On April 28, 2018, a group of 20 ACA members met after the AWC workshop on Crosstalk and Meeting Safety to discuss the problem of predatory behavior at ACA meetings. Based on a discussion of specific experiences shared by members of dealing with this issue on the meeting and Intergroup level, a strong urgency was felt to consolidate efforts to address this problem across the fellowship. As a result, the group conscience of individuals participating in this discussion agreed to form a working group to explore the issue and suggest a strategy for Addressing Predatory Behavior across the fellowship.
This group was formed as a working group to channel a perceived sense of urgency about the topic of predatory behavior toward developing a comprehensive strategy as quickly as possible. There is presently some discussion, both on the level of the ACA WSO Board of Trustees, as well as on the group level itself, whether this is the most effective organizational structure in the long term when it comes to achieving our mission. To date, no motion has been submitted to formalize the group’s status within the committee framework outlined in the OPPM, Section X.
Immediately after the ABC/AWC ended, a Slack channel was established to coordinate the efforts of the newly formed working group, and the first meeting was scheduled for May 9, 2018, via teleconference. By June 2018, a mission statement had been approved by the group conscience and a list of deliverables had been established.
The mission of the APB working group, as approved on June 2, 2018 is:
(1) To provide education and resources for members, groups, intergroups, and newcomers to address predatory behaviors within the ACA fellowship.
(2) To create safe spaces for open discussions about Predatory Behavior in the fellowship.
Deliverables established as of June 30, 2018 include announcing the formation of this working group via the Traveler monthly and ComLine quarterly newsletters; establishing an APB section on the ACA WSO website to disseminate materials on the topic, such as safety cards developed by individual meetings; and inviting feedback from fellowship members via a dedicated ComLine Special Issue on Predatory Behavior and teleconference townhall meetings across the fellowship. A long term strategic goal is further to update and revise existing literature on predatory and other inappropriate behavior at meetings.
The June Traveler included a first announcement about the formation of the APB working group, including a URL reference to our current working definition of “predatory behavior”: “Predatory behavior, as we understand it, encompasses a variety of behavior patterns that share the theme of exploiting someone’s vulnerabilities for the purpose of gratifying one’s own, often unacknowledged, romantic/sexual, financial, emotional, and/or psychological needs. This includes approaching other members, particularly newcomers at or around meetings, often under the guise of “offering” or “requesting” support to establish a connection, which then is taken advantage of for self-serving purposes.” (https://acawso.org/2018/06/19/addressing-predatory-behavior-in-the-fellowship/)
A document repository was established on the ACA WSO website under the heading Addressing Predatory Behavior to gather material on the topic as it becomes available (https://acawso.org/category/apb/). An e-mail address [email protected] has been set up to allow reciprocal and confidential conversation with affected and interested ACA members. Publication of the ComLine special issue on Addressing Predatory Behavior is currently planned for February 2019.
