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Unity Committee Chair Report – August 2026

Unity Committee Chair Report – August 2026 – prepared by Jennifer H, Unity Committee Chair


Unity Committee

Unity Committee Officers & Members

    1. The committee is so grateful for the consistent and dependable presence and support of our Alt Chair,  Joe R, and Unity Secretary, Jeanette B.  
    2. Huge thanks to all members of the Unity Committee, for their passion, dedication and committed service to the OIAA2026 Convention and Unity Liaison work.  I regularly  meet with new members enquiring about service opportunities within the Unity Committee.
    3. We are absolutely delighted to confirm that Lurdes M was unanimously elected to take on the position of Unity Liaison Lead.  Lurdes will begin by developing a strategy for reaching out and engaging with our under-represented member groups, and building a strong team of Liaison Reps.
    4. The Convention Chair (Shadow) and OIAA2026 Communications coordinator roles are currently vacant and we continue to scout for potential candidates.1. Unity Committee General 
      1. Change of meeting dates and frequency. 
        • Effective immediately – Unity Committee Meetings will now take place once per month –  on the second Saturday at 2 pm et (for up to 90 minutes if required) – the next Unity Committee meeting will take place on Sat, 12 September 2026 at 2pm et.

Meeting is held on Zoom:
 ID: 992 5516 4740     Passcode: Unity       Unity Committee Meeting Rm

      • The IGR Workshop will also move to the second Saturday of each month at 12:30 PM from September.
      • All welcome and, for any requests for Interpretation for all events and workshops, please contact Jen H., chair.unity@aa-intergroup.org.
  2. Unity Committee and OIAA2027 Convention Budget – 
              1. 2027 budget – we are currently in the process of preparing our projected budget for 2027 in readiness for the next Assembly.
              2. 2026 budget – we are currently running significantly under budget but that is expected due to the nature of the convention and the new Liaison engagement.   Unity spend will start to ramp up the closer we get to the OIAA2026 Convention 20-22 November 2026
  3. OIAA2026 Online International Convention
        1. The countdown to 20 – 22 November 2026 is starting to ramp up along with the excitement and planning.
        2. Tech12 – we are working quietly behind the scenes to prepare the infrastructure and tech training programme..
        3. Host Groups recruitment and schedule
          1. Close to 70 Groups signed up to Host one of the Convention sessions
          2. 45 Groups were offered Host Sessions and we are currently working to confirm the final few group spots.  I am working with a number of groups to help secure their sessions with confidence and support.  The remainder of the groups who registered are placed on a waiting list should any sessions become available.
          3. For the first time at the OIAA Convention, we are teaming up with several groups to create the most thrilling Opening and Closing ceremonies. The passion, commitment and enthusiasm are truly evident in each and every group.   
          4. It should be noted that due to the budget concerns at the 2025 finance assembly, we opted to reduce the number of convention rooms to three as opposed to four from the previous year.  We have found this to be more restrictive in enabling us to fully realise the Unity purpose and objectives;  to bring together the groups to share their collective experience strength and hope, and to carry the message to the still alcoholic.  This prevented around 25 groups from being able to participate in Hosting sessions. 
          5. Flyers for Host Group Sessions can be provided for Groups to pass out to their members, local AA communities, etc.  Please email oiaa2026@aa-intergroup.org with your Group’s session details and any specific information you’d like on the flyer.  
          6. Host Group Workshop – this year for the first time, we offered a workshop for the Groups confirmed to Host and we were delighted with the response – there was a short presentation with an incredibly informative Q&A session.  If your group is scheduled to Host at the OIAA2025 Online International Convention and you were unable to attend the workshops, you can access the  Host Group Session Guide here.
        4. Individual Registration – The Registration facility went live on the website 24 August 2026 and had 50 registrations within the first 48 hours. Click here to register OIAA2026 Online International Convention – REGISTER NOW
        5. Communications – OIAA2026 flyers;  We have some beautiful OIAA2026  ‘Register Now Flyers’  (individual registration) flyers available in a number of different languages – please let us know if you need the flyer translated to any other language.
  4. Unity Liaison
    1. We are delighted to confirm Lurdes M as our new Unity Liaison Lead and are currently working through a handover process.  One of Lurde’s initial key objectives would be to develop a Liaison strategy for reaching out to the under-represented OIAA member groups, develop a strong team of Liaison Reps and to clarify best practices when visiting online Groups from the OIAA Directory. We are currently looking to streamline this process. 
    2. Our wonderful Unity Liaison Reps have connected with 15 OIAA member groups and shared information relating to IGR workshops, OIAA2026, and OIAA services
    3. The new IGR Workshop continues to attract new and experienced IGRs- IGR Attendances Third Quarter Workshop 2026  June-37 / July- 78 / August-12.  IGR’s/Alt IGR’s and all Group members are welcome to attend this workshop.
    4. The ‘At a Glance’ IGR Guide continues to be a valued resource.  It is distributed with the Registrar’s welcome email, Unity Liaison work and as a ‘take away’ from the IGR Workshops.
  5. Objectives for the next month
    1. Continue to build a stable, active and consistent membership for the Unity Committee to allow us to fulfil the Charter.  We have been delighted to welcome many new members over the last few months, and it has been a great delight for me to meet with and chat to many individually to understand their service interest.  I would like to be able to dedicate more time with each of our wonderful team of volunteers, but demands from OIAA2026 and Liaison work make this difficult at the moment.
    2. OIAA2026 Online International Convention
      1. Host Groups were sent the Schedule confirmation mid-July
        1. Work closely with Groups to support and guide as needed
        2. Any Groups that were confirmed to Host a session, but have not responded to any of our communications, will have to be removed from that session to make way for some of the groups on the waiting list (JH)
      2. Opening & Closing Ceremonies – for the first time, we will have three Host Groups (from all parts of the Globe) collaborating to create the best possible start and end to the Convention.  We are so excited to watch this process develop and see what ideas they come up with.   OIAA Service Committee Panel sessions – we are meeting with the service committees early September and are eager to discover how we can all work in unity to share the work of OIAA.
      3. Individual Registration I would like to extend a huge thank you and immense gratitude for the Tech team, for all their amazing work whilst navigating through numerous challenges over the last few months, but have continued to strive to produce the best possible facilities on the website.  
      4. OIAA2026 Schedule – working with Tech to make the entire convention schedule available via the website so that it can be accessed in all available languages and read in local timezones.
    3. Unity Liaison work
      1. As Unity Liaison Lead, one of Lurde’s initial key objectives would be to develop a Liaison strategy for reaching out to the under-represented OIAA member groups, develop a strong team of Liaison Reps and to clarify best practices when visiting online Groups from the OIAA Directory. We are currently looking to streamline this process.
      2. Recruitment of Unity Liaison Reps – ongoing
    4. Recruitment of Unity Committee Officers 
      1. Vacant positions
        1. OIAA2026 Convention Chair (Shadow until Jan 27)
        2. OIAA2026 Communications coordinator
    5. Continue to cultivate cross-committee collaboration
      1. Myself, Lurdes and other Committee members, hope to be able to attend the other OIAA Service Committee meetings and create opportunities for collaboration and/or support.

Please reach out to me if you wish to discuss any of the points above or to get more information on the committee vacancies. Thank you for the amazing privilege to serve AA, the Intergroup, Committee and members in this way. 

Yours in service, 

Jennifer H

Unity Committee Chair

unity.chair@aa-intergroup.org


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