Workshops

Sponsorship Workshop
Developed by Region One 12th Step Committee

1. MONITOR'S GUIDE

Used by leader to guide marathon

2. OPENING

Thoughts on Sponsorship, choose someone for the audience to read this

3. ROLE-PLAY

This presentation should be planned ahead of time if at all possible.

4. GROUP DISCUSSION

Choose someone from the audience to explain the Direction Sheet.
Five Examples are included. Then can be written out on index cards and handed out to each group leader.

5. CLOSING

Choose Someone from audience to read this.

6. MISCELLANEOUS

REGISTRATION	Sign, sign-up sheet, basket
NAME TAGS	Have color coded name tags, red dots and blue dots: Red dot if your are willing to sponsor Blue dot if you are presently sponsoring all you can. Or maybe another color if looking for a sponsor.
SPONSORSHIP	Possibly a sign or directions to room to post at workshop location.
SPONSORSHIP FORMS	Have forms available and bulletin board for people to fill out for: "I want to be a sponsor" or "I want to be sponsored"

FORMAT FOR SPONSORSHIP WORKSHOP

WELCOME, my name is ___________ and I'm a compulsive overeater.
Will you join me please with the Serenity Prayer?
Let's go around the group and state our name and in "one word", if possible, why you came to this workshop and maybe ask if they are a sponsor, are willing to sponsor, are sponsored themselves, are looking for a sponsor.
Ask someone to read the opening "Thoughts on Sponsorship".
Explain schedule for the day. Explain forms (want ads for a sponsor or sponsoree) and use a bulletin board for posting.
There is an ask-it-basket for sponsorship questions that will be answered by sponsoring persons later in the meeting. (Have available slips of paper for questions). Questions may alse be asked verbally.
Now, I'd like to turn the meeting over to _________ and ________ for some sponsorship role-playing.
Allow about 15 minutes for role-playing.
I'd like to turn the next part of the meeting over to ________ who will explain the discussion groups.
Allow about 20 minutes for discussion groups.
Ask each roup leader to come up and report on their discussion.
Ask for a show of hands of people who are currently sponsoring. Have some of them come up front and answer ask-it-basket questions. (You may have to draft someone: this is, ask for "volunteers", in which case 4 or 5 should be enough.)
Have the Closing read.
Thanks and closing prayer.

OPENING READING

THOUGHTS ON SPONSORSHIP

You are already to become a sponsor if your attitude is one of hope and knowledge that OA works for those who are willing to try.
Sponsors do not make decisions for the sponsored. They help by exploring alternatives, talking through the possible results of decisions being considered.
Sponsors should not encourge dependency to full their own ego needs.
Sponsors are at their own level of recovery; they cannot be considered well or beyond pain.
Good sponsors soothe bruised egos, are generous with praise and affirmation, encouraging the sponsored to believe in, and be, their better selves.
Helpful sponsors allow the sponsored to express their feelings even if they are negative, but they do not allow themselves to be victimized by emotional blackmail.
Sponsors and sponsored alike are free to terminate the relationship at any time.
Sponsors must remember not to expect healthy behavior from sick people. It is not possible to set everyone right at once.

Do not ask the sponsored to stop calling after a set number of days. It takes time to physically clear out systems of junk, but mentally and emotionally -- a lifetime is needed.

Thanks from an OA Newsletter

ROLEPLAYS

SCENES

One person portrays a newcomer asking a fellow OA member to the their sponsor. The other person portrays the prospective sponsor.
The discuss:
     a. What kind of sponsor is needed, i.e. food, step, combined, etc.
     b. If they will communicate by phone or through the mail and how often.
     c. How often they will get together.
The sponsor explains his/her expections for:
    a. Reading
    b. Writing
    c. Phone calls
    d. Meeting attendance
    e. Commitment
After discussing all of the above information, they agree to begin working together and set a specific time and place to do so.
The same beginning as #1, only the prospective sponsor has to decline.
The sponsor explains:
    a. They are greatful and pleased to be asked.
    b. Why they can't take a new sponsoree at this time.
    c. When they might be able to sponsor.
The sponsor offers:
    a. To help the person to find a sponsor.
    b. To call some people she knows who sponsor and get a list of a few sponsors to choose from.
These options are discussed and they agree on an action (either to wait for this sponsor or help in finding someone else).
In the third scene, a newcomer approaches a sponsor to be their food sponsor, but is not interested in working the steps.
The newcomer explains:
    a. She wants to lose 30 pounds.
    b. She hates to write and doesn't want to do the steps.
    c. The OA reading hasn't made much sense so far and so on...
The sponsor explains:
    a. That OA is a spiritually based program of recovery.
    b. That recovery needs to happen spiritually, emotionally and physically
    c. That OA is not a diet club.
    d. That the steps teach a new way of living and so on...
They discuss the above points and the newcomer decides that whe would like to learn more about the steps and how to work them. They set a time and place to get together.

GROUP DISCUSSION DIRECTIONS

We are now going to divide into five groups for discussing issues that are important to the process of sponsoring. After the discussion period, each group leader will bring back a brief summary of the main points that were brought our during your discussion to share with all of us.
We will count off to determine who will be in each group. 1, 2, 3, etc.
Choose one person to be your group leader. That person will take notes and report back on the major points that were discussed.
Pass out cards and paper and pencils to each group leader.
Allow 20 minutes for groups.