Marching Band Creates a Unified Public Information Campaign

Tradition 5 states, “Each group has but one primary purpose—to carry the message to the compulsive overeater who still suffer.” Step 12 states, “Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry the message to compulsive overeaters and to practice these principles in all our affairs.”

I’ve served as Public Information Chair or as a committee member several times over my years in OA and found it to be a bit of a solo venture, as has most of those in that position over the past 15-20 years. Sure, my fellows shared their journey at meetings and out it public as they felt drawn to do. Yet, the hard core carrying the message to the general public seemed to fall solely on the Public Information Chair.

We have used the World Service Public Information handbook and tried to incorporate those suggestions. We created a website and eventually hired a professional web designer to maintain the site. We created a Facebook page for quick announcements and to have a social media presence. We have sent press releases for our holiday events, convention, retreat, and even sent an occasional “this is OA” information release. We struggled to get the local media to publish the releases with any regularity. A few of us hung posters about our special events. At least one meeting had a poster hanging party before MAI-sponsored events to make sure all public bulletin boards in the area had OA information on them. The PI committee created a list of various ways each individual could carry the message and even turned it into a “challenge.” MAI created stickers designed to place on bulletin boards and bathroom mirrors. We then created business cards with our contact information and a QR code to our website on the front and a place on the back where any member could put their name and phone number if they wanted to share with someone in the community or on a bulletin board. Each piece had some results, but the work was somewhat individualized and fragmented. Until the “Marching Band” campaign was created.

A little more than a year ago, the MAI Carry the Message got a huge boost in our area. The Public Information Chair created a campaign that not only incorporated Tradition 5 and Step 12, but created a coordinated, synchronized campaign. That “Marching Band” campaign directly expanded the public information committee and the area it reached across Southeast Wisconsin.

Like a traditional marching band, the OA Marching Band has several parts and levels. Our conductor is the Public Information Committee. The drum major is the Public Information Committee Chair. The musicians are our members. The music is the plan and the materials used to implement the plan. The parades are the specific publicity campaigns that allowed members to spread awareness of OA in the media and in public areas in the community as a form of service. Of course, there are “rehearsals” and added trainings, coaching, and problem solving to help everything flow smoothly. More specifically, we met together to learn how to post meeting notices and effectively post short pieces about experience, strength, and hope in the online newspaper Patch while using a pseudonym, all in unity. Additionally, paper posters have been hung on community bulletin boards.

I didn’t get the chance to play an instrument as a child and I am no longer interested. So, when I saw Milwaukee Area Intergroup information labeled Marching Band at the 2023 convention, I disregarded it. I figured it was musical stuff for those who played instruments much like pre-COVID conventions. The 11 inches of snow on the Saturday of convention caused some minor scheduling changes. I planned to attend the Tools workshop and instead found myself in the 12th Step, Carry the Message room. After a brief introduction, there was time well spent in small groups getting to know our fellow OA members and discussing ways we can carry the message that there is recovery from the disease of compulsive overeating.

We found it is often best to remember it is a program of attraction rather than promotion. Responding to people’s inquiries about our weight loss, questions about our ordering in restaurants, or sharing why we pack our food for a plane, are all opportunities to carry the message. I know the consistency in my behavior is often the best teacher. If I consistently eat healthy and refrain from my binge foods and work the emotional and spiritual components of the program, people get to see the program works.

Carrying the message well is talking about the gifts we receive from working the program as opposed to complaining about the footwork we do. Sometimes, less is just enough because there’s so much information about our program. One member carries business cards with a QR code to scan for more information about OA. Our intergroup provides materials to hand out within our intergroup area.

I now know Marching Band is a group of volunteers providing service, strengthening their program, and inviting other members to join them in sharing the message that there is recovery from compulsive overeating. They are finding what attracts those who are still suffering, and they repeat what works in planned, consistent ways, much like how we work our programs. You may have seen some of their social media posts or Patch articles. So, while March Band has no musical instruments, carrying the message is instrumental to our recovery. As one program slogan states, “When all else fails, work with another.” ~Anonymous

Written by an anonymous member of OA