Jack: This is a critical problem, in these days. Was OST a gift for all people that read the book (or not) and have a "good heart and a good mind" and where training is an additional aid for those that need that, or is it a business (or part of a business) for "self empowered "trainers"? And what is a "good heart"? And a "good mind"? Do the organizers from Merlin (that btw are mostly scholars, but you may became a member and have discounts for a Standard Individual Membership per year of 59.95 eur) and the facilitator of the course you mentioned have "a good heart" or an "old days Kansas" one? In Berlin, I was surprised to see the advertisement of a Program (presented as if it was a gift to the Access Queen") with a Certification Program costing 3.800 US $, with a four days part on "Working with OST" costing 650 US $. These prices are lower or greater the ones you mentioned? And including OST combined with other methods is still the "free" and "open" spirit of OST? Is it still OST? But "certification" is often a requisite for grants in the EU and I think elsewhere too. Who (and how) can 'certify' that someone that presents oneself as an "OST facilitator" is indeed using OST, and not mixing it with other methods that "facilitate too much" (having, for instance, people presenting themselves in groups of two, previously to the opening, or having "reflections in pairs" before the closing, or guiding them through the stages of Future Search in a so called OST meeting, to give only some examples)? I think that the Open Space Institutes around the world (and only OSIs, and not other "facilitation organizations", that use OST as one among many different tools, with many different epistemologies and values, frequently mixing and confusing them in a single so called OST event) can have a saying in relation to that. Something that, IMHO, does that care about the future of OST must consider carefully... Regards Artur
________________________________ From: Jack Martin Leith <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Tue, May 25, 2010 9:11:56 AM Subject: Re: [OSLIST] Open Space Facilitation: Making it Work! 28-30 Sep 2010, Utrecht, The Netherlands My curiosity aroused by the announcement below, I visited www.merlien.org/upcoming-events/osft2010.html Very interesting. An OS facilitator training led by ... well, who, exactly? An OS facilitator training for, among others, professional conference companies. An OS facilitator training that costs €795.00. An OS facilitator training that provides participations with "a certificate awarded by the School of Advanced Facilitation". Ladies and gentlemen, 25 years down the track, we are not in Kansas anymore! Jack Jack Martin Leith Leith Co-creation email: [email protected] Mobile: 07831 840541 (+44 7831 840541) Skype: jackmartinleith Professional website: www.leithcocreation.com Personal website: www.jackmartinleith.com On 24 May 2010 23:59, OST Training <[email protected]> wrote: Open Space Facilitation: Making it work! >How to design, plan and execute unconference meetings successfully >>28-30 September 2010, Utrecht >Event website: http://www.merlien.org/upcoming-events/osft2010.html > >About the workshop: >The International Open Space Facilitator workshop, co-organised by the >>School of Advanced Facilitation (SAF) and Merlien Institute will be held on >the 28-30 September 2010 in Utrecht, The Netherlands. Open Space offers your >participants more than just talks, questions and poster sessions. It builds >>on the knowledge people bring to the event, harness their passion and give >them the responsibility for discussing what really matters to them in a >self-organising conference format. This workshop, conducted in English wiill >>equip you with the essential skills to design and execute an open space >workshop or incorporate open space within your existing conference formats. > >Who should attend: >This workshop is for meeting organisers and facilitators who will offer >>their participants the opportunity to tackle complex issues in a highly >interactive, productive and self-structured "unconference" environment. The >workshop is designed with meeting organisers and facilitators in mind who >>work for government agencies, educational institutions, European programmes >and projects, professional conference companies and industry associations. > >Take advantage of this unique opportunity to equip yourself with skills to >>design and execute successful open space events. This two and half days >course includes refreshments and lunches. Early-Bird registration is now >open! To register, please visit: >http://www.merlien.org/upcoming-events/osft2010.html > >* >* >========================================================== >[email protected] >------------------------------ >To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, >>view the archives of [email protected]: >http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html > >To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: >http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist > * * ========================================================== [email protected] ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of [email protected]: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist * * ========================================================== [email protected] ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of [email protected]: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist
