LSR Convenor

LSR Convenor’s Workshop Report

The latest in a series of Convenors' Workshops was held on Saturday, Sept 30 at Oakland Kaiser CDRP. Participants included both experienced convenors and members interested in convening – Marty N., Tracy T., Bill S., Steve F, Robbin L., Syl S., Martin Z, & Marjorie J.

The Workshops have all been informative, enlightening and fun! This was no exception. Following is an outline of the substance of the discussions. Sorry, the jokes and funny stories have not been included -- you have to actually come to a workshop for those!

The Role of the Convenor

The word “convenor” comes from Latin, con = with, venire = to come. So to “convene” is to cause to come together. Convenors create LSR meetings by bringing folks together.

Moving from Participant to Convenor – what’s required…

Comfort with the meetings – feelings of freedom to share and being a part of the group.
Commitment – having a sense of ownership with the meeting, personal responsibility to keeping it going;
Sobriety
Service – being ready to give back, knowing that it’s “not just about me”, tool for personal sobriety, reinforcing ones own sobriety.

The symbolism of the Jewish menorah can be applied to the role of the convenor. The menorah has a total of nine candles; eight of which are sacred. They cannot be lit with a common, secular match. However, the center candle, called the “shamash”, is not sacred. It is lit with the match and then carries the flame to the rest.

A Convenor is not a Shop Owner

SHOP OWNER	CONVENOR
Makes all the Rules	Defines Format, but not specifics
Owns shop for perpetuity	Spokesperson for group
Can close or move shop at will	Trains successor

A Convenor is not a Preacher

Preacher	Convenor
Tells you what to do & how to do it	Helps you figure it out for yourself
“Thou Shalt Not”	Gives advice
Presumed to have higher knowledge	Peer

A Convenor is not a Therapist

Therapist	Convenor
Has Degree/Qualifications/Certificate	In Recovery/Sobriety
Counseling Skills	Knowledge of LSR Philosophy & Literature
	Facilitation Skills
	Compassionate

Important Facilitation Skills

Allowing folks to talk, but not requiring
Remembering that a convenor is a peer/participant
Listening wisely
Using silence effectively – don’t feel the need to fill all the empty air time
Empathy for other participants
Being a guide – ask follow up questions that will lead to further sober awareness

Techniques for dealing with “addict” talk

Interrupt – “Thank you, Tom, let’s move on to Harriet”
Confront – “We don’t use addict talk in our meeting, Tom”
Re-direct – “How are using this to strengthen your sobriety?”

Marjorie Jones