Category: SCA ISO

The Larger Picture – Overview of SCA and the ISO Conference by the Director at Large

This year’s ISO Conference was a resounding success in the view of the ISO Director at Large. The delegates worked well together in a cohesive manner, and tackled the agenda effectively and efficiently. A healthy group conscience was clearly evident throughout the conference. We approved pertinent literature submissions, referred other literature back for additional work, and rejected one piece of draft literature, plus a suggested wording change to one of the Tools of SCA. There was a searching discussion of the limits of the authority of the Executive Committee, and its individual officers, together with the role and authority of the annual ISO Conference itself. Of particular note was a resolution affirming that SCA’s Third Tradition includes all those wishing to recover from sexual compulsion in any and all of its manifold forms of expression, which was passed unanimously.

Focus of the Director at Large report presented to the 2015 ISO Conference and recommendations made to ISO were:

  • Define/expand job description of Director at Large
  • Expand job descriptions of Inreach, Outreach and Fiduciary Committees
  • Continue to support SCA fellowship history project, and its independence
  • Define what constitutes an SCA group and intergroup
  • Continue to prioritize definition and explanation of SCA Steps and Traditions
  • Continue to hold, strengthen and promote quarterly ISO and ISO Committee calls
  • Publicize available service positions
  • Develop ISO Service Manual
  • Promote commitment, stability and continuity in ISO service
  • Formulate plans to improve ISO’s fundraising efforts
  • Continue to prioritize, encourage and support SCA website redesign and upgrade

Conclusion & Summary

The Tools That Help Us Get Better tell us that “Service is a way of helping ourselves by helping others.”  Much of the report had a common thread: ISO needs to promote and support service in general, but also particular areas of service. ISO also needs to encourage commitment, stability and continuity in service. In the way we go about doing service, both as a service board and as individual Trusted Servants, we should not lose sight of the Traditions and core principles of the program. Some ISO service positions and areas need to be better defined.

SCA has no paid special workers. Just as we are self-supporting in financial terms, so must we be self-supporting in the service that is done to keep all the varied areas of the fellowship going. In order to carry the message of recovery, the fellowship needs strong Seventh Tradition contributions from all quarters.

In service,

Kevin B

Inreach Committee: Serving the Fellowship, the Convention, and Year-Round

It was a busy convention for the Inreach Committee.  In the past few years, as an ISO Representative from New York Intergroup, the Inreach Chair, Tony D., had participated in conventions remotely via Calliflower Connect often with disappointing results due to technical glitches.  Plans to attend the convention, hosted by Washington DC Intergroup, were not finalized until Wednesday prior to the start of the convention that weekend. 

Several pieces of literature were put before the assembled Intergroup Representatives for approval as “Conference Approved Literature.”  Some items were rejected for different reasons, others referred back to the Literature Development Subcommittee of Inreach, and one piece approved as presented. 

  • Spiritual Recovery – Rejected
  • Sponsorship – Referred back to committee
  • SCA Q & A Newcomer’s Guide – Referred back to committee for content.  Authors advised that final form to be determined by Fiduciary Committee.
  • Twenty Questions – Referred back to committee
  • The Tools That Help Us Get Better – Rejected
  • Translation of the Yellow Four Fold into German – Approved

Rejecting a piece of literature is not an action that is taken lightly, nor is approving a piece of literature for inclusion in the list of Conference Approved Literature a quick or easy process.  Literature often takes several years of development and revision before being approved at an ISO convention.  The last piece of literature approved was “Avoiding Common Pitfalls,” which took three years.  

We now have Regional Coordinators for each region of the United States, the ex-U.S. Americas, Europe and Africa, and Asia/Oceana.

Regional Coordinators are:

  • The America’s outside the US,  — Kevin B. (Toronto, Canada)
  • Asia/Oceana — Gen S. (Tokyo, Japan)
  • Europe and Africa – John F. (Paris, France)
  • Eastern U.S. – Randy G. (Washington DC)
  • Central U.S. – Jim T. (St. Louis, MO)
  • Western U.S. – Robert B. (Los Angeles, CA)

The Inreach Committee serves as the nominating committee for the fellowship.  The following individuals were elected to office during this past convention.  Zoe M. ISO Chair, Kevin B. Director at Large, Linda E. was elected as Outside Director.   There is one remaining vacancy for Outside Director.  If you know of someone willing to perform that service, please contact Inreach at sca [dot] iso [dot] inreach [at] gmail [dot] com. 

Introducing the New SCAnner Quarterly Edition

The ISO is proud to launch a new quarterly version of the SCAnner which harkens to the original SCAnner’s roots as a regular publication of SCA.

Future editions will include still-timely/relevant items published here during the prior three months, as well as new items with fresher longevity.  It also is hoped that individual local fellowships nationwide and globally can distribute this among their members, and in turn, they can provide the SCAnner with exclusive items to print in that version along with here online.

As always, any please feel free to send me any comments you might have on it, or anything SCAnner-related.

Thanks as always for allowing me to be of service.

Alexander