an announcement. After the announcement, GvRs might read one of the following to whet people's interest: | February 1998 | |
| 2. | Including the Grapevine at AA Events AA regional or state conferences, conventions, roundups, all-city or all-state meetings, district and area assemblies, and group or state anniversary celebrations are good places to reach large numbers of the AA population. One GvR decided to distribute the GvR "job description"--from the GvR Handbook--at an area assembly. She reported, "This may serve as an incentive to activate this role in more groups." | April 1998 | |
| 3. | Starting a Grapevine Meeting Grapevine discussion meetings, based on the magazine, Grapevine books, or other related materials, are growing in popularity. One GvR reports: | June 1998 | |
| 4. | Initiating a Grapevine Month One area assembly voted to designate one month a year as a special "Grapevine Month." During the month, special efforts are made to encourage subscriptions to the Grapevine and elect GvRs (Grapevine representatives) for groups that don't have one. During this month, group officers such as chairpersons and secretaries are asked to help increase awareness of the magazine. | August 1998 | |
| 5. | Making Use of Back Issues Because the Grapevine is "timeless," back issues are often used over and over again, and AA members often collect them for Twelfth Step purposes. Some groups keep a donation box in one corner of the meeting room, and members are invited to use it to "recycle" their old issues. One group decided to include a donated back issue of the magazine in the newcomer packs it makes available. For newcomers, the Grapevine is easy, fun, and inspiring to read while giving practical insight into the way the AA program is used in daily life. One area committee reported that it collected back issues to use as "sample copies" with new members, hospitals, institutions, and the military. In another area, ... | November 1998 | |
| 6. | The Traditions Make Us What We Are For a magazine--any magazine--to be well into its forty-fifth [now, fifty-fourth] year of continuous publication is no small feat. As the saying goes, it's a jungle out there, and many a good magazine can find itself shipwrecked on some pretty treacherous shoals. | February 1999 | |
| 7. | Working With Other Service Committees A 1984 Conference Action encouraged Grapevine committees to find ways of working with other service committees (public information, correctional facilities, treatment facilities), and more and more, these committees are using the Grapevine to carry the AA message. Grapevine representatives (GvRs) can stand ready to offer information about the magazine and related materials, and to suggest uses for the Grapevine. | June 1999 | |
| 8. | How the GvR Program Began In the early years of AA, it was mostly up to individual enthusiasts to carry the word about the Grapevine, though there have been Grapevine representatives, or GvRs, at the group level since the early fifties. By 1977, there were 286 group GvRs, or one GvR for every 66 groups. In order to increase the ratio of GvRs to groups in the United States and Canada, the General Service Conference recommended "that delegates be responsible for establishing area Grapevine committees, using the area and district structure to achieve the goal of a Grapevine representative in every group." | October 1999 | |
| 9. | The Personal Approach "My goals are to increase subscriptions, awareness of the magazine, and availability of GvRs," noted one area Grapevine chairperson. "The first thing I wanted to do was get a GvR in every district. There are thirty districts and I've now got twenty district GvRs. . . . Some people say, 'Don't hand me a piece of paper to read!' So the work of communicating is done through presentations, workshops, eyeball-to-eyeball conversations, and phone calls." | December 1999 | |
| 10. | Making a Committee Work (by Area Grapevine Chairperson) Eastern Missouri -- A committee is only as good as its individual members. Most people in service work are dedicated and sincere people who start with a slight bewilderment but enthusiasm for their new jobs. But without encouragement and counsel, that enthusiasm wanes; the bewilderment can turn into a feeling of abandonment. Yet how can one person get around to half of an entire state to give his encouragement and counsel? He or she needs help. Good management principles tell us one person can only direct a limited number of people. | May 2000 | |
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