Share some rewards and challenges of ‘virtual’ service opportunities.
Please share your experiences by commenting on the topic below. The opinions expressed here are strictly those of the person who gave them. Take what you liked and leave the rest. Member sharing on the Member Blog may be used in future Al‑Anon publications.
This month we’re asking you to “Please share some rewards and challenges of ‘virtual’ service opportunities.”
Virtual meetings opened up a lot of new service opportunities for me. I’m fairly new to the program and felt sure I would never have anything helpful to contribute. But I had experience with online and hybrid meetings because of my work. So did a few other members. Together we worked out the bumps. I’m now part of two (mostly!) successful hybrid groups and one group that decided to give up on hybrid and return to all-virtual. Here are some of the things we learned: 1. It’s not going to be perfect, and glitches will happen. I practice Step 1… Read more »
Thanks to all who shared on this topic. Our group is currently trying to work out the kinks of becoming a hybrid – merging the Zoom group that was established when the pandemic began with the in person group that started meeting again during the pandemic. It is proving to be a challenge to say the least. The hybrid allows some of our long time members, who are only comfortable on Zoom right now, the opportunity to connect with the in person people. Our biggest issues are the Zoom group not being able to hear the in person group very… Read more »
This is a big topic for our meeting right now as we move back to in person by voting 3 times. Some are choosing to stay virtual so we offered hybrid. I am serving as the host who logs us in and places our laptop up front of the room we are meeting in person. I have done the virtual hosting for the year. No one wants to do that part. Presently the hybrid meeting is difficult at times. We tend to have to cater to the zoom people, can they hear & see o.k.? We solved it partially by… Read more »
I really enjoy the Zoom Meeting during the Pandemic. We are still together as a group to share our experience strength and hope. I do miss the in person fellowship after. Just allowing God to connect you with others after or before. We are planning to reopen our in person meeting when it becomes safe enough.
Posting on this blog is a form of virtual service! Recently while participating in a local project featuring our pamphlets, as an underappreciated source of Conference Approved Literature (CAL), I read thru a blog question from last year which addressed that topic. I realized that I was perfectly willing to read (and use, thanks!) what other people had submitted. Still, I had never yet personally added my own ideas to this format. So, here I am. If you didn’t know, if you click around a bit, you can easily read previous topics. If you have something to share, it might… Read more »
Soon our registered permanent Electronic Meeting will be celebrating its first anniversary!
It’s been a wonderful experience from the start. Members have willingly stepped in to fill positions; such as, Zoom Moderator, Secretary, Treasurer and Alt Treasurer.
Although I am a seasoned member of the Worldwide Fellowship of Al-Anon and Alateen, this is a new frontier and I feel blessed to be a part of it.
Gratitude in Service,
Rosemary B.
CMA Appreciating Miracles
I didn’t realize how fortunate I was when I attended my first few district and area functions. The group of people I had just dropped myself into, with their easy and relaxed attitudes of ‘get in the car’ or ‘let’s do this together was both attractive and intriguing! Those members showed me by their example of open minds, open ears, and open hearts how to work nicely with others even if we didn’t always agree. The way they applied the spiritual Principles of Unity, Trust, Equality, Anonymity, and the underlying current of our Primary purpose to help others whose lives… Read more »
Our district was missing a District Representative and a Public Outreach Liaison. I have held numerous positions at group level and wanted to try something new. It took me a long time to decide. I had reservations about my capabilities. I made the decision to apply for District Representative. I like the idea of starting out this role during the pandemic. It gives me the opportunity to visit the groups in my district that have virtual meetings. I feel comfortable learning at my own pace, taking the time to learn online and using the Al-Anon website as a tool to… Read more »
I think the biggest challenge to me is the lack of opportunity to be of service in person. I miss being able to help set up a room before a meeting, or put things away afterwards. I like doing something physical as well as the opportunities for casual conversation when we do these tasks together. I also miss the multiple one-on-one discussions that can happen as people arrive, during a break, and during the half hour or so after a meeting. On the upside, the mostly virtual situation has prompted me to be more diligent about posting to this blog… Read more »
I must admit that I am technically challenged, therefore service opportunities are few. I am actively participating in a on-line meeting. I share on a regular basis and I find it rewarding for my recovery. Reading other people shares are also helping me to do some introspection and discoveries about myself. I have led weekly meetings on Concepts and this has been a discovery of the richness of the Concepts that I appreciate more than before. I am actually doing it for a second time around. This allows me to go deeper into the Concepts and present them in a… Read more »
I had the opportunity to share my story via the virtual platform ZOOM. My Sponsor had moved to Georgia and her Sponsor introduced her to this excellent meeting in Florida that has a Speaker meeting every month. Living in a different state (North Carolina) made it seem less scary to share. She asked me to speak and I said yes without much thought. I have learned to say yes to service, because it helps me grow. I had shared my story once before in-person before the pandemic, so I thought it might be easier with the virtual platform. Preparing to… Read more »
The explosion of meetings and then some using online tools such as video conferencing applications and other digital stuff has enabled me to be of service to the fellowship where before, given an accident that had laid me up for months, I was not. As a result, I’ve made new friends and grown spiritually. I’ve profited off of new to me stories, examples of how Al-Anon functions in other countries, and so much more. Where before I was less active in service given my physical challenges, this evolution AFG has sort of, as well as other fellowships, been pushed to… Read more »
Virtual service roles can be challenging. How have your online groups managed the role of treasurer in an online format? We have members in a few of our groups in Canada and the US.
I held the service position of “Zoom host” for my home group for a few months. I was in charge of logging into the group Zoom account, opening our meeting about 10 minutes before the start time, and letting people in from the virtual waiting room. This position was straightforward, but required my attention for the full hour. At first, as the first few people joined the meeting, I would let them in but keep my camera off. I felt too shy to say Hi or Welcome. Eventually I became more comfortable, and would keep my camera on so I… Read more »