OA VIRTUAL REGION PIPO/UWD COMMITTEE
Public Information Professional Outreach / Unity with Diversity Committee (PIPO/UWD)
We’re so glad for your interest in joining us at our Virtual Region Open House!! This guide is meant to provide information to help you get off to a great and productive start! Whether you are hosting a meeting or serving in the Welcome Center; we hope you will find all the answers about the Newcomers Open House you may need below.
The Public Information, Professional Outreach, and Unity With Diversity Committee, (PIPO/UWD), exists for one clear and meaningful purpose: to carry the message of recovery and grow the hands and hearts of those willing to share it.
The Public Information and Professional Outreach Unity with Diversity (PIPO/UWD) Committee of the Overeaters Anonymous Virtual Region, #09911, has a Virtual Region Newcomer Open House (NOH) three times a Year. It is an opportunity for all of Virtual Region’s affiliated groups, intergroups and service bodies to host newcomer meetings during a full day/weekend of meetings, offering various newcomer topics in multi-languages.
We have ONE Zoom room in which we call our “Welcome Center.” Entrance to the Welcome Center grants access to ALL meetings which are held in breakout rooms. ONE Zoom link is all there will be for the event.
What a way to help carry the message to Newcomers and to grow our fellowship!
A Newcomer Open House is an Event that is held 3 times a year. It has a Welcome Center which has Newcomer meetings.
We have a Zoom room we call our “Newcomer Welcome Center”. In the Newcomer Welcome Center, the Hosted Meetings are held in Breakout rooms.
We greet the newcomers and attendees in our main room, answer any questions, and guide/place them into the meeting/breakout room that they choose.
Meetings are held in breakout rooms.
Whether you are knowledgeable in zoom or not, we do have training that if someone feels they are not tech savvy, they are able to take part serving in the Welcome center with no problems.
In the Welcome Center we have members who provide service as Hosts, Co hosts, Greeters, Security-waiting room and *Bilingual Meeting Greeters.
The Host service role is basically a person that keeps an overall eye on all things within the zoom room and trouble shoots any issues that may arise. They assign tasks or reassign tasks according to what is happening within the room. (reassign roles, renaming, co-hosting, transferring participants into breakout rooms, moving members in breakout rooms etc.)
The Cohost service role is basically to assist the Host in whatever they need.
The Greeter service role is basically to warmly greet participants as they are admitted into the Welcome Center one at a time. While chatting with the participant, they assist them in whatever needs are required. A resource sheet is provided as well as extra breakout rooms if needed for one on one.
The Security-waiting room service role is basically a person that keeps an overall eye on the security of the waiting room/room. They watch the waiting room and admit one person at a time.
The Bilingual Meeting Greeter service role is provided by the non-English meeting host. They are the primary greeter in the Welcome Center 15 minutes before the non-English meeting begins and at least 15 minutes after, if possible.
PLEASE NOTE:
IF any service member is not zoom tech savvy, we will train.
As a team we all communicate and work together to create the best atmosphere and experience for newcomers.
ALL WELCOME CENTER SERVICE ROLES WILL RECEIVE A MORE INDEPTH DESCRIPTION OF THEIR POSITIONS WHEN SIGNING UP.
All NEWCOMER OPEN HOUSE WELCOME CENTER SERVICE TEAM ARE TO SIGN A SERVICE AGREEMENTS (know all agreements are good for 30 months) https://oavirtualregion.org/agreements/
Meetings during a Newcomer Open House are hosted by Virtual Region Committees, registered OA Groups, Intergroups, or Service Bodies affiliated with the Virtual Region and are guided by our 12 Steps, 12 Traditions, and Twelve Concepts of Service.
If unaffiliated meetings want to participate in hosting a meeting at the Newcomer Open House, please contact the chair at pipochair1@oavirtualregion.org.
Meeting time spots are on a first come, first filled basis.
All meetings who wish to have a newcomer meeting during the Newcomer Open House, have full autonomy in their meeting, as long as the meeting is focused on the newcomer and refrains from outside issues.
Meeting time slots are on a first come, first taken basis.
Meetings may run a full Saturday from 8 am to 8pm and a half a Sunday from 10AM – 2:00PM. There may be times the Newcomer Open House may run just on Saturday.
English Meetings are on the hour for approximately 55 minutes. Non-English meetings are held in half-hour and are for approximately 85 minutes.
If a meeting goes into overtime, please be mindful of how it may affect the participants who may want to attend another meeting.
All meetings who wish to have a newcomer meeting during the Newcomer Open House, have full autonomy in their meeting.
The Meeting Contact Person is the primary communicator with the PIPO/UWD Chair/committee for their Newcomer Open House Hosted meeting. They will need to sign a Virtual Region service agreement, so contacting/communicating with them is within Virtual Regions data policy/GDPR. https://oavirtualregion.org/agreements/
The Newcomer Open House hosted meeting is to be in accordance with our 12 Steps & 12 Traditions.
If the meeting is non-English, the leader is responsible for providing a *Bilingual Meeting Greeter who is required to be in the Newcomer Welcome Center a minimum 15 minutes before the scheduled meeting, acting as a greeter in the Welcome Center for those about to enter the meeting. Bilingual Meeting Greeters will also need to sign a Virtual Region Service Agreement, due to the Virtual Regions Data Policy/GDPR. https://oavirtualregion.org/agreements/
The Topic for the meeting should be newcomer related. The meeting Contact should let the PIPO/UWD Committee know the meeting topic, so it can be added to the schedule.
All meeting service workers are asked to arrive at the Welcome Center 15 minutes before their meeting, with their name posted on their profile, so security can admit them.
We ask you to assign one of your meeting service team members to record the total attendance mid-meeting and to record the total number of those that are newcomers. This can be done when opening your meeting and asking newcomers to raise their hand to be welcomed. These two numbers need to be given to the Welcome Center HOST after your meeting.
No cohosts should accept anyone from the waiting room. If you see any pop ups, please ignore them. Our security in the Welcome Center handles this.
eg: moderator, speaker, timer, muter, and anything else your meeting requires. The Newcomer Welcome Center has security, so it is up to you as to whether or not you’d like to have a security team member.
A list of all your meeting service workers (names and position) are to be provided, so the Welcome Center knows who to admit and cohost before the meeting. The Meeting Contact person will provide this list a minimum two weeks before the Newcomer Open House.
Your meeting can choose their own script. We offer a suggested newcomer script, if needed: take what you like and leave the rest. SUGGESTED SCRIPT
If your meeting is non-English, you are responsible for providing a Bilingual Meeting Greeter. It is recommended that this fellow remain in the Newcomer Welcome Center to greet members at least until the meeting starts and at least 15 minutes after, but do your best.
WE ASK THAT ONCE A MEETING DECIDES TO HOST A MEETING FOR THE NEWCOMER OPEN HOUSE, THEY CONTACT THE PIPO CHAIR at pipochair1@oavirtualregion.org TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT.
MEETING CONTACT PERSON & BILINGUAL MEETING GREETER TO SIGN SERVICE AGREEMENTS (all agreements are good for 30 months) https://oavirtualregion.org/agreements/
We hope that you now have a better idea on what the Virtual Region Newcomer Open House is all about.
We hope that you will join us either in hosting a meeting or or in serving in the Welcome Center.
To host a meeting, sign up for service in the Welcome Center or have any further questions,
Together let’s carry the message…
“Always to extend the hand and heart of OA
to all who share my compulsion;
for this I am responsible”