What is PI?
Page 26 of The AA Service Handbook for Great Britain 2023 provides some helpful guidance:
“PI work is sometimes referred to as ‘Carrying the message to the general public’. This includes giving talks to doctors, nurses, social services, police, magistrates, community groups, business groups, schools, colleges and trade and professional unions and associations. Open and public meetings, exhibitions, displays, posters … also come under the heading of PI”.
Talks to local bodies
According to the Structure Handbook (p 26) “It is often said that the best example of Alcoholics Anonymous is its own sober members, particularly where a sober AA member is speaking to the general public or a group of professional people”.
Guidance is given in the Structure Handbook (p 26):
“We are the face of the Fellowship. For this reason, it is important that members carrying out PI work should have solid continuous sobriety, regular attendance at home group meetings, be conversant with the service structure and have a full working knowledge of the Twelve Traditions.
Experience has shown that intergroup and regions are the bodies that can most usefully discuss PI matters and from which one or more PI committees can be formed.”
Against that background, I seek your help as PILO for DCIG to carry AA’s message to the public and professionals. How your group can help to achieve this is twofold:
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- For individual members with solid continuous sobriety to put themselves forward as prepared to give service in the form of a talk to the general public or a group of professional people, either to give a talk themselves or to assist in the organization and delivery of the talk; and
- To hold a conscience/business meeting for the purpose of compiling a list of professionals and agencies in your area that would be likely to come into contact with the still suffering alcoholic, and to assist in contacting such persons to see whether they would be open to or indeed welcome such a talk (e.g. at one of their regular (staff or other) meetings). Among the appropriate professionals and agencies are those listed in the passage from the Structure Handbook quoted above. For example, the Rotary Club of Barnstaple was interested in the topic of alcoholism and invited me to give a talk on it from the
Local poster and flyer campaign
Hold a conscience/business meeting at which this is the main item on the agenda.
Members between them identify locations in the area which would be suitable for an AA poster and/or flyers. The passage quoted above helpfully identifies possible targets. For example, we have put up posters in doctors’ and dentists’ surgeries, pharmacies, police stations, “one stop shops” run by the local authority, local drug and alcohol services, public and voluntary local homeless, housing and welfare services.
Next, divide the targets between the members who are prepared to get involved in outreach. It is much easier to cover an area if there are a number of members involved and they can split the task between them, as well as providing mutual support and encouragement. The targets could be divided geographically or by type (e.g. a member may have a connection with a particular doctors’ surgery or local authority or voluntary support body). Remember that it is of course necessary to obtain the consent of the place at which the posters and flyers are to be displayed. This is often the office manager, proprietor, managerial staff or “front of house”.
Agree a time-period within which the “campaign” is to be conducted and fix the date for a further conscience/business meeting at which members are to report back. Decide whether the campaign has been successfully completed or whether further time is required to complete it.
Finally, give yourselves a pat on the back!
The posters and flyers
GSO can supply a range of posters which are available free of charge for Public Information activity. Most are available in A4 and A5 sizes (the A5 size can usefully be used as flyers). Please contact/order from GSO at carolinedavy@gsogb.org.uk.
If you would like to personalise the posters/flyers with your group’s meeting details, I have copies of an AA poster in .JPG and .PDF formats with a blanked area, so that you can add your group’s details by either sticking labels onto the poster or writing on them, or editing the file in .PDF format or using a photo editor (such as Microsoft paint) in .JPG format. If a member of the group is tech savvy and has a colour printer, the posters and flyers can be produced “in house”. Otherwise use the services of a local printer (for the cost of this see below). If you would like the files, please contact me at pilodcig@gmail.com.
