Proposal 2025-6 – Literature Policy and Priorities 

Submitted by: Region 2 (Greater Western USA), CA915 (Arroyo Grande, CA, USA), WEB381 (Arroyo Grande, CA, USA) 

Issue: We propose that a Conference Literature Committee of delegates to the 2025 ABC be formed. This committee will initially be charged with determining fellowship literature needs, wants, priorities, and development process. At the 2026 ABC, that Conference Committee will present its findings and recommendations. If approved, those policies and procedures will be guidelines for that Committee’s development of future ACA literature. Translation and publication of literature will remain with WSO in its fiduciary capacity. 

Background: Currently, ACA literature is drafted by individuals, groups, and WSO committees. The WSO sequence for literature development is documented in WSO’s Operating Policy and Procedures Manual (OPPM pp.37-47). The OPPM is a document developed and changed by the WSO Board rather than by the ACA Conference. ACA Literature is a matter of great concern to the entire fellowship. It defines our fellowship. It provides all of us with tools and avenues for recovery. No input, however, has been gathered from our worldwide fellowship as to our wants, needs, and priorities for ACA Literature. The report from the last WSO Literature Committee meeting posted on the ACA WSO website was dated October 11, 2022. A project-development chart was last updated on September 19, 2022. No other reports from the main Literature committee or its subcommittees have been posted. If the WSO Literature Committee exists, it is unknown what is being done or who is doing it. It’s time for the Conference to define our own policies, procedures, and priorities in literature development. WSO no longer needs to be independently in charge of accepting or creating ACA Literature. 

Resources/Implementation: Delegates at the 2025 ABC, who wish to volunteer to serve on this committee, will be invited to submit their e-mail addresses in the Zoom chat. Region 2, the group submitting this proposal, will contact those delegates to meet online at a mutually agreeable time and date to organize the committee. Delegate volunteers will choose their leaders and create a mission statement and committee rules, including when to meet and on what platform (for example, Zoom). The Committee will devise a method to gather input as to what ACAs want and need in terms of future ACA literature. They then will collect it from group delegates and groupcontacts throughout the ACA service structure. They will also devise a way to determine fellowship priorities, get that input, and analyze the data. At the 2026 Annual Business Conference, the Conference Literature Committee will present a report of their research and recommendations. If approved by the Conference, the Committee’s recommendations will be guidelines for the Conference’s Literature Committee to develop future ACA literature. The OPPM will no longer need to address these matters. This would cost nothing to implement. We need to have a conference approved approach to developing the literature that will help ACAs, currently and in the future, recover from the effects of growing up in alcoholic and dysfunctional homes. Translation, publication, and distribution of literature will remain with WSO in its fiduciary capacity. 

WSO Analysis: Conference Committees: The WSO Literature Committee is open to all members, ensuring the fellowship has a voice in ACA-produced literature. New ACA literature can be proposed through four channels: 

● A delegate motion at the ABC. 

● Development by an ACA group. 

● Direction from the Board of Trustees. 

● Creation by the Literature Committee. 

ACA literature is conference-approved, reflecting the fellowship’s collective input. WSO does not independently control literature decisions but remains committed to honoring the fellowship’s voice. Policies for Conference Committees have yet to be developed and are not documented in the Operating Policy and Procedures Manual (OPPM) or By-Laws. Other 12-Step WSOs with Conference Committees operate under a charter and a Conference Service Manual, providing structured frameworks that can serve as inspiration for future development. Literature Assessment Update: The Board, in collaboration with literature volunteers, is actively reviewing literature priorities and development processes to better align with Fellowship needs, as directed by motions passed at previous Annual Business Conferences (ABCs). Progress and findings are detailed in the Literature Assessment Executive Report, available for review. Currently, there are three books in the Fellowship review process: Loving Parent Guidebook (LPG), A New Hope, and Connections. Five books are in development, initiated by ABC motions. 12 Current Literature Report: An annual report of the WSO Literature Committee was included in the 2024 ABC binder. Invitation to Join the WSO Literature Committee: We encourage proposers and all ACA members to consider volunteering with the WSO Literature Committee. Currently, we are seeking project coordinators to support our ongoing work.

Reference Links:
Find References linked at the end of the proposal at the ‘clickable links to the Ballot’, at the Ballot Prep Committee webpage at acawso.org/bpc