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12 Step National Meetings

How to Help Start, Register and List an Alateen Meeting

All startup guides · Find Alateen meetings

U.S. first · Official sources reviewed October 24, 2026

No Alateen meeting listed near you? A teen, parent, professional or fellowship member can ask for one to be started. Begin with your Area Alateen Coordinator. Certified sponsors and the Area registration process must be in place before meetings begin. This is not the same startup process as an adult Al-Anon group. Official starting point.

1. Request help from the Area

Use Worldwide Al-Anon Contacts to locate service contacts for your state. Ask specifically for the Area Alateen Coordinator or Area Alateen Process Person (AAPP). Your district or local Al-Anon Information Service can help connect you.

Suggested message: “There is a need for an Alateen meeting in our community. Who can explain the Area’s sponsor certification, safety requirements and group-registration process?” A request expresses interest; it does not establish a registered group.

If you are a teen, ask a trusted adult or an Al-Anon service contact to help make the connection. Share organizing contact details privately with the service office rather than posting young people’s names or personal stories publicly.

2. Follow the sponsor certification and safety process

The Area provides its Alateen Safety and Behavioral Requirements and the forms for certification and group registration. Al-Anon members involved in Alateen service are called AMIAS. The group needs Area-certified Alateen Group Sponsors and backup coverage; it cannot meet without certified sponsors present. Follow the Area’s requirements rather than treating this guide as a substitute for certification. Official sponsor and startup guidance.

3. Plan the meeting with the Area and sponsors

Discuss the proposed venue, schedule, age range, transportation arrangements, communication method and any permissions required by your Area. Ask how many sponsors must be present and what happens if a sponsor cannot attend. Do not guess these requirements or use a single nationwide age range.

Review Starting an Alateen Group (G-19) and the Alateen service materials linked from the official startup page. Ask the sponsors and Area how to introduce the meeting format and appropriate literature. Alateen is peer support with certified adult sponsors; a volunteer should not advertise an improvised youth counseling service as Alateen.

4. Complete registration before the first meeting

Follow the Area’s process for sponsor and group paperwork. The official quick reference says the group must be registered through that process, with certified AMIAS named as sponsors, before it begins meeting. Changes also go through the Area. Alateen meetings are closed to Alateens and the certified AMIAS affiliated with the group. Official “How to Start an Alateen Group” reference.

Thinking about an online meeting? Ask the Area and WSO about the current permitted route before choosing or advertising a platform. Do not use the adult Al-Anon electronic-group registration form to launch an Alateen meeting. Obtain current direction about any electronic option from Alateen service contacts.

5. Arrange official listings and submit approved public information

Once registration is complete, ask the Area which local schedules should list the meeting and what details may be public. Do not submit a proposed group as an active meeting while registration is pending.

An authorized adult organizer can then use Submit a Meeting, select Alateen, and follow the directory submission checklist. Publish only the public details agreed with your Area. Do not send participant names, background-check records, permission forms or sponsor certification documents to our public listing form. Submission here does not approve sponsors or register an Alateen group.

6. Keep registration and listings current

Ask the Area about ongoing sponsor certification and group-record requirements. Assign an authorized adult contact to update official records and this directory after a schedule, venue or status change. Pause public advertising if the group can no longer meet the Area’s requirements, and ask the Area how to proceed.

Outside the United States

Contact the Al-Anon service office for your country for its Alateen procedures before organizing a meeting.

Your first step: Find Al-Anon service contacts and ask for the Alateen Coordinator.

12 Step National Meetings is an independent directory. The Area’s current Alateen requirements govern certification, registration and operation.

Directory submission checklist

  1. Open Submit a Meeting. It is free, requires no account and sends information for review before publication.
  2. Enter the meeting name, fellowship, day and start time; select the relevant format and attendance type. Supply the public venue address or the meeting link requested for a virtual meeting, plus the location fields shown.
  3. Use a group contact email if available. The separate submitter email is optional and marked private. Do not publish personal home addresses or private contact details.
  4. Read the submission guidelines, confirm the acknowledgment and select Submit Meeting for Review.

Choose the meeting’s Time Zone in the submission form. Enter the local End Time and First Meeting Date if known, and add the organizer’s public meeting page in Official Source URL. Leave optional details blank if unknown; new groups without a public page can request moderator review. Never put a time zone into the street-address field or invent a physical address for an online meeting. If the location fields do not fit, use the site contact page for help. Do not include private access credentials.

Only provide a joining link the organizers have agreed to publish. If a link is restricted or registration is required, contact the directory about using the organizer’s public information or registration page instead. Do not send passwords, screening answers or confidential access instructions through a public listing field.

This directory’s review is separate from fellowship registration and does not establish official recognition. Tell both the official service office and this site when details change or a meeting closes.