On October 6th, 2021, I got an interesting update from Al-Anon’s World Service Office’s (the WSO) newsletter “In The Loop” that mentioned: “We are excited to announce that we are in the process of updating the Al-Anon/Alateen Guidelines! In addition to getting a fresh, new look, the guidelines will also reflect updated information. A milestone…
Tag: Newsletter
PODCAST – Courage To Be Me / Various Alateen Literature (Item # B-23)
EPISODE 8 of my “CAL Chat” podcast is now available to listen to! How can I keep things simple? If my growth is like a tree, then what are my roots? What Alateen book can I bring to an Al-Anon meeting? (To hear this episode, please visit the show’s website at: calchatpodcast.com – or you…
CAL – District Representative (Item # G-37)
WHAT I LEARNED: There’s also info in this guideline about the Alternate District Rep &, if needed, they can serve as several other positions as well such as Secretary, Treasurer, or Public Outreach contact. Whew – hopefully not all once! 😄 ━━━━━▼━━━━━ **UPDATE (5/5/17): This guideline was revised in 2014 & the changes are somewhat substantial. …
CAL – Guidelines for Newsletter Editors (Item # G-21)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. For some reason I thought newsletters were only for Districts, but apparently they can also be for Areas & Al-Anon Information Services. 2. Reading this item made me miss our newsletter for District 6. We voted to discontinue it in place of our website, however according to this guideline, there’s a…
CAL – Alateen Talks Back on: Detachment (Item # P-73)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. This booklet came out in 1995 is the 6th (& last) one in the “Alateen Talks Back On…” series. Originally planned as a 9-part series, the 6th piece was supposed to be about the 12 Steps & Traditions but the material eventually ended up in the larger book, “Courage to Be Me” (item…
CAL – Alateen Talks Back on: Higher Power (Item # P-72)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. It’s a shame this item was discontinued in 2000 because it’s my favorite of all the booklets in the “Alateen Talks Back On…” series. Many of the sharings liken a Higher Power to a friend that’s always there. Where there was once isolation, loneliness, & fear, there’s now constant comfort, confidence, & peace….
CAL – Alateen Talks Back on: Sponsoring an Alateen Group (Item # P-71)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. Since it’s part of the “Alateen Talks Back On…” series, I thought this booklet was going to be Alateens talking about their group sponsors, but nope! …Other than a few drawings from kids here & there, it’s basically a piece by & for grown-up Al-Anon members sharing about Alateen service. I’m…
CAL – Alateen Talks Back on: Slogans (Item # P-70)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. Slogans are reminders of choices. 2. I have 2 favorite lines from this booklet (that I almost forget was written by Alateen members because it was so wise!): From page 26: “I am happy today because: I have today to be happy in.” From page 23: “As I search with courage…
CAL – Alateen Talks Back on: Serenity (Item # P-69)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. Ahhh, put on some soothing music & light a candle because today I read about Serenity (and yes, that’s with a capital “S”)! At the end of this booklet are ten questions for meeting topics on Serenity & the last one, “Is Serenity contagious?” really made me think. I know I’ve…
CAL – District Meetings (Item # G-15)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. Just like group meetings, district meetings can vary widely. Hence the autonomousness nature of the program (see Tradition 4). 2. FYI: The Greek word autonomos means “having one’s own laws,” from autos: “self” & nomos: “law.” That’s your word origin of the day! 🤓 ━━━━━▼━━━━━ **UPDATE (5/5/17): This guideline was revised…
CAL – Alateen Talks Back on: Acceptance (Item # P-68)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. If you want to see any poetry in Al-Anon, Alateen is the only place you’ll find it published. Specifically, in a series of booklets called “Alateen Talks Back On…” that are compilations of prose, poetry, drawings, & sharings previously submitted to the Alateen Talk (no item #) newsletter. 2. Acceptance is many things,…
CAL – Area Literature Coordinators (Item # G-6)
WHAT I LEARNED: Much like any of the guidelines that are job descriptions, I always learn that the position entails a lot more than I thought! Area Literature Coordinators interact not just with World Service Office & LDC’s (Literature Distribution Centers – like yours truly!), but also Website Coordinators, Information Service or Intergroups, Newsletter Editors,…
CAL – Detachment (Item # S-19)
WHAT I LEARNED: This leaflet started out in a World Service Office newsletter for professionals to educate them on how Al-Anon uses the word “detachment” but this outreach piece soon became a runaway hit with members for their own personal recovery. At a meeting last year, I heard this leaflet read aloud & the first…
CAL – Why Conference Approved Literature? (Item # P-35)
Before I read this pamphlet, I thought I would open it up & see the answer: “Because we said so!” Ha ha! 😄 WHAT I LEARNED: 1. Any Al-Anon/Alateen member can contribute to Conference Approved Literature (“CAL”), but it has to be something that hasn’t been published elsewhere. 2. Not all of our literature bears…
CAL – A Guide for Sponsors of Alateen Groups (Item # P-29)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. Alateen started in 1957 – did I mention that already? Well, according to the Conference Summaries from the early 60’s, Al-Anon was going through the same issues that it’s still having… the need for more Alateen group sponsors. But back then, they had so few, that outsiders & AA members were…
CAL – Alateen Talk Newsletter (Item # N/A)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. This is the eleventh & last item in the Alateen Newcomer Packet (item # K-18) & is a full issue of a newsletter – not an excerpt. The particular one in this packet is 8 pages total, has feedback on a writing workshop & an Alateen Conference, various sharings from members around…
"CAL Chat" Blog ~My journey in Al-Anon~ 