"AA is not a place; a home group doesn’t need a permanent physical address. Our service manual states ‘the home group affords individual A.A.s the privilege of voting on issues that affect the Fellowship as a whole; it is the very basis of the service structure." (Service Manual S25)
At the Area 48, North East New York (NENY) Area Assembly in May, 2021 members voted to form an online district to join the other 19 districts of the Area. (April 2021 Newsletter) Like ‘linguistic districts,’ where AA groups are gathered by language preference rather than by geographical location, online districts ensure members of online AA groups have representation within the service structure. District 20, or D20 as it’s fondly called, became the second online district within the United States; along with District 25 within Western Washington State, Area 72.
The first District 20 meeting in October 2021, held via Zoom, members in attendance elected a DCM to represent them at Area events and to ensure that their groups are provided with service support available to other AA groups. These members also elected an Alternate DCM, Secretary, Treasurer, Alternate Treasurer, Records person, and Webmaster for D20. Additional committees and chairs have since been identified, including for CPC/PI and Grapevine/La Vina, as well as an ad-hoc committee to draft the Service Manual for the new district.
At this first meeting, members also decided on the membership requirements for D20: Any AA group can join if they choose to, as long as they are not affiliated with any other district, including those that are not physically located within NENY Area 48’s geographical boundaries. The district has grown from three groups in October 2021 to twenty groups as of June, 2025.
The DCM immediately began attending and actively participating in a multitude of Area, national, and international AA events on behalf of the district, sharing information about its purpose and to learn from others about how to connect more online AA groups to the service structure and fellowship. The DCM also represented the district’s member groups at the May 2022 and October 2022 Area Assemblies, voting on proposals using feedback provided by the GSRs.
At the May 2022 Assembly, the Area approved D20’s request to join the Western Cluster of districts (which already included Districts 9 and 12) to actively support Area events hosted by that cluster. As such, D20 committed to helping the Western Cluster to host the Area’s November 2022 Inventory Day, May 2023 Voting Assembly, and November 2023 Area Convention. D20 seeks to ensure its member AA groups are aware of these kinds of opportunities to participate in both service and fellowship, as well as to advocate for at least portions of Area events to be held in a hybrid (online and in-person) fashion. The DCM actively participates in the Area’s Functions Committee meetings for this purpose, providing support where possible.
In November 2022, D20 voted to create a new email address, OnlineDistrict20@aahmbny.org, to provide another way for those needing help with a drinking problem to connect with an AA member. This email address is now included in the NENY Area 48 Meeting Schedule Tri-fold Pamphlets. An ad-hoc committee was formed to establish a protocol for D20’s group members to provide support for this new service. A chairperson ensures that requests for help coming into this email inbox do not go unanswered.
District 20 elected a DCM from Canada. Our website was updated in 2025 and our email address has been changed to District20@nenyaa.org.
Committee chairs and officers have been elected and attend Area 48 committees and other online intergroups. There are currently 20 groups in Online District 20.
District 20 meets the last Tuesday of every month at 7pm EST. All AA groups are welcome to attend our district meeting to join an online district to allow your group to have GSR so your group can have a voice in Alcoholics Anonymous.