Facts, Aims, & Purposes of Young People’s Groups.
Questions & Answers about PENNSCYPAA:
What happens at the Conference?
What are the meetings like?
Are the meetings the main purpose of the conference?
Are there any age restrictions?
PENNSCYPAA Host Sites
Future of PENNSCYPAA
How do I bring PENNSCYPAA to my city?
What is PENNSCYPAA?
The Pennsylvania State Conference of Young
People in Alcoholics Anonymous meets annually. This annual conference provides
an opportunity for AA’s from all over the state and all over the world to come
together and share their experience, strength, and hope as members of AA.
PENNSCYPAA provides OVERWHELMING EVIDENCE that large numbers of people are
achieving a lasting and comfortable sobriety in ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS. Like any
other conference, it is an OPPORTUNITY to learn about the program and SOBRIETY.
It is a function of AA members in accordance with GSO
guidelines for Conferences and Conventions that allows for heavy participation
in service aspects of the conference by newer and/or younger Pennsylvania
members, providing exposure to the 12 Traditions, 12 Concepts for World Service,
service committees, and a convention of AA members – all vital components of the
attraction that keeps people coming back.
PENNSCYPAA was first held in York in 1989. It continues to move back and forth
across PA. At each conference, bids are accepted from cities wishing to host
the next PENNSCYPAA conference.
PENNSCYPAA (affectionately known as “penn-see-pa”) brings the
newcomer into the mainstream of AA Recovery, Service, and Unity through the 12
Steps, the 12 Traditions and the 12 Concepts for World Service – carrying AA’s
message to the suffering alcoholic. Members of PENNSCYPAA and other young
people groups and conferences are in no way separate from Alcoholics Anonymous
as a whole. Members are involved in and committed to all levels of AA service,
from the group level to the General Service Conference, and at every level in
between. Newcomers are shown, by people their own age, that using AA principles
in their daily lives and getting involved in AA service can lead to a lasting
and comfortable sobriety.
More and more newcomers of all ages understand that 20-plus
years of drinking coupled with loss of family, friends, and finances are not
necessary for one to be ready for sobriety. PENNSCYPAA provides an opportunity
for AA’s from all over to come together and share their experience, strength,
and hope. AA’s who attend PENNSCYPAA return home better prepared to receive
young people who come to AA looking for a better way of life.
Pennsylvania offers the experience of a diverse recovering
community. One which is firmly based on the Twelve Traditions that have been
passed on for over fifty years.
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Facts, Aims, & Purposes of Young People’s
Groups
Alcoholism recognizes no barriers – age included. The first
Young People’s Groups (YPG’s) in Alcoholics Anonymous appeared in 1945 in Los
Angeles, California and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1957, a meeting of young
AA’s from across the U.S. and Canada started what is now the International
Conference of Young People in Alcoholics Anonymous (ICYPAA) – affectionately
known as “icky-pa”.
At the 1960 AA Convention, Bill W. noted that the age of new
members was much lower than when he and Dr. Bob founded AA 25 years earlier. A
1975 ICYPAA pamphlet described the people in YPG’s as in their twenties and
thirties, with some teenagers. The trend has continued. A 1989 AA survey
reported that 30% of the respondents were less than 40 years of age and that 3%
were less than 21 years of age.
The number of young people suffering from alcoholism who turn
to AA for help is growing and the purpose of YPG’s, just as it has been for many
years, is to carry AA’s message of recovery to alcoholics, NO MATTER WHAT THEIR
AGE.
Through the ICYPAA experience, the Pennsylvania State
Conference of Young People in Alcoholics Anonymous (PENNSCYPAA) was created.
PENNSCYPAA provides the young newcomer with a meeting where they can see and
share the experience of sobriety with other young people.
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What happens at the Conference?
There are meetings, often around the clock, a banquet on
Saturday night, and a dance, and other educational and social activities. The
conference is a chance to meet sober people throughout the area and to make
friends and engage in fellowship. The conference is made up of one hundred
percent enthusiasm surrounded by unconditional love.
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What are the meetings like?
There are Step, Tradition, Topic, and Speaker meetings, as well as open
discussion meetings. There are workshops in which more experienced members give
their views on specific issues of sobriety. After the Saturday night banquet, a
speaker tells his or her story. All meeting are open to any registrant who
wants to attend.
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Are the meetings the main purpose of the
conference?
Not exactly. Although the meetings are important, the fellowship is important
too. Yet another reason for the conference is to promote unity in the host
city. The conference itself lasts only three days, but planning takes a whole
year and involves dozens of people. By hosting a conference in your city, you
can create a sense of unity among individuals and among groups. This unity is
the real purpose and unity is one of AA’s three legacies. This unity will also
live on long after the conclusion of the conference.
The presiding spirit of the conference is found in these words from chapters
nine and two of the Big Book “…we aren’t a glum lot. If newcomers could see no
joy of fun in our existence, they wouldn’t want it. We absolutely insist on
enjoying life.” “There exists among us a fellowship, a friendliness, and an
understanding which is indescribably wonderful.” And that feeling doesn’t go
away “as we go our separate ways.” It’s called a young people’s conference.
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Are there any age restrictions?
No. Everyone is welcome. This is an AA conference for sobriety, and an event
that is for all AA members, regardless of age. We define “Young People” as
anyone who still has room to grow. Although PENNSCYPAA is often said to be for
“the young and the young at heart,” the suggested age for serving PENNSCYPAA is
“under forty.” In the past, we’ve had attendees in their teens and in their
seventies. These conferences would not be possible were it not for the
experience, strength, and hope of the long time AA members.
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PENNSCYPAA Host Sites
1989 PENNSCYPAA I York
1990 PENNSCYPAA II Pittsburgh
1991 PENNSCYPAA III Philadelphia
1992 PENNSCYPAA IV Reading
1993 PENNSCYPAA V Harrisburg
1994 PENNSCYPAA VI York
1995 PENNSCYPAA VII Erie
1996 PENNSCYPAA VIII Johnstown
1997 PENNSCYPAA IX Philadelphia
1998 PENNSCYPAA X Lancaster
1999 PENNSCYPAA XI Allentown
2000 PENNSCYPAA XII York
2001 PENNSCYPAA XIII Harrisburg
2002 PENNSCYPAA XIV Pittsburgh
2003 PENNSCYPAA XV Pocono Manor
2004 PENNSCYPAA XVI Williamsport
2005 PENNSCYPAA XVII Philadelphia
2006 PENNSCYPAA XVIII Erie
2007 PENNSCYPAA XIX York
2008 PENNSCYPAA XX Harrisburg
2009 PENNSCYPAA XXI Pittsburgh
2010 PENNSCYPAA XXII Lancaster
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Future of PENNSCYPAA
It is very important that people spread the word about PENNSCYPAA. We are
looking for your support to ensure the future of PENNSCYPAA as a statewide
conference. It would be ideal to have cities and towns from all over
Pennsylvania not only attending, but also bidding to host future conferences.
We ask everyone to carry the message back to your home group, district,
intergroup, sponsees, sponsors, and peers.
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How do I bring PENNSCYPAA to my city?
You must meet the bid requirements. The PENNSCYPAA Advisory Council hosts a
workshop providing information about how to make a bid. Bids are accepted each
year for the following year and a determination is reached. Every year, the
PENNSCYPAA Advisory Council – the custodian of the PENNSCYPAA experience, made
up of members from previous host committees – decides “whose house is going to
have the party” next time. There are several different types of bids: 1) a
“Formal Bid” meets all the bidding suggestions; 2) a “Walk-in Bid” is a
spontaneous bid with little or no previous preparation; or 3) a “Token Bid” is a
practice presentation for feedback and guidance to better enable the bidder with
insights for preparing future bids.
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Bidding Suggestions:
Organize a Bid Committee consisting of Chair, Co-chair, Secretary, Treasurer,
and Site Coordinator having at least three members who are under age 40 and have
one or more years of sobriety.
1. Bidders will be required to demonstrate financial autonomy and
responsibility.
2. Bidders will have proposed date (s) for PENNSCYPAA.
3. Bidders will have at least one confirmed commitment of proposed date(s)
from a hotel.
4. Bidders’ hotel should accommodate about 100 people for a banquet,
250-500 people for a theater-style meeting and 4 additional rooms are also
needed for the following
a.) Hospitality Room-(traditionally accessible around the
clock)
b.) Alco-thon Room-(continuous around the clock mtg's) seating
for approx. 50 people
c.) Archives Room-where artifacts from all previous
PENNSCYPAAs are displayed
(MUST be either Locked-up at Night or artifacts should be
secured some other way to prevent theft or damage)
d.) Meeting room/space to seat 25-35 people conference style
for Advisory to conduct their closed business/voting meetings.
( This room is not required if other mtg. arrangements
are made for the Advisory Committee to hold their mtg's)
5. Bidders should assure that no state or larger AA Conference or
Convention would be held in the same city within 30 days before or after the
proposed conference date.
6. Bidders are asked to prepare a “Need Statement” of what they think are
the benefits of hosting PENNSCYPAA in their area.
7. Statements of support from the AA area chairperson (s), and the
Intergroup secretary and/or regional counterpart are encouraged.
8. Bidders should be advised that they are willing to donate 60% of
remaining monies to PENNSCYPAA Advisory Council for operating expenses (if
awarded the conference & are financially secure) and must return $750 seed money
to the Council.
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All Rights Reserved