WACYPAA was conceived at the 1996 ASCYPAA (Arizona State Conference of Young People in AA), and was later founded in Anaheim, California on September 8th, 1996 at the 39 ICYPAA (International Conference of Young People in Alcoholics Anonymous) in a meeting of AA members from around the region to be served by WACYPAA. At that meeting the region was defined as the states of: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming; as well as Baja California Norte, Baja California Sur, Chihuahua, Durango, Sinaloa, Sonora, and the Canadian Provinces of British Columbia, Yukon Territory, and Alberta. Since that time, our region definition has been broadened to include Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Texas. Each year, the conference must be held within this region.

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The purpose of WACYPAA is to build and strengthen unity in Young Peoples Groups in Alcoholics Anonymous in the western area of North America and Hawaii. The focus is especially to reach those areas which historically had little exposure to such conferences. The WACYPAA Advisory Council and the members of the Conference will encourage the participation from all states, provinces, and countries within the scope of the Conference. All bids will be given equal consideration regardless of size, population, or location. We recognize that not all AA members will find our conference necessary to their recovery from alcoholism, we seek only to provide it for those who find it desirable.

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At the Anaheim meeting, the state of Arizona was tentatively chosen as the site for the first WACYPAA. The Arizona group was to present their bid in February 1997 at the All California Conference of Young People in Alcoholics Anonymous in San Francisco. Seven AA members volunteered to attend and serve as a temporary advisory council for the purpose of approving Arizona’s bid, or to solicit further bids at a later date if the Arizona bid was not deemed to serve the best interests of the region. Once an initial site is chosen, a bid session will be held annually at each subsequent WACYPAA where a site will be chosen for the next year’s conference. Any group of three or more AA members from within the region is welcome and encouraged to bid for a chance to host a WACYPAA in their local area.

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Each year, AA conferences provide overwhelming evidence that large numbers of alcoholics are achieving a lasting and comfortable sobriety in Alcoholics Anonymous. These conferences offer an environment for celebration of our sobriety, as well as an opportunity to meet and share experience, strength, and hope with AA members who reside in areas other than their own.