Service Positions: GSR
The GSR (Group Service Representative) represents the group in area service committee (ASC) meetings. This trusted servant should attend the ASC regularly to report on the status of the group, including challenges the group faces or successes they experience. This helps the group develop a relationship of mutual support with other NA groups in the area.
The GSR is the group liaison to the rest of the service community, carrying ideas and concerns from the group to local service bodies and helping keep the group informed about business at the area, region, and world services levels. The GSR carries the voice of the group to NA as a whole.
For Nooners, the GSR is the representative and liaison between Nooners and the East Bay North Area Service Committee. In addition, the GSR leads the business meetings.
Requirements
- 2-years clean time
- Knowledge of the 12 Traditions of Narcotics Anonymous
- Currently working the Steps with a sponsor
Duties
- Attend and lead all monthly business meetings
- Represent the Nooners group at the monthly area service meeting
- Keep the Nooners Service Roster up to date
From the NA Group Booklet
Each group elects one group service representative; even those groups hosting more than one recovery meeting elect just one GSR. These GSRs form the foundation of our service structure. GSRs provide constant, active influence over the discussions being carried on within the service structure. They do this by participating in area service committee meet- ings, attending forums and assemblies at both the area and regional levels, and sometimes joining in the work of an ASC subcommittee. If we are vigilant in choosing stable, qualified leaders at this level of service, the remainder of the structure will almost certainly be sound. From this strong foundation, a service structure can be built that will nourish, inform, and support the groups in the same way that the groups nourish and support the structure.
Group service representatives bear great responsibility. While GSRs are elected by and accountable to the group, they are not mere group messengers. They are selected by their groups to serve as active members of the area service committee. As such, they are responsible to act in the best interests of NA as a whole, not solely as advocates of their own groups’ priorities.
As participants in the area committee, GSRs need to be as well informed as they can be concerning the affairs of the committee. They study the reports of the committee’s offi- cers and subcommittee chairpersons. They read the various handbooks published by the World Service Office on each area of service. After carefully considering their own con- science and what they know about how their group mem- bers feel, they take active, critical parts in the discussions which form the group conscience of the entire committee.
Group service representatives link their groups with the rest of the NA service structure, particularly through the information conveyed in their reports to and from the area committee. At group business meetings, the GSR report pro- vides a summary of area committee activities, often sparking discussions among group members that provide the GSR with a feel for how the area can better serve the group’s needs. In group recovery meetings, GSRs make available fli- ers announcing area and regional activities.
At area committee meetings, GSR reports provide perspec- tives on group growth vital to the committee’s work. If a group is having problems, its GSR can share those prob- lems with the committee in his or her reports. And if the group hasn’t found solutions to those problems, the area chairperson will open a slot on the committee’s “sharing session” agenda so that the GSR can gather the experience others have had in similar situations. If any helpful solutions arise from the sharing session, the GSR can report those back to the group.
Alternate GSR
Groups also elect a second representative called an alter- nate GSR. Alternate GSRs attend all the area service commit- tee meetings (as nonvoting participants) with their GSRs so that they can see for themselves how the committee works. If a GSR cannot attend an area committee meeting, that group’s alternate GSR participates in the GSR’s place.
Alternate GSRs, along with other members, may also serve on area subcommittees. Subcommittee experience gives alternate GSRs added perspective on how area services are actually delivered. That perspective helps make them more effective area committee participants if their groups later elect them to serve as GSRs.