Information on the structure of the services in NA
How are services organized in NA?
“NA as such should never be organized. However, we can form service boards or committees that are directly responsible to those they serve.” (Ninth Tradition of Narcotics Anonymous)
The NA Group
NA members hold regular meetings to help each other stay clean. This is NA's most important and core offering.
However, there are also ministries that a group alone cannot handle. The organization of these ministries can be thought of as an inverted pyramid: At the top level are the groups - they are responsible for commissioning other important ministries for NA. To do this, they delegate tasks to the area, then to the region and finally to the European and world levels.
The Area Service Conference (GSK)
NA groups elect representatives (or “delegates”) who regularly engage in area service meet. The GSK organizes the following services at the level of the areas - usually one or more cantons:
- establishes contact between the individual groups in the area through the group representatives
- establishes contact with the other areas of the region through the area delegate(s).
- offers a space for the exchange of experiences of the groups in the area
- supervises – if available – the various committees (e.g. public relations)
- ensures that donations from the groups are passed on to the further service structure (e.g. to the region)
- provides the area meeting list
- provides the area home page
- provides materials, workshops, and other information for area groups.
The Switzerland Region (RSNA)
The elected representatives of the areas meet regularly (twice a year). Regional Service Conferences, which includes the areas (German, French and Italian). The RSNA organizes such services that one area alone cannot handle:
- Provision and maintenance of the region meeting list
- Funding for region-wide liability insurance for NA meetings and events
- Hosting the Swiss Convention (SCNA)
- Hosting the Regional Assembly (RSNA) where area delegates can speak directly to the regional delegate
- makes the oral experience of addicts available through the media library through audio files ("speaker recordings")
- Maintenance of the NA homepage www.narcotics-anonymous.ch
- Participation in the European Delegates Meeting (EDM) and the World Service Conference (WSC) and thus contact with the big, wide world... and last but not least:
- Hosting the biannual conferences, called RSNA, where delegates from our areas come together to share experiences and to charge and oversee RSNA serving offices and committees on behalf of NA groups.
The European Delegates Meeting (EDM)
The elected representatives of the European regions meet regularly (twice a year) at the European Delegates Meeting, to help each other to provide those services that one region cannot do alone. The EDM...
- offers a forum for exchange between the regions in Europe represented in it
- provides support for new and emerging regions within the Zonal Forum
- supports newer regions in setting up their service structure ("Fellowship Development")
- annually organizes the European Convention and Conference (ECCNA).
- offers workshops on public relations, translation and H&E at the European Convention.
- organizes the European Service Learning Days (ESL).
The World Service Conference (WSC)
The elected representatives of the regions also meet regularly (every 2 years) at the World Service Conference, which includes all regions and territories worldwide. The WSC…
- serves as a forum for the exchange of experiences for the regions represented
- commissions and oversees world services (World Service Office and World Board)
- makes decisions about issues affecting NA as a whole
- makes decisions about new literature
- Reconciliation of budget presented by NA World Services
- Coordinating and approving project ideas submitted by NA World Services
- elects the members of the World Service Conference World Board, Human Resource Panel (NA-“Personnel Office”) and Co-Facilitators (chairs of voting sessions).