Logistical Suggestions for Holding Meetings
Logistical Suggestions for Holding Phone, On-line, and In-Person A.R.T.S. Anonymous Meetings.
The following are suggestions for starting an A.R.T.S. meeting. In practice, an A.R.T.S. meeting organizes itself as it sees fit. Whether the group decides to meet via phone, online, in person, or through a hybrid arrangement, the safety and security of the participants should be carefully considered, along with the foundational principle of anonymity.
Phone Meetings: A group can choose to hold phone meetings via an existing conference line, setting up its own line, or by using the “public” line A.R.T.S. Anonymous has posted on the Meeting page of the website. If choosing the latter, please check the meeting list to ensure there are no conflicts with other meetings using the line (this includes many of the Five-Alive meetings). If there are any questions or doubt, please email officemanager@artsanonymous.org. If there are participants calling internationally, they may find Freeconferencecallhd.com helpful in enabling them to call onto the line for free. In addition, Freeconferencecall.com provides free conference call lines. Even though these services are free, individualphone plan rates and/or minutes may apply.
On-line Meetings (such as Zoom, Webex, etc.): We are in an age where more and more 12-Step Programs are holding meetings online. This has the advantage of making it easier for the housebound or disabled to attend and allows members from all around the globe to participate. Currently, A.R.T.S. is relatively small, and online meetings provide members greater access to meetings. If your group uses Zoom or a similar service, we suggest purchasing a monthly subscription which will enable the meeting to run without any disruptions of service. A Treasurer, selected by the group, may be entrusted to collect the funds from members to pay for the service via direct payment apps.
In-Person Meetings: In the past this was the only way to attend meetings, and post-COVID, in-person meetings are starting up again. There are many organizations, such as churches, community centers, temples and community colleges that may agree to rent out a room for a small fee – make use of any such connections your group members may have. A group Treasurer can collect funds from members by “passing a basket.” Many meetings begin small and may meet in someone’s living room or back porch, or even at a local beach or park. Some in-person meetings are providing phone and Zoom options to allow for greater participation
A Note about Meeting Contacts: It is strongly suggested that every meeting have a designated meeting contact person who is available by phone or email for any inquiries. This provides a welcoming connection to the newcomer or traveler and can help provide a sense of safety. (The A.R.T.S. office will add your meeting contact information to the published meeting list.) Some On-line meetings choose to provide a link to the meeting as part of the website listing. For the safety of the meeting, the group may choose to provide a meeting contact instead. For security reasons, some meeting contacts set up a separate email address specifically for purposes of meeting-related correspondence.
