CIRNA Delegate Report for June 2010
As I indicated in last months report, the World Service Conference was absolutely wonderful! I strongly urge each member if at all possible; get involved as RDA or RD as it is a very rewarding service. As a member I absolutely received so many spiritual gifts, that on my drive home I cried while recalling the oh so many blessings received. Thank you CIRNA for allowing me to be of service to you.
However, I ask myself, what benefit to CIRNA? Other than to tell you how great it was for me, to share with you reports and details that frankly, you can all get at NA.org; what benefit to CIRNA is there? This is a question that I have persistently been thinking about, because it is not about the RD and/or RDA having a great time, is it? Certainly, having been there, having been part of the discussion on the WSC floor, in interacting with other members on roundtables, at lunch, coffee, after hours etc. is the benefit of firsthand experience. The dynamics of the event and the interactions are compelling, yet balanced against fiscal responsibility, our common welfare, and our best use of resources; well I am not so sure.
In regards to the interests of CIRNA, unless the CIRNA membership is really interested in NA worldwide, it’s easy to dismiss it all as a big so what. If one where to gauge our interest based on how many of our members attended the WSC assembly, prior to WSC 2010, well then I’d say there isn’t much interest at all, being that only about 19 people showed up to our assembly. In light of the fact that we as a region report 214 meetings, with 5 ASC’s (at the time) and that not even all of the 5 RCM’s attended, let alone a measurable percentage of our membership, it’s easy to interpret as a lack of interest. Perhaps I am mistaken, if so please contact me your input either way is solicited, appreciated and needed.
Attached each RCM will receive a copy of a 27 page report of the Summary of Decisions taken at WSC 2010 (available to all members at NA.org), a list of the 14 motions our groups voted on compiled by myself, how we voted as a region –which was incidentally a Yes vote on all 14 motions- the outcome of the actual voting at WSC and a short summation of each motion. I have decided to pass information out over the course of the next few region reports so as to not overwhelm the body with information.
Thanks to individual efforts, our collective efforts, the heartbeat of NA is alive and well! We now have over 56,000 meetings world wide, over 200 regions, of which 114 were seated at WSC 2010, and the regions are all slotted into essentially 13 Zones, 8 of these zones located in the USA. Here are some details; 47% of meetings are now held in the USA, down from 49% in 2008. The growth of NA in Iran is stunning, they held 27% of meetings world wide in 2008 and in 2010 now hold 29% of all meetings in the world and a growth rate of about 17%. Also, 71% of all new meetings reported throughout the world, were in the Iranian Region. If you access the NA web site for Iran, it shows membership of 155,575 and only 2775 of those members being female! This fact is also stunning as only 1.7% of their members are female!
We are growing everywhere; there are challenges and opportunities everywhere with unique geopolitical considerations. In the Republic of China we have less than 25 meetings with no region or anything like that; in South Africa we have a strong region, yet over 90% of the African continent showing a scant number of meetings. The European Union Region is growing nicely, Latin America is right behind, Canada next and then the USA with growth of about 6%. Of all new meetings world wide 71% of them were in Iran and if the growth rates continue then in about 5-6 years Iran will hold over 50% of all NA meetings world wide!
Let us be grateful that we are in fact reaching addicts all over the world, no matter where they may be! In 2005 drug addiction in Iran was identified by United Nations on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) statistics as the worst in the world. The country with the worst problem, now only 5 years later is the country with the most growth for NA, with other successes that are, frankly, enviable, and its own challenges as only 1.7% of their members are female. We all have a long way to go in fulfilling our vision statement, that any addict anywhere can experience NA in their own language and culture. The best is yet to come! My prayer is that each and every member of CIRNA will do more today than we have ever done, in contributing money, time, effort and service to a program which has given us oh so very much.
What all this means is this… the tradition that we as a fellowship have of giving a newcomer their first Basic Text, handing it to them along with a loving, “Keep coming back” is being challenged like never before in our history. The financial challenges our fellowship faces are daunting and each and every one of you can make a difference. Let’s change that past and dated tradition of putting a mere dollar in the basket. A dollar sadly doesn’t do much, and the more we give the more we get anyhow. Talk to your self, you sponsees, your sponsor, your group let’s pull together and help insure that we can continue to grow and carry our message to every corner of the world. You think a Basic Text is tough for a newcomer to buy on their own here in the USA, in CIRNA? Try meditating on the addict in many corners of the world where it would be impossible to buy a Basic Text, as in many corners of the world people don’t even go to schools because they can’t afford $6 for a school uniform. Please, oh please, help Narcotics Anonymous continue to hand out Basic Texts to newcomers the world over, because that is exactly what can be done if you and I kick in a little extra and realize that an addict somewhere somehow got a Basic Text because we have the gift of giving. The message needs to be heard, needs to be communicated and it must affect an impact on our group conscious in regards to being diligent with our resources, and grateful in our giving.
Of concern to me was much discussion on the floor of the WSC including World Board Members about internet sites, like Facebook, and personal anonymity. It was a bit disheartening for me as I believe the discussion was misguided focusing mostly on personal anonymity and the potential detriment to individual members. I can’t but continue to recall a recurring theme in our traditions that the traditions are not there to protect us, NA, from ourselves. The seeming general lack of understanding (forgive any self righteousness here) of our 11th tradition, as it is there for the protection of NA, not the individual, the impossibility of speaking of any one tradition without regard to not only other traditions, but our traditions as a whole, and on the floor of the WSC just seems was misguided and as far as my opinion as your RD goes, was sad to witness. More on this on a future regional report, or sooner if you contact me personally.
There are three World Service Offices in the world, one is in Iran. Iran is all one region and in all regards, fully self supporting. They publish their own literature and sell lot’s of it. Some items that we give away, like the NA Way magazine are sold not given away. In as much as trusted servants it is heart warming to report that they are fully self supporting as well. While most regions of our world report a general apathy in regards to service work, Iran has a completely different story.
For me personally the most touching aspect of my experience at WSC was talking to the Iranian Delegate and his interpreter (although he spoke pretty good English anyway?) as I wanted clarification on something he had said on the floor of the WSC during discussions as to if we should or should not publish a Traditions Workbook. He had said, or so I thought, that in Iran they typically have 10 members not only willing but qualified to be of service for every trusted service position open. When I asked for clarification as to what he meant by “Qualified” he said, “Qualified means they have worked all 12 steps, all 12 traditions and all 12 concepts!!! And yes, we have at least 10 members anxious to take on a service commitment, any service commitment when open and all 10 are fully qualified”!
May God, with our help, continue to have Narcotics Anonymous grow in all corners of the world. I will continue to share with you other aspects, discussion, plans, information and ideas from WSC 2010.
Feel free to email me with any questions or concerns or if you want me to contact you by telephone for a personal discussion.
In grateful service, “EL”Sinore Oscar RD CIRNA NA12@Verizon.net