Accepting PEGs into VT Area Al-Anon: Guidelines

Permanent Electronic Groups (PEG) in Vermont

The motions that follow were developed by a member-Task Force in wide consultation with Vermont Al-Anon members and further amended by the Area World Service Committee. They were approved at the Spring Assembly on May 21st, 2022. They now serve as Guidelines for allowing Permanent Electronic Groups (PEGs) to become part of Vermont Area 56.

Spring Assembly 2022 PEG motions

We will use the acronym PEG for “Permanent Electronic Group” throughout the motions.

Motion One: The guideline for allowing a PEG to become part of Area 56 will include:
That a PEG will have a contact person, a CMA, like a face-to-face group. The PEG contact person can live anywhere.
That a PEG does not need to be an English-speaking group however we recommend either the CMA or GR to be able to speak English.
That Area 56 will not have a policy where someone from the Area visits the PEG before the group is allowed to become part of Area 56.
That a PEG be added to the printed meeting list and on the website the same as face-to-face meetings are. A new PEG will be listed on the website right away and added to the printed meeting list after it has been active for at least 6 months.

Motion Two: The guideline for allowing a PEG to become part of Area 56 will include:
That A PEG Group Representative live either in Vermont or in one of the contiguous states, NY, MA, NH or the contiguous province of Quebec.

Motion Three: The guideline for allowing a PEG to become part of Area 56 (rather than the WSO non-geographical Area) will include:
That a PEG be added to an existing district. The PEG will be assigned a district in consultation with the Vermont AWSC (Area Committee) according to the location of the group’s GR and if the group does not have a GR the location of the contact person (CMA) will be used.
If a district wants to welcome PEGs, the district will have to meet virtually or have hybrid meetings.
That a PEG receive an electronic welcome packet from the district they join.

Motion Four: That the PEG guideline be for 2-year trial to be reviewed by the AWSC at the end of the trial.

Oct 2021: VT Area Votes ‘Yes’ to Accept Electronic Groups

In October 2021 at the VT Area Fall Assembly, the Assembly voted ‘Yes’ to accept electronic groups into the VT Area. Leading up to this vote:

April 2021: At the 2021 World Service Conference:

At the 2021 World Service Conference in April, two motions relating to Registered Electronic Meetings were passed:

to recognize electronic Al-Anon Meetings as registered electronic Al-Anon Groups
to eliminate the restriction of an Area to geographic boundaries and to simplify language [in the Service Manual] to incorporate both physical and electronic meetings
(Geographically-Based Areas are not obligated to accept electronic groups, but each Area needed to decide by March 2022.)

Joanne P., our delegate in 2021, received the WSO Guide and Graphic linked below to help geographic Areas reach an informed group conscience on electronic groups.

Summer 2021 Town Halls

In the summer of 2021, the VT Area hosted two Town Halls on Electronic Groups in order to share information about the issue.

At the Town Hall in August (see flyer and schedule), two VT Electronic Meeting Work Groups (EMWGs) were formed to discuss the issues involved and make recommendations to the Area. (As of the 2021 Fall Assembly, the two groups have been consolidated into one.)

Electronic Group Resources

Electronic Groups: What's next? jigsaw icon.

Vermont Al-Anon/Alateen

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