Public Relations
Subcommittee Info:
PR meets the 2nd Thursday of each month.
Time: 5:45 p.m. (in person)
Where: Saint Anne Parish, 30 College Street, Chicopee, MA 01020
Contact: westernmasspr@gmail.com
The Public Relations Subcommittee has the following service positions:
Chairperson (elected at WM Area)
- Vice-Chairperson
- Secretary
- Literature Coordinator
- Phoneline Coordinator
- Web Servant
- General Volunteers
Public Relations Goals
- We strive to make NA a visible & attractive choice for people stuggling with addiction.
- We clarify what services NA can and cannot provide to the community.
- We make NA members more aware of their role in NA’s public image.
- We aim for the public to recognize NA as a positive and reliable organization.
- We develop valuable relationships with professionals and the general public.
Work together in a spirit of unity and cooperation to support the groups in carrying our message of recovery. -A Vision of NA Service
As members of NA, we have a primary purpose to support. While groups focus on that primary purpose, the responsibility of supporting those efforts is delegated to an area service committee. For those of us performing public relations services, this means we approach our service with an attitude of humility: We are simply recovering addicts trying to carry a message of recovery—one that someone else freely shared with us—to other suffering addicts. Our job is to let others know that Narcotics Anonymous is a simple, spiritual, twelve-step recovery program that can help any addict find freedom from drug addiction. We confidently acknowledge what services we can and cannot provide. We approach public relations with the knowledge of what NA is to the community and what NA’s relationship is with that community. The principles of humility and service can help us carry NA’s message in a way that acknowledges NA’s role in the community.
Additional Information
If you have any questions about Western Mass Public Relations please email our subcommittee: westernmasspr@gmail.com
Services PR Offers to Inform & Educate the Public
- Informational Pamphlet Racks in various locations with Meeting lists.
- Public Service Announcements about NA via the media (press, radio, television, billboards, bus signs, and posters).
- Presentations to the Public: parole officers, judges, counselors, nurses, doctors, and schools, among others, for information purposes.
- Information Table and/or do a Workshop at Public Events, Health Fairs and Conferences
- Community Awareness Meetings may be conducted by NA members to inform the community of the existence of Narcotics Anonymous and its available services.
Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends on NA unity.
-Tradition One
Public Relations & the NA Groups
NA is more attractive when we are able to demonstrate our unity. Our unity shows when we use our diversity as a strength in our meetings and our services. When a group of addicts from different backgrounds and with varying beliefs serves together, they highlight our unity in a way that is extraordinarily attractive. When thinking about our unity in terms of attracting a variety of using addicts, we can ask ourselves the following questions:
- How do we demonstrate an atmosphere of recovery in our meetings?
- Are we open and welcoming to all those who attend our meetings?
We are the ones who bring to life Narcotics Anonymous’ simple message of recovery from addiction—a message that ensures freedom for any addict, from any background or age group, to experience recovery from active addiction.
The attractiveness of the behaviors and attitudes of individual NA members and the collective appearance of our fellowship is essential in making our public relations efforts more valuable. Attraction means that we function (as members and as groups) in ways that naturally draw others to us. When members act in a way that is attractive, newcomers and potential members are more likely to get a positive impression of NA
Without YOU, there is no WE. This is a WE program, let us work together to improve adherence to our traditions, concepts, and principles as a fellowship.
Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, and films. -Traditional Eleven
Attraction rather than Promotion
When thinking about the difference between promotion and attraction, it may be helpful to think about the difference between informing the public about NA and insisting that NA is better than any other recovery program. The essay on the Eleventh Tradition in It Works: How and Why describes promotion as “fanfare, overblown claims, [and] celebrity endorsements.” Informing the public that we are a credible program of recovery is a principled action, whereas comparing NA to other programs or approaches, offering recovery incentives, or making claims about our effectiveness can all be considered promotion. The only promise we make is the opportunity for addicts to experience freedom from active addiction; guaranteeing any other outcome is promotion.
Tools for reaching the Public
Information Pamphlet Rack
Sample PSA
Flyer Hanging Day Flyer
