Did you know that a Newcomer’s first interaction with a local S-Anon group typically starts on the S-Anon World Service Office website? There are many ways S-Anon groups can ensure a welcoming hand is extended to a Newcomer, and especially with the many recent updates to the S-Anon website and Meeting Posting Policy, S-Anon groups have more options now than ever before on how meeting information is presented to inquirers.
The WSO publishes the following information provided by S-Anon groups on www.sanon.org:
- Meeting Name
- Meeting City and State
- Meeting Day and Time
- Meeting Email Address, Information Line, and Website
- Meeting AddressMeeting Additional Information
To find out what the Newcomer is seeing for your group, look at the Meeting Map and the Find a Meeting page on the S-Anon website. When considering the Newcomer’s journey to an S-Anon meeting, here are some suggested questions for the group to review:
- Can you list off the steps a Newcomer must take before being able to show up at your specific meeting?
- Is there anything your group could do to help streamline the process for a Newcomer wanting to attend your meeting?
- Does your group annually update the WSO with accurate meeting information?
- If your group wants to publish the meeting location, has permission been provided to the WSO to do so?
- If your group has a generic email address or information line, does the member monitoring these accounts respond in a timely manner?
- Is the Contact for Inquirer listed at the WSO still attending the meeting and responding to inquirers in a timely manner?
Since the WSO now publishes meeting locations, we ask all groups to consider allowing the WSO to distribute the meeting address on www.sanon.org. The intention of publishing meeting locations was to help create a straighter path to an S-Anon meeting for the Newcomer, but we understand that groups have different preferences and needs so what may work for one group may not for another. Has your group held a group conscience in deciding whether to publish the meeting location?
The WSO greatly appreciates when groups stay up-to-date with meeting information. Providing accurate information to a newcomer is just one way the WSO can do its part in carrying the message of hope and recovery. For more experience, strength, and hope on welcoming a Newcomer, feel free to reach out to your Area Delegate or Regional Trustee for support.