The Virtual Welcome Room is an interactive document found in the Document Library on oa.org where newcomers and OA members may find essential information about Overeaters Anonymous in a visual format. The Virtual Welcome Room includes clickable OA items that take the user to OA web pages for more information, including the OA Quiz, our Lifeline blog, OA-approved literature, and the Twelve Steps and Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous.

Members of an OA service body who are familiar with 1) our OA program, 2) navigating a web page (specifically the oa.org website), and 3) recovery in general are encouraged to use the Virtual Welcome Room to provide a visual orientation to newcomers and interested OA members.

Click or tap to download the OA Virtual Welcome Room interactive PDF

There are two ways to use the OA Virtual Welcome Room: Either the service body provides direct guidance to the room user, or the room user explores the Virtual Welcome Room independently with support from the service body if needed. Both options are detailed below.

PLEASE NOTE: No changes or additions can be made to the Virtual Welcome Room. If you find a broken link or an error, please reach out to info@oa.org for assistance.

Service body provides direct guidance:

  1. A service body may create a section on their website welcoming the newcomer to OA that includes:
    1. a link to the Virtual Welcome Room, and
    2. a message providing contact information to schedule a guided visit through the Virtual Welcome Room. Mention that this visit will introduce the interested newcomer to Overeaters Anonymous and answer further questions.
  2. Identify a dedicated OA member or committee willing to guide newcomers using both the Virtual Welcome Room and accompanying program materials. This member or committee should be:
    1. familiar with the OA program, books, and pamphlets;
    2. comfortable navigating web pages;
    3. familiar with the content and layout of the Virtual Welcome Room;
    4. responsible for reporting missing and/or non-working links to the trustee liaison for their particular OA region; and
    5. affiliated with and supported by their local service body.
  3. Download the Virtual Welcome Room document and become familiar with it.
  4. Confirm that the links in the Virtual Welcome Room operate as intended (i.e., the links reference the intended oa.org and bookstore.oa.org source material).
  5. When a newcomer asks for a guided visit, the OA member or committee will need to meet them as scheduled using a videoconferencing platform. Share the screen of your Virtual Welcome Room to guide the newcomer through the Virtual Welcome Room.
  6. Please review and consider your data protection policies (specifically the General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR) to ensure that your service body maintains security and privacy protection measures.
  7. If your service body would like help with this project, please contact the Public Information and Professional Outreach Committee’s trustee and delegate co-chair by emailing the OA World Service Office at info@oa.org. Please write “Public Information and Professional Outreach Committee: Virtual Welcome Room help” in the email subject line.

Service body provides support for independent users:

  1. A service body may create a section on their website welcoming the newcomer to OA that includes:
    1. a link to the Virtual Welcome Room, and
    2. a message indicating that the user can visit the Virtual Welcome Room independently by clicking on the OA links within the room.
  2. In case the user has questions before or after using the Virtual Welcome Room, provide contact information for the service body alongside the Virtual Welcome Room link.
  3. Please review and consider your data protection policies (specifically the General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR) to ensure that your service body maintains security and privacy protection measures.
  4. If your service body would like help with this project, please contact the Public Information and Professional Outreach Committee’s trustee and delegate co-chair by emailing the OA World Service Office at info@oa.org. Please write “Public Information and Professional Outreach Committee: Virtual Welcome Room help” in the email subject line.

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