Hi folks, how are you? I´m writing to repport some learnings and reflections from a 5 day Open Space we announced here some months ago.
It took place during a self managed fasting (with two options, 1. plain water and 2. fruits, juices, and vegetables) week, in late July. It happened just in Basque language in this diglotical land where Spanish and French are much more used. This was the key factor for some participants to happily join us, as many feel a lack of public spaces in Basque. This week was really an adventure and gave us lots of things to think about. And yes, it´s happened to be transformative in many ways. Something to reccomend anyone. Around 20 people took part, six of which worked as a promotor group. Just two of us were familiar with Open Space, and just me was used to promote and facilitate OST. 7 out of 20 had taken part in and OST before, and just once. It was really transformative for everybody, I would say. The main promotors are delighted with the results, and most of the participants too. Most of them expressed it very clearly ate the end and during the OS days. A strong sense of family/community was developed along the whole week. And a clear will in many of them to build on this community. In fact, last weeken some of them had a one day meeting with 2 very different aims: * learning about picking and cooking acorns * displaying a paper publication during the annual biggest Basque Books meeting, as they just do it online Madame self-organization was all the time ruling, sure, and there are lots of anecdotes on it. For example, due to fear, some people were very strict on saying to invitees that one shoud take part for the whole week, that poping in and out wasn´t ok,… Some people did not sign up due to that, and finally, among the participants all this issues happened during the week, people popped in and out following their wish, everything was ok. We the sponsor team had some communication and personal style troubles. Due to it my own motivation decayed along the previous process. I was feeling that it was being too complicated, doing too much, and so generating useless complications and then requiring extra efforts. In one point I decided to take more distance, let go of duties and worries, communicate that I would just take care of the facilitation during the OS on site. Two weeks before the meeting I was quiet certain that we wouldn´t really hold the OS, as we were just the sponsors and 3 more people signed up. One week later I know yes, we would have the fasting week and the 5 day OS, with arund 20 people. Some things I would change future long OS meetings: As they have the clear intention to repeat and expand next year, and I don´t have it so clear, we agreed that I´m coaching and accompanying some other people to learn facilitating, so as s/he can do it next year. Ideally this ability will spread in the community during next years, instead of having the community depending on me. A shorter formal OS would be prefferable: the schema of the fasting week would be 2-3-2 (instead of this year´s 1-5-1): 2 days for welcome and self organizing the place and preparing the OST -3 days OST-2 last days to say goodbye and rearrange the place. The 5 days seemed too long. Tiredness and lack of spark increased days 4 and 5. The first and second OS days, it was almost full time one proposal/slot on the agenda. They would add proposals after the evening news and take care of them, but just one group per timeslot, 15-18 people. Two people for facilitation would let us do it more easily, and would be a good learning practice for both. Sometimes I felt confused. I was being part of the community and was also having a clear role as facilitator. I felt some days in the morning news this mix made it flow less easily than ever. Preparing and holding a 5 days OS was phisically a bit hard too. I recommended the team to offer the possibility to the facilitators to have a near place to sleep appart from the community, to have it easier to retire, relax and rest better (we were sharing the rooms with bunks). Some (small?) details: Due to the troubles in the sponsor team (March-July) we didn´t reach to have a cheerful agreement about the invitation and a joyous spreading of it. Doubts and fear were long in our company. And I myself was a bit disappointed on it. After the experience, the main sponsors have a much more clear comprehension and impetus for next year. Pre-Work It was very fine having and extra day cohabiting the place after the OST (as you´ve seen I would propose 2-3 ost-2 for next year, with 2 “spare” days). The spare day(s) is in my view for a first evaluation meeting by the sponsor team, as we had quite many difficulties to meet, cause we were 6 people living far from one another. Introduction OST Even if oneself can think the explanation was very clear, repeating the most important of them in second and third days morning news helps people understand the principles, Tne inercia of other formal meetings all over our lives is so strong, that it takes time to do otherwise, I feel. Agenda: From Peggy Holman in WOSonOS 2022 Bilbao I learned that it´s interesting in many days OS, having the people who have proposed the 1st day issues for the 2nd, re-read it in 2nd day´s morning news. I learned this time, that it´s good to make very clear each day that we focus to propose issues for the day, and that they can just write and post proposals for next days too. I find it helpful to maket he emphasis (mention just) on the day. Energy tended to disperse through thinking too far. ------- Forwarded Message ------- De: Thomas Herrmann <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> Data: em segunda-feira, 23 de janeiro de 2023 às 21:00 Assunto: Re: [OSList] Re: Long Open Space during a Fasting Week_21-27th July, 2023_Basque Country Para: Gentza Eleder <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> Wow dear Genza Elderer What a wonderful, powerful initiative! I wish I vould come I look forward to hearing your stories! Wishing you a grand journey Thomas Skickat från Outlook för iOS<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/aka.ms/o0ukef__;!!D5mp3PWONmH39b4!DmD3qv604BpnVWQVNE91qHBfD0YkTDSzuCyEHMUO92aW_pGmZC8YOiljqPq68npl7GyqudsDmKPmlGMx-afWIadpt2ydE9zeyqI$> ________________________________ Från: Gentza Eleder <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> Skickat: Monday, January 23, 2023 7:37:58 PM Till: Thomas Herrmann <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> Ämne: Re: [OSList] Re: Long Open Space during a Fasting Week_21-27th July, 2023_Basque Country Good point, Thomas! We ate tasty and aboundant in Ws 2022, really ;-)! Many people could have even dinner afterwards with the splendid rests! These people convening the fasting week and 5 day Ws in July 23 are vey conscious of the benefits and ways of fasting. It'll be my first long fasting. There will be an option to be taking just juices and liquids, too, Participants will be preparing themselves one week before eating less and less on their own homes, guided by typical ways to do it. It's remarkable, that it will also be a technology fasting. With no samrtphones nor cameras,... Anyway, notes are planned to be taken and shared on walls there. And a repport will also be done and distributed after the event. Organizers got a wonderful farmhouse in an idilic countrysude and a really good prize. Organization will be supported by volunteers and each participant will be paying around 10 € per day. Those that will be taking part for 7 days or almost, will be priorized if we were full Those are general ideas now. We'll see what happens. Sure, you are super invited, Thomas, and you'll have and extra holidays time at locals friends'homes to recover enjoying local food before leaving back in you motorbike, renewed and full of inspiration ;-)! A big hug! Gentza Eleder Aurtenetxe Pildain BuM_31 unJobbing Mundaka (+0034) 638.733.223 Sent with Proton Mail<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/proton.me/__;!!D5mp3PWONmH39b4!DmD3qv604BpnVWQVNE91qHBfD0YkTDSzuCyEHMUO92aW_pGmZC8YOiljqPq68npl7GyqudsDmKPmlGMx-afWIadpt2ydpUfQCRM$> secure email. ------- Original Message ------- On sexta-feira, 20 de janeiro de 2023 às 19:37, Thomas Herrmann via OSList <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: Wow Genza Elderer So good to hear from you. I guess this Open Space is the opposite to the one you hosted (WOSonOS) where we enjoyed eating so much. If that’s your everyday life I do understand you need a 5 day fasting every now and then 😊 <joke> I would love to get on the motorbike and join you and I would love to hear basque for a week ❤ Wishing you continuous good planning. With love and appreciation for all you open space for in the world. THomas Från: Gentza Eleder via OSList <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> Skickat: den 17 januari 2023 21:04 Till: Open Space Listserv <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> Ämne: [OSList] Long Open Space during a Fasting Week_21-27th July, 2023_Basque Country Hello dear friends! Last september, during GiGi Mundiala/WOSonOS 2022 in Bilbao, in the previous Open Space on "Complex times, how do we go ahead in collaborative ways?" (26-27 Sept 2022) a group of passionated people started a conversation on a very specific action: "How can we prepare a fasting week for next summer?" We are now glad to announce that the plan is going ahead. This makes the past GiGi adventure even more fullfilling! Conveners plan to spend one week fasting on a farmhouse during 21-28th of July 2023, in which communication language will be Basque (this would normally not happen, being a diglotical situation, in which, at the end, those meetings most of times happen mainly in Spanish. Their goal is to do it in Basque to expand the usage field of the local language). The issue for the OS is not fixed yet. I have never facilitated this kind of OS, with those 3 features: a. participants willl most of them be fasting, with a doctor taking care of health/nutritional needs b. the promotors have in mind a long OS (around 5 days?) c. I suppose we'll convene the OS with the really important issues in life And I'm excited about it! Any input is welcome! A big hug for al, Gentza Eleder Aurtenetxe Pildain BuM_31 unJobbing Mundaka (+0034) 638.733.223 ps. Just profiting this message to the world, one small question and suggestion: would you recommend us any radio station in your area (lately I tend to explore this treasure called Radio Garden<https://urldefense.com/v3/__http:/radio.garden/__;!!D5mp3PWONmH39b4!DmD3qv604BpnVWQVNE91qHBfD0YkTDSzuCyEHMUO92aW_pGmZC8YOiljqPq68npl7GyqudsDmKPmlGMx-afWIadpt2yd-z_4LF0$>)? 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