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The SMR Business Meeting May 2025

The SMR Business Meeting Minutes, 25-5 May

Summary:

  • Recent voting on the Feelings Slide was inconclusive. Suggestion is to put the two toss up slides out for a test drive.
  • Trusted Servant Empowerment – trainers will emphasize the Co-host’s right to self-care and the importance of a safe environment.
  • Strongly recommend that Darleen regularly update the Contact List. This would include updating the ‘password’ quarterly (equinox/solstice).
  • Phillipe will explore the world of WhatsApp and Maelle will look into Signal possibilities. They will report their findings and keep us posted about European attitudes.
  • Around the subject of the ‘Parking Lot’, or ‘After Meeting’, a suggestion was made that members for whom the issue is important, connect with each other and consider the needs they would like to address and return to the group with a draft proposal. 

Welcome

Call to order, Eric R

Date: May 24, 2025

Time:  8:53

Participants: Number of raised hands declaring their presence at start: 13

  1. Call for Service (The following attendees offered to be of service)
    1. Meeting Chairperson – Eric R
    2. Recording Secretary – Jim R
    3. Timekeeper – 
    4. Other (optional) – 
  1. Readings:

The Suggested Commitment to Service (BRB, pg 601), read by: Elaine S

The Tradition of the Month, read by: Gary

The Concept of the Month, read by: 

 AUDIO RECORDING .   Meeting not recorded  

  1. Approval of the Minutes

Motion to approve – Staci ; 2nd – Vivienne ; Unopposed

  1. Motion to Adopt the Agenda

Motion to adopt – Staci ; 2nd – Vivienne; Unopposed

  1. Reports

Treasurer: [Shana] 

Service CoSecretary: [Kate]

Communications CoSecretary: [Andy]

Webservant: [Staci]

WSO Representative: [Vivienne]

Other

Note: 9:25 – motion passed to extend another 15 min.

  1. Current Proposals – Update

Screen share, or reference, the status of the Proposals on our website:  

Nothing pending at this time. Recent motions passed:

Feelings Slide – polling inconclusive – new versions will be offered for a ‘trial run’.

Meeting Script Revision – slowly getting underway’

Trusted Servant Empowerment – Clarify – What is happening with that proposal?

  • The motion was directed at the training of Trusted Servants. The record now states that the Group values empowering Hosts and those in service to maintain a safe space, and that they would receive appropriate training. 

Motion 25-3: Trusted Servant Empowerment

We move that the training for Breakout Room Hosts and Newcomer Greeters would emphasize their right to self-care and the importance of maintaining a safe group environment; providing clear guidelines on how to handle harassment and bullying, including immediate response actions; and that these guidelines would apply to business meeting chairs and anyone in a facilitative role in service to SMR.

Question: Is each Trainer offering their own? Have these guidelines been developed?

Answer: This was the first step. The Trainers and the Service Secretaries are not new to these issues of safety. Many facets of group safety have been addressed and incorporated. New is the issue of ‘self-care’ for our Trusted Servants. The Trainers could decide to formulate and document safety procedures. The training needs to emphasize the right to self-care and the importance of a safe environment.

Question: Is anything standardized, or does this vary from person to person, day to day?

Comment: Perhaps the best next step would be to address the trainers, and to bring to a Business meeting anything that needs input from the Group.

Comment: This Motion gives every member the right and opportunity to ask questions about the trainings.

Note: 9:39 – moved to extend another 15 minutes

  1. Old and New Business and Procedural Guidelines 

If any business was held over from the month before, we begin with that, otherwise, we begin by addressing issues that were emailed to the CoChairs. If there is no business before the group, issues may be taken from the floor.

OLD BUSINESS

CONTACT LIST

Strongly recommend that Andy accept Darleen to regularly update the Contact List. This would include updating the ‘password’ quarterly (equinox/solstice) by asking the group for password suggestions and having the webservant make the changes. Also, the contact list could offer a new option – “Directly Message Me In the Meeting”.

WHATSAPP SPACE FOR SMR – Ongoing

Phillipe will explore the world of WhatsApp and hopes to have some information for the group by the next business meeting.

Question: Is there a possibility to have something on Signal?

Answer: You are welcome to look into Signal or other platforms and report back to the group. No decisions have been made.

Comment: It was brought to our attention that other groups have WhatsApp spaces and that we could too. Presently I am part of a WhatsApp group where we communicate about the work we do on the website. There is also a space for the SMR Tech Hosts to find support and ensure that the room gets open. And there is a space that was created for Room Hosts to communicate. The desire behind this enquiry is to create an alternative space in which to communicate, open to all SMR members who choose to join.

Comment: In Europe there are discussions around WhatsApp/Meta and many groups are moving to Signal.

Question: Phillipe, would you be willing to look into alternatives?

Answer: I would rather leave that to other members, given that I am not so conversant.

Question: Maelle, would you be willing to look into the Signal possibilities and keep us posted about European attitudes around this issue.

Answer: I am agreeable to look into Signal, because I am curious about it. And I hope to present some information at the meeting next month.

Comment: If we are looking to connect with people beyond the SMR meeting, WhatsApp will offer a greater opportunity

Comment: This does not have to be an either/or situation. We can choose to offer both.

Comment: There was thought of bringing this to our website to hear from our membership. Andy may be the person to ask about that.

NEW BUSINESS

The SMR After-meeting is often a bit of a marathon. This is a formal request that a procedure be established to allow the After-meeting to continue with more intimate sharing alongside any other SMR training or activity. This is particularly important, given the powerful recovery discussions that are taking place, at that later time.

9:55 meeting extended for 15 min.

Comment: In an actual ‘parking lot’ there is a general flow of participants, in and out. There is a need for some of the participants to be capable Tech Hosts.

Question: Sounds as though there are different options – some way to lock the room at some point, or, having a separate chat room. Can you clarify?

Answer: Presently the hosting of the After-meeting is handed from one member to another, as members leave the meeting. What happened this past week, which is unusual, the After-meeting lasted a long time, and toward the end, a Trusted Servant arrived to have a meeting about SMR business. A breakout room was created for the After-meeting to continue, yet the transition was awkward.

Comment: It seems the group members who participate in the After-meeting would prefer not to have limits on their time together.

Comment: The hope is that we can share the space. Perhaps there could be a calendar noting the weekly schedule. Or a process for the Trusted Servant could indicate their Zoom needs. Announcing their needs.

Comments: This subject will likely need more time and discussion to reach a conclusion. This requires thought.

Chair: I would suggest that members for whom this issue is important connect with each other and consider the needs they would like to address and return to the group with a draft proposal. 

Comment: All members are invited to stay to experience the After-meeting and understand its impact and importance.

NOTE: Members of the Web Team, led by our Webservant, coordinate work on the website weekly in the SMR Zoom room on Thursdays at 2:00pm est.

  1. Announcements 
  1. Adjournment and Closing Prayer, Time – 10:15 approx.

Motion to Adjourn:Elaine , Seconded: Viviene

Next meeting: Sunday, June 15th

Minutes submitted by: Jim R