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Get involved · Orientation

GVR / RLV 101

Six short sessions for new GVRs and RLVs, plus the committee's presentations — read, present or print them.

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Panel 77 · starts January 2027

Welcome to the service

New to Grapevine / La Viña service? Thank you for saying yes. These sessions cover the basics in about 39 minutes: go through them one at a time on your phone, or together at a district meeting.

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The sessions

Six short sessions

5 to 8 minutes each, with three quick review questions at the end. Go in order, or straight to what you need.

  1. Session 1 5 min

    What Grapevine and La Viña are

    AA's meeting in print: who publishes it, how often it comes out and the ways to read it.

  2. Session 2 7 min

    The GVR / RLV service position

    What the service position involves, how to register, and how you connect with your district and our Area.

  3. Session 3 6 min

    Your literature table

    Set up a table people stop at, lend back issues and carry the message with every issue.

  4. Session 4 7 min

    Subscriptions and gifts

    Help members and the group subscribe, give the magazines as gifts and support Carry the Message.

  5. Session 5 6 min

    Stories, audio and workshops

    Invite members to write or record their story, and keep the deadlines in view.

  6. Session 6 8 min

    The Traditions in practice

    Anonymity, attraction, group conscience and copyright — and reporting to your district.

Present or print

Take the sessions to your district

The same sessions as a slide show for a projector, or as a handout for members without a phone.

Present as slides

All six sessions in full screen, with large type, questions to ask the room and a QR code to this page at the end. Once the page has loaded, the slides work without internet.

Keys and touch screens: How presenting works

Present as slides

The slide show needs JavaScript turned on. The sessions and the handout work without it.

Printable handout

One sheet per session: the key points, an idea for your group, the review questions and the links, with a QR code to the session.

Your browser's Print command prints this page as the handout, too.

Ready to present

Presentations

The committee's workshops and its two monthly meetings, for a projector or a video call, with speaker notes. Meeting dates, guest speakers, story deadlines and prices stay current by themselves.

Presenting, customizing and printing here need JavaScript turned on. The PowerPoint copies work without it.

Print or save a copy

Pick a presentation and what to print. It prints your version: your details and your changes on this device.

What to print

Your browser's Print window can also save it as a document. To keep your changes or pass them on, save your version from Customize.

Printing your version needs JavaScript turned on. Without it, print or save a presentation from its PowerPoint copy:

How presenting works

Touch screens and keys, the presenter view, versions and your details, saving and resetting.

On a touch screen, swipe or tap the sides of the slide.

Keyboard

→ Space
next
←
back
Home End
first / last
12 Enter
go to that slide
N
speaker notes
O
all the slides
C
customize
P
presenter view
B
black screen
F
full screen
Esc
exit

The six sessions' slides use the arrows, Space, Home, End, F and Esc.

  • Presenter view

    A second window for your own screen: this slide and the next, your notes in large type, a timer and the clock. Either window moves both.

  • Versions and your own slides

    Pick a version (the full one, or a shorter or special one), then hide, move or edit slides, or add your own.

  • Your details

    The date, the place and your service position fill the blanks on the slides. Your first name only ever shows in your own notes.

  • Your changes stay on this device

    They are kept in this browser only. Nothing is sent anywhere.

  • Save your version

    Customize saves your version as a file, to open on another computer or pass on to the next presenter.

  • Without a connection

    A presentation you opened once works offline too, and “Save key pages for offline” (in the Aa menu) keeps all of them.

  • Reset to the original

    In a card's More menu: puts that presentation back the way the committee wrote it. Once you change any of them, “Reset all 5 to the original” shows under the presentations. You can undo it for a few seconds.

For facilitators

Host a 45-minute district orientation

A simple plan that fits a district meeting: the slides, the handout and time for questions.

The plan

  1. Welcome 3 min

    Start on the title slide. Ask who is new to the service and which magazine they will carry.

  2. Sessions 1–3 18 min

    The magazines, the service position and the literature table. For each review question, read it aloud, let the room answer, then show the answer.

  3. Sessions 4–6 21 min

    Subscriptions and gifts, stories and audio, and the Traditions. The “This month” boxes show live examples from this site.

  4. Close 3 min

    Show the QR code, invite everyone to register and to our next committee meeting, and hand out the sheets.

Before you start

  • A laptop with this page open, and a projector or TV
  • Present as slides, then F for full screen
  • The printed handout: one sheet per session
  • A current issue of each magazine to pass around

Please don't take photos of the people in the room. If you pass a sign-in sheet, first names only.

A longer workshop?

“GVR and RLV Orientation Workshop” runs about 90 minutes (or 60), with speaker notes and timings for every slide.

See the presentation

Next steps

Keep going

Where to go after the sessions.

GVR / RLV 101 · Session 1 of 6 · 5 min NETA 65 Grapevine & La Viña Committee

What Grapevine and La Viña are

Goal: Explain in one minute what Grapevine and La Viña are, and why they matter to your group.

Key points

  1. Our meeting in print. Both magazines are made of AA members' stories: their experience, strength and hope. In Grapevine's first years, AA members serving overseas in the armed forces called it their “meeting in print”, and the name stuck.
  2. Two magazines, one publisher. AA Grapevine, Inc. publishes Grapevine in English every month (since 1944) and La Viña in Spanish every two months (since 1996).
  3. Read it your way. In print, online, in the apps, or as audio: podcasts and recorded stories. Each home group can choose what works best for its members.
  4. How the magazines are supported. Grapevine pays its way with subscriptions and the sale of books and other items. La Viña is also supported by the General Service Board as a service to the Fellowship. Either way, every subscription is a form of service.
  5. Many voices, not AA policy. Each story shares one member's own experience. Stories are not statements of AA policy — which is why they make such good topics for a meeting.

Try this at your group

Hold up this month's issue during announcements and say its theme in one sentence. Offer to lend it after the meeting.

Talk it over

Which story or issue first made you want to read more?

This month on this site

This month's issues

Grapevine · November 2026
AA Members & Mental Health
La Viña · November–December 2026
The Joy of Living

Quick review

  1. Who publishes Grapevine and La Viña?

    • A. Each AA area
    • B. AA Grapevine, Inc.
    • C. Our district committee

  2. How often does a new La Viña come out?

    • A. Every two months
    • B. Every month
    • C. Once a year

  3. How is Grapevine supported?

    • A. With a share of each group's Seventh Tradition
    • B. With grants from outside AA
    • C. With subscriptions and the sale of books and items

Answers: 1 B · 2 A · 3 C

Learn more

  • Read the current issues — grapevine.neta65.org/read/
  • History of Grapevine (aagrapevine.org) — aagrapevine.org/history-aa-grapevine
  • History of La Viña (aalavina.org, in Spanish) — aalavina.org/Historia-de-LV
This session online
grapevine.neta65.org/orientation/magazines/
GVR / RLV 101 · Session 2 of 6 · 7 min NETA 65 Grapevine & La Viña Committee

The GVR / RLV service position

Goal: Know what your group expects of you, and where to go for help.

Key points

  1. The link between the magazines and your group. A GVR (Grapevine) or RLV (La Viña) keeps the magazines alive at the home group: announcing each new issue, inviting members to write and helping them subscribe.
  2. Your group chooses you. The group conscience elects its GVR or RLV and decides how long the term lasts. When yours ends, share your experience with the next one — rotation keeps the service fresh.
  3. Register online. Fill in the short form on the official page. Grapevine sends new GVRs a digital kit, and La Viña's resources, including the RLV manual, are free to download.
  4. Group, district, Area. You report to your group. Your district brings its GVRs and RLVs together, and our Area's Grapevine / La Viña committee connects the districts with both magazines.
  5. Our committee meets every month. The Area committee meets on Google Meet every third Wednesday of the month, 7:00 – 8:00 PM Central time. From January 2027 each meeting opens with a guest speaker, then events, offers, magazine topics and sharing. Every AA member is welcome, and you don't need to register.
  6. Panel 77, from January 2027. Panel 77 of our Area runs for two years from January 2027. This site is your toolbox for it: the Monthly toolkit, the district report, resource kits, deadlines and prices.

Try this at your group

At the next business meeting, tell your group you're their new GVR or RLV, then register on the official page that same week.

Talk it over

What does your group need most from its GVR or RLV this year?

This month on this site

Next committee meeting

7:00 – 8:00 PM · Google Meet · every AA member welcome

Our Area has 13 Grapevine meetings: AA meetings that use Grapevine or La Viña.

Quick review

  1. Who chooses a group's GVR or RLV?

    • A. The Area chair
    • B. The group conscience
    • C. AA Grapevine, Inc.

  2. What do the magazine offices give new representatives?

    • A. A free subscription
    • B. A membership card
    • C. Free service kits and resources

  3. When does our Area committee meet?

    • A. On Google Meet, every third Wednesday of the month
    • B. Only at the Area assembly
    • C. Every Sunday morning

Answers: 1 B · 2 C · 3 A

Learn more

  • Register as a GVR (aagrapevine.org) — aagrapevine.org/get-involved/become-grapevine-rep
  • Register as an RLV (aalavina.org) — aalavina.org/servicio/conviertete-en-rlv
  • Your first steps (checklist) — grapevine.neta65.org/gvr/#steps
  • Committee meeting details — grapevine.neta65.org/meetings/#committee-meeting
This session online
grapevine.neta65.org/orientation/role/
GVR / RLV 101 · Session 3 of 6 · 6 min NETA 65 Grapevine & La Viña Committee

Your literature table

Goal: Turn the magazines on your table into a Twelfth Step tool.

Key points

  1. A table people stop at. Show the current Grapevine and La Viña face up, with a catalog and a few free postcards from the rep kits. Keep it tidy and refresh it every month.
  2. Back issues keep working. Older issues are still full of stories. Sort them by theme so a member can find one on sponsorship, the Steps or the holidays.
  3. A lending library. Let members borrow an issue and bring it back, or pass it on to someone who needs it. A simple sign-out sheet with first names only is enough.
  4. Put each issue to work. Our Monthly toolkit gathers 10 ways to carry the message with the magazines — from a newcomer's first copy to a doctor's waiting room — with tips for each month's theme.
  5. Share with other service work. Offer copies to the members who serve in H&I, Corrections, PI or CPC: a magazine can go where a meeting can't.

Try this at your group

Pick one of the 10 ways this month and try it, then tell your district how it went.

Talk it over

Where in your town could a magazine reach someone who isn't in AA yet?

This month on this site

Put the November issue to work

Build a lending library at your group

Timeless stories from the archive — a perennial lending-library addition.

Grapevine theme: AA Members & Mental Health

Quick review

  1. What makes a literature table people stop at?

    • A. Every back issue, stacked high
    • B. Current issues face up, a catalog and a few postcards
    • C. A sign asking for donations

  2. What does a lending library do?

    • A. Lets members borrow issues and pass them on
    • B. Sells issues at a discount
    • C. Replaces subscriptions

  3. Where do you find the 10 ways to put an issue to work?

    • A. Only at the Area assembly
    • B. In the Big Book
    • C. In the Monthly toolkit on this site

Answers: 1 B · 2 A · 3 C

Learn more

  • The 10 ways (Monthly toolkit) — grapevine.neta65.org/monthly/#ways
  • GVR and RLV resource kits — grapevine.neta65.org/gvr/#kits
  • Catalogs in the Shop — grapevine.neta65.org/shop/#catalogs
This session online
grapevine.neta65.org/orientation/literature-table/
GVR / RLV 101 · Session 4 of 6 · 7 min NETA 65 Grapevine & La Viña Committee

Subscriptions and gifts

Goal: Know the ways to put the magazines in more hands, and where to send people to buy.

Key points

  1. A subscription for the group. The group conscience can vote a home-group subscription for the literature table: print, digital or both. The Shop page compares them.
  2. Gifts for someone you know. A gift subscription or gift certificate makes a thoughtful present for a sponsee, a friend or a sobriety anniversary.
  3. Carry the Message: for someone you don't know. Buy a Carry the Message gift and the magazine office gives it to an alcoholic in need, such as someone in prison. Several cost less each, so a group or district can buy them together.
  4. Book of the Month. Grapevine and La Viña each put a book on sale for a limited time. Mention it during announcements while the offer lasts.
  5. Send people to the official stores. Orders, renewals and address changes go through the official stores or their customer service. Our Shop page gathers the links, prices and order forms.

Try this at your group

Bring the order forms to the next business meeting and propose one group subscription and one Carry the Message gift.

Talk it over

Who in your community could a Carry the Message gift reach?

This month on this site

Book of the Month · Grapevine

The Language of The Heart: Bill W.'s Grapevine Writings

$13.59 instead of $16.99, until November 14

Subscriptions start at $2.99 a month.

Quick review

  1. What happens with a Carry the Message gift?

    • A. You pick the person who gets it
    • B. The magazine office gives it to an alcoholic in need
    • C. It lowers the price of your own subscription

  2. Who decides on a home-group subscription?

    • A. The GVR or RLV alone
    • B. The district
    • C. The group conscience

  3. Where does a member renew a subscription?

    • A. At the official store or its customer service
    • B. With the Area treasurer
    • C. Through this website

Answers: 1 B · 2 C · 3 A

Learn more

  • Subscriptions and prices — grapevine.neta65.org/shop/#subscriptions
  • Carry the Message in the Shop — grapevine.neta65.org/shop/#carry
  • Carry the Message (aagrapevine.org) — aagrapevine.org/carry-the-message
  • Lleva el Mensaje (aalavina.org, in Spanish) — aalavina.org/lleva-el-mensaje
This session online
grapevine.neta65.org/orientation/subscriptions/
GVR / RLV 101 · Session 5 of 6 · 6 min NETA 65 Grapevine & La Viña Committee

Stories, audio and workshops

Goal: Help your group see that the magazines are written by members like them.

Key points

  1. Written by members. Grapevine and La Viña are written by AA members. Both welcome stories, and also photos, artwork and jokes.
  2. Themes and deadlines. Grapevine plans its themes months ahead and closes each one on a deadline; La Viña suggests open topics. Our Share your story page lists what's open now.
  3. Record it by phone. Not a writer? A member can record their story by phone for Grapevine's Audio Project or La Viña's “Graba tu historia”. The steps are on our site.
  4. Host a writing workshop. A workshop helps members write together and send their stories in. Look for the next one in our events, or plan one with your district.
  5. Anonymity for writers. Writers usually sign with a first name and last initial, plus their city. Read each magazine's short guidelines together before anyone sends a story.

Try this at your group

Announce the next deadline and its theme, and invite anyone interested to write for 15 minutes after the meeting.

Talk it over

What part of your story could help someone who is where you once were?

This month on this site

Next Grapevine story deadline

Annual Prison Issue

Send it by December 1, 2026 for the July 2027 issue.

Quick review

  1. Who writes the stories in Grapevine and La Viña?

    • A. Professional writers
    • B. AA members
    • C. Only the magazines' staff

  2. A member doesn't like to write. What can they do?

    • A. Nothing — only written stories count
    • B. Ask the GVR or RLV to write it for them
    • C. Record their story by phone

  3. How do writers usually sign their story?

    • A. First name, last initial and city
    • B. Full name and phone number
    • C. Their home group's address

Answers: 1 B · 2 C · 3 A

Learn more

  • Themes and deadlines — grapevine.neta65.org/contribute/#deadlines
  • Record your story by phone — grapevine.neta65.org/contribute/#record
  • Host a writing workshop — grapevine.neta65.org/contribute/#workshop
  • Grapevine's guidelines (aagrapevine.org) — aagrapevine.org/guidelines-contributing-grapevine
  • La Viña's guidelines (aalavina.org, in Spanish) — aalavina.org/guia-para-contribuciones
This session online
grapevine.neta65.org/orientation/stories/
GVR / RLV 101 · Session 6 of 6 · 8 min NETA 65 Grapevine & La Viña Committee

The Traditions in practice

Goal: Carry the message without breaking anyone's anonymity or anyone's copyright.

Key points

  1. Anonymity in photos, posters and chats. No faces or full names of members in public posts, posters, flyers or chats that people outside AA can see. Take pictures of the table, not of the people.
  2. Attraction, not promotion. Share what the magazines have done for you, without pushing or selling. AA's public relations rest on attraction (Tradition Eleven).
  3. Your group, your decision. Each group is autonomous (Tradition Four). What it buys, shows or gives is decided by its group conscience: bring information and a proposal, and let the group decide.
  4. Stories are copyrighted. The stories are copyrighted by AA Grapevine, Inc. Don't photocopy, post or forward whole stories: share the link, the issue itself or the audio.
  5. Report back every month. Your district wants to hear from you. The monthly GV/LV report on this site is ready to copy: choose its sections and edit it to fit your group.

Try this at your group

Before the next district meeting, copy this month's report, keep the sections your district needs, add one thing your group did and read it in a few minutes.

Talk it over

How can your group share the magazines online and still protect everyone's anonymity?

This month on this site

Monthly toolkit

The November 2026 poster

No names and no faces — ready to print, pin up at your meeting or share in a group chat.

Quick review

  1. You want to share a photo of your group's literature table. What's the AA way?

    • A. A selfie with the members at the table
    • B. A photo of the table with no people in it
    • C. A group photo with everyone's full names

  2. A story in this month's issue would help a friend. What do you do?

    • A. Share the link or lend the issue
    • B. Photocopy it for everyone
    • C. Post the whole story in the group chat

  3. What does “attraction rather than promotion” mean for a GVR or RLV?

    • A. Sell as many subscriptions as you can
    • B. Pay for ads on social media
    • C. Share your own experience with the magazines

Answers: 1 B · 2 A · 3 C