Summary of 2011 ODAT Workshop
The theme of the 2011 ODAT Workshop was working the steps – ourselves and with others. Approximately 100 people attended.
The workshop featured Beverly B. from Lewisville Texas who shared her more than 30 years of Al-Anon recovery during the morning presentation. Beverly talked about how she has worked the steps, focusing on each step specifically and interweaving elements of her story into the presentation. She touched many participants with her honesty, integrity and willingness to share so much of her personal experience to help others recover.
After a break for lunch, a panel of four longtime Al-Anon members each spoke for about 20 minutes on working the steps with others (i.e., sponsorship). The panel included Beverly B, along with Orpha P. from Omaha Nebraska, Marilyn B. from Denver, Colorado, and Richard G. from Colorado Springs. The panelists each talked about the importance of sponsorship – how they work with a sponsor and how they sponsor others.
After the panel, participants broke into groups which were led by the panelists. The groups were:
1. How to find a sponsor
2. How to work with a sponsor
3. Sponsoring others
4. General discussion of sponsorship
People selected their own groups, which included about 30 minutes of discussion, and then each group provided a summary of their discussion back to the main group.
Participants completed a survey on their experiences of working the steps themselves and with others; results were presented after lunch. The survey results are included below.