Ebony In UA (TBD)

Welcome to the Ebony in UA Online meeting.

My name is ________ and I am your host for this meeting. I will share my screen so we can all say the Set Aside prayer. Please join me in the BIPOC Set Aside Prayer.

Set Aside Prayer (BIPOC)

God,

Please help me set aside everything I think I know about myself, Black, Indigenous People of Color, my disease, my ability to earn, and especially You;

For an open mind and a new experience with myself, Black, Indigenous People of Color, my disease, my ability to earn, and especially You.

Ashe

Please keep your microphone on “Mute” unless you are speaking, so that we may better hear our fellows. As a reminder: regular face-to-face meeting etiquette should be maintained. Be mindful of who or what appears on your screen.

Introductions

We will now introduce ourselves by first name only. [LEADER STARTS, “My name is ___ and I’m an underearner"].

[PAUSE FOR INTROS]

Welcome, everyone.

Ebony in UA is a weekly gathering of Black people in recovery. We meet each week to share our experience, strength and hope as Black people recovering from the disease of underearning and underbeing. While we have much in common with UA and are very grateful for our membership, we recognize the need for space to share and support one another. This is a closed meeting for those who identify as Black or Ebony Underearners.

Twelve Steps & Twelve Traditions:

Our program is based on the belief that the foundation of change and recovery from our shared problem is to be found in working the 12 Steps and abiding by the 12 traditions developed by Alcoholics Anonymous and that this spiritual program is the key to serenity.

· Who would be willing to read the 12 Steps of UA?

· Who would be willing to read the Tradition of the month and the 12th tradition?

Meeting Norms:

Tradition Two states, “For our group purpose, there is but one ultimate authority – a loving God as is expressed in our group conscience.” So, to maintain the serenity of the meeting, here are some accepted guidelines:

· Please try to focus your sharing on how underearning and your recovery from it impacts your life.

· We do not engage in cross-talk which we define as interrupting or directly addressing another sharer.

Welcome Newcomers:

Before we begin we want to welcome any newcomers to the meeting and acknowledge your being here.

It is suggested that at first you attend at least six meetings so you have time to identify with the speakers, begin to absorb the UA concepts, learn more about the UA tools, and start making some outreach calls.

Readings:

· Who would be willing to read the Symptoms of Underearning?

· Who would be willing to read to Tools of Underearners Anonymous?

Now we will take turns reading today’s reading material.

Week 1: Steps

We will read until __ PM or the end of the chapter, whichever comes first.

Read about step of the month from the AA 12 & 12.

[Leader selects a question from the UA Step WritingGuide as a focus.]

Week 2: Traditions

We will read the tradition of the month from the AA Illustrated traditions followed by questions from the AA Traditions Checklist.

Week 3: Goals Pages

We will read a section from the UA Goals Pages, share for 1-2 min, and pass till ___ PM.

Week 4:

Speaker Meeting

We will now hear from our speaker __________, who will share for 10 minutes on their experience, strength, and hope in UA recovery.

________, how would you like your time divided? [ex 5min, 3 min, 2 min -or- 5 min and 5 min]

[Thank speaker after share.]

Week 5: Underearning and Our Thinking.

We will read a section from Underearning and Our Thinking.

--

If you are just joining us, this is the Ebony in UA meeting, a weekly gathering of Black people in recovery. While we have much in common with UA and are very grateful for our membership, we recognize the need for space to share and support one another. This is a closed meeting for those who identify as Black or Ebony Underearners.

OPEN SHARING

We will now have 3-minute shares. Feedback, cross talk and advice-giving are discouraged here. Cross talk during a meeting is giving advice to others who have already shared, speaking directly to another person rather than to the group and questioning or interrupting the person speaking/sharing. If you would like to share, please raise your hand by clicking on participants then clicking “raise hand” or simply raise your hand so we can see it on video. If you are using Zoom on your phone press *9 to raise your hand. If you shared at the last meeting, please wait to share so others can have a chance to share.

Shares will be for a total of __ minutes with a 1 minute warning at __ minutes.

Who would like to begin the sharing on our reading or anything else related to your underearning?

[note, if all have shared before 50 min, mark, chair states]

We have __ minutes left for sharing. Who would like to make a 2nd share?

That is all the time we have for sharing. If you did not get to share, please reach out and connect with your fellows after the meeting. please add your contact information to the online We Care List. A link to the We Care contact list is available in the chat area.

1. Copy / paste the link into your browser.

2. In the top center of the screen, you may need to select "Open with Google Sheets".

3. Then add your name and contact information. You will see others entering their information as well.

4. Feel free to write down meeting participants contact information. Please use information for UA outreach and UA related matters only.

If you did not receive an email reminder, please email _____________________ to be added to the email distribution list. You will only receive UA related emails.

SECRETARY’S ANNOUNCEMENTS

Now is the time for the secretary’s announcements.

[PAUSE FOR ANNOUNCEMENTS]

CELEBRATIONS AND MILESTONES

At this meeting we celebrate birthdays & recovery milestones clapping and cheering. Does anyone have a milestone or birthday they would like to share? If so, please raise your hand by clicking on participants then clicking “raise hand” or simply raise your hand so we can see it on video. If you are using Zoom on your phone press *6 to toggle mute/unmute and *9 to raise your hand.

[PAUSE FOR CELEBRATIONS]

Congratulations to all those celebrating milestones and for everyone in between, keep coming back!

If you joined us late or are new to this meeting, Ebony in UA is a weekly gathering of black people recovering from the disease of compulsive underearning behaviors. This meeting is intended to be a safe space for Black UA members to share and support one another.

Thank you for participating in your recovery. We encourage you to attend other UA meetings, get a sponsor, and work the 12 Steps. By following the 12 Steps, attending meetings regularly and using the UA tools, we are changing our lives. You will find hope and encouragement in UA.

CLOSING:

The opinions expressed here today are those of individual UA members and do not represent UA as a whole. Please remember our commitment to honor each other’s anonymity. ‘What you hear here, whom you see here, when you leave here, let it stay here.’ Let us all reach out by phone or email to newcomers, returning members and each other. Together we get better.

READ AFTER CLOSING

Will all who care to, please un-mute and join me in the Serenity Prayer (We Version).

Serenity Prayer

God, grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change

The courage to change the things that we can

And the wisdom to know the difference

This concludes the Ebony in UA online meeting.

PARKING LOT

If you would like to continue chatting after the meeting. We will keep this conference line open so you can continue to do so, in the Zoom parking lot.