What is an Assembly

Region 5 meets together three times a year to conduct the business of the Region. We meet in person in the Spring and Fall and virtually during the Summer. The Spring and Fall sessions are Friday night, all day Saturday, and Sunday morning. Typically, the Spring Assembly is in March and the Fall Assembly is in November. The Summer session meets virtually for one morning, typically in July. When we are unable to meet in person, we meet virtually instead.

The members of the Assembly are Intergroup Representatives, elected Board Members, and appointed OA members performing special service positions. Intergroups can send one or more representatives to the assembly. They get one vote for every ten registered meetings they have with World Service. Intergroups can also send Alternate Representatives, who can vote if for some reason the designated Representative is unable to attend. We also encourage Visitors to attend, but they are unable to vote or participate in debate.

The Assembly’s purpose is to assist Intergroups and Groups to become and stay strong. When the Assembly comes together, we split into Committees and Sub-committees as needed to complete this purpose.

We have five standing committees:

  1. Bylaws Committee
    Keeps the Region 5 Policies and Procedures, Bylaws, and the Standing Rules pertinent and current.
  1. Finance Committee
    Prepares the annual budget for approval at the last Assembly of the year and manages the investments and the use of funds of the prudent reserve. This includes maintenance of bank accounts at a level to avoid transaction fees. The Region 5 Treasurer serves as Chair of this Committee.
  1. Convention Committee
    Holds an annual Region 5 Convention to provide personal recovery opportunities for the maximum number of the fellowship and to raise funds for the Region.
  1. Media Committee
    Creates a newsletter and maintains the content of the Region 5 website.
  1. Outreach Committee of the Whole
    1. Addresses issues concerning Twelfth Step Within
    2. Works with Public Information/Professional Outreach
    3. Facilitates Intergroup Outreach

Other Committees are created as needed to address specific issues as they arise. The Region 5 Board is the guiding body for the Assembly, consisting of a Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer, Secretary, and Region 5 Trustee. Appointed service members conduct specific service for the Assembly, including a Parliamentarian, Hotel Liaison, and Digital Community Coordinator.

For more information on the Assembly and how we conduct our business, read our policy documents:

  • Region 5 Bylaws
  • Region 5 Policies and Procedures
  • Region 5 Assembly Info
  • Region 5 Standing Rules
  • Standing Rules for Region 5 Virtual Assembly