Intergroup Representative Guidelines
What are the qualifications for serving as an Intergroup
Representative or IR?
You must have 90 days of working the Program, 90 days of continuous
CEA-HOW abstinence and make a one year commitment to attend the monthly
Intergroup meetings.
What are the responsibilities of an IR?
The primary responsibility of the IR is to carry information between
your Meeting and the Intergroup:
1. Reporting to your Meeting about upcoming activities sponsored by the
Intergroup, current meeting issues discussed at the Intergroup meeting and
the Intergroup?s monthly balance sheet. This oral reporting to your Meeting
may be done either once per month or during one or more weeks, depending on
whether your Meeting prefers one report or several, shorter reports;
2. Periodically reporting to the Intergroup about the concerns and
issues that arise in your Meeting;
3. Obtaining current Valley Meeting Guide, flyers concerning upcoming
activities, literature, and other recovery support materials available from
the Intergroup Office. You should take ONE flyer for each announced
activity and make an appropriate number of photocopies for your meeting,
getting reimbursed for your photocopying and any other literature expenses
from your Meeting;
4. Giving a copy of the Intergroup Meeting Agenda Packet you obtained at
the Intergroup meeting to your Meeting?s Secretary;
5. Giving a copy of the updated literature order form to the Literature
Person for your Meeting.
6. Ensuring that a Meeting Change Form is completed whenever there is a
change of service positions at your Meeting.
7. Participating in Intergroup Committees (although any Member of any
Meeting may do so, IR?s are especially encouraged to become active in
Intergroup Committee work).
When and where are the Intergroup meetings?
Please call the San Fernando Valley Intergroup office at (818) 437-5176
for current meeting location and directions.
Meetings start promptly at 7:30 P.M. on the first
Wednesday of each month, with changes allowed for holidays.
What do I do to prepare for an Intergroup meeting?
You will need to know your meeting?s number to sign in at the Intergroup
meeting. This number is in the Valley Meeting Guide opposite the time and
location of your meeting.
You may wish to take notes during the Intergroup meeting, so bring paper
and a pen.
Additionally, the Intergroup meetings follow parliamentary procedure as
set forth in Robert?s Rules of Order. These Rules can be purchased in any
bookstore as a paper back for a nominal amount, and will assist you in
understanding proper procedure at the Intergroup meetings.
How many Meetings can one person represent in the Intergroup?
One individual may represent more than one Meeting to the Intergroup.
However, each IR gets only one vote on each Intergroup matter brought to a
vote. This means that even if a person is the IR for 3 meetings, that IR
will only have one vote, not three votes.
What is the CEA-HOW Intergroup of San Fernando Valley?
The Intergroup is the level of organization of CEA-HOW that provides
support directly to Meetings by providing them with literature, information
regarding recovery workshops and activities. Each Intergroup consists of a
representative from each CEA-HOW Meeting plus an Executive Board.
Each Intergroup is a member of a geographically defined Area and
Representatives elected from each Intergroup attend Area Assemblies.
Delegates are elected from Area Assemblies to attend CEA-HOW?s Business
Conference at which policies for CEA-HOW as a whole are discussed and
defined. A General Service Board is than elected from among the Area
Delegates.
To more fully understand the responsibilities of each of the Intergroup
Executive Board members and/or understand how the Intergroup is organized,
you may wish to read the Intergroup?s Bylaws. A copy of the Bylaws is
available at the Intergroup Office.
