CER formed a Public Information Committee at Region level to discuss possibilities arising from CERâs December 2013 decision to allocate budget funds to PI initiatives, specifically âŹ600 per quarter. Members include: PIO Michael K., Alternate Delegate Joel B. , Nordic IG Alt. Region Rep Roger C., Dorien B., Netherlands IG Region Rep, and Ron D., ArenA editor. Thanks to all for their service.
Initiatives include:
- Â Attend conferences, set up stands
- Sponsor advertorials around the region like one AA Great Britain published in the Guardian
- Place more video ads on the AFN instead of in Stars & Stripes
- Conduct online and face to face PI/communications workshops
We plan to spend up to âŹ600 per quarter or up to âŹ2,400 per year , as budgeted, for such PI initiatives as the PI Committee approves.
Our CER âWelcome to Regionâ service guidelines say this on such expenditures:
“Other PI work: On occasion, CER has contributed to the cost of projects intended to inform the general public that English-speaking meetings of AA are available. Primarily, this expense has been for newspaper advertisements. CER representatives are reimbursed for travel expenses if invited to attend any outreach functions; for example, Host nation events or meetings of professionals who may become âFriends of AAâ.
Other discretionary expenses: Some CER expenses are taken on through deliberate decisions made by CER Trusted Servants; these vary from decision to decision. Certain expenditures may also be implied within a particular decision.”
For example, Dorien is exploring having CER represented at a mental health conference in Estonia in September 2014. While it would not be cost efficient for our PIO based in Istanbul to fly across the whole of Europe, we do have potential volunteers in northern Europe living much closer to the Baltic region.
In addition, Mary Kay has put us in touch with the person, Scott A., who was responsible for getting AA promotional videos on the Armed Forces Network AFN. We are exploring doing more of that and whether it will cost anything. We are also asking groups and intergroups if they would be interested in having CER sponsor an AA advertorial in their local English-language newspapers.
If your group or intergroup is interested in having CER sponsor such an advetorial in your region, please contact our Public Information Officer. Â Include as much information as possible (publication name, contact, anticipated costs, etc.)
 Yours in Unity, Recovery and Service,
CER Public Information Committee
Editor’s note: this article has been published in accordance with our ArenA Editorial Policy.