Larry Peterson and I did an Open Space event late last week for a national group of women "Canadian Council for Learning Opportunities for Women". It was a terrific event in which the women gathered moved from a place of conflict and deep angst and grief to developing new community, mission, vision, and a new life for a refocused national organization. This kind of Open Space always is rewarding for those of us who have the privilege to hold the space and journey with them.
But the REAL STORY is not in the above but in the fact that in the other part of the building, another meeting was taking place for a group dealing with inner-city social work. And guess what? They also were having their meeting in Open Space, facilitated by our friend and colleague Audrey Coward. AND both meetings were taking place in a conference centre that a year ago experienced Open Space with Larry to sort out their new mission and way of operating. It felt really, really neat as a facilitator to be blessed with someone in the next room opening space for another group at the same time as we were opening this space, and in a facility influenced by OS. I suspect that this will become more and more of a phenomenon (having so much evidence of the spread of open space and its impact) but for now, this felt new and wonderful. What are your stories? Birgitt
