Dear Dominique, I am forwarding your post to a colleague in Vauvert. He is also fluent in German which encouraged him to sign up for the Third Annual Learning Exchange for open space-practitioners in January next year (see contact info in my signature)...there will be 50 of us with a german speaking polish colleague facilitating the event. He might be interested in the os-institute you are thinking of. One initiative that is very supportive for the development of the os-field is our Berlin open space cooperative (boscop) where 7 of us meet regularly and work on joint projects (like the online os-landscape for Berlin with 114 events mapping out the spread of os just in this city). Have a great holiday season mmp
Incidentally, I started as a zoologist...seems that was a good starting point.... On Tue, 16 Dec 2003 08:58:24 +0100, Dominique Proudhon wrote: >Good day all, > >I joined the OSlist a few days ago and have been lurking for a while. I >am very impressed with the quality of the exchanges on this list and >find myself drawn to participate. Several threads called my attention; >in particular the one questioning the list itself (what are we doing? >Aren't we loosing our spirit, Should we split?) -I find these >conversations very healthy. And also the one about Civil Conversation, >which resonates with an old questioning of mine around ways to implement >real participative democracy - I am dreaming of initiating some real >debate around the question "what world do we chose to build for >tomorrow?". I believe we humans are caught up in our own contradictions: >after centuries of evolving faster and faster technically, and having >more transformative power than ever, we are now facing the essential >question of Meaning: How do we participate in the world and to what >end? What is our responsibility in regard to what is happening in our >world? Especially all the "not so nice" little things like irreversible >destruction of earth resources, loss of entire species, wars and weapon >builders, starving, and all that noisy ongoing disconnected stupidity on >our tv and radio shows that take people away from being. I believe that >for the first time, we, at least in "developed" countries, have won the >freedom to look beyond simply working for survival, to ask ourselves: >how do I want to also make this place a little better? > >Anyway. I'll stop here for today. My goal was actually to introduce >myself: >I am French and leave in Grenoble. After a PhD in molecular/cellular >biology and 6 years of research. I decided to do something else with my >life and moved to human resources development. I actually did that >career move in the US: I lived 10 years in North Carolina. I wanted to >understand why people so often get into conflicts because of "films" >they make in their heads that have little to do with reality. I wanted >to find ways to work on re-establishing lost connections, especially in >the workplace, where they could serve common projects and goals. I >trained with Will Schutz, originator of the Human Element, became a >mediator, trained in various psychometric tools and got to work with >various groups. Two years ago, just before I came back to France, I >bought a book that called my attention: Open Space Technology, a user's >guide. I read it in the plane. It was one of those "ha ha": I found >something I was looking for. A piece of extreme simplicity that called >on very ecological principles to set the stage for real connection >between people and for meaning to happen. On top of that, this approach >was shared openly without any bind, just as a gift to humanity, which >seduced me even more... I decided to try it as soon as I would get the >opportunity, here, in France. Starting a new business as a group >facilitator/team consultant has not been easy thing. Things are slow >going and I often get discouraged. But I finally got the opportunity to >run two different open space events for two different clients in the >last year (30 people and 36 people). Both very energizing experiences >and both around the question "How could we improve the way we function >as a team?": I loved the first moments of surprise in people's eyes, and >then the sudden rush to bring up issues as they understood that the >event was theirs. Several persons approached me at the end telling me >how much this work had moved them from a negative reactive position to >an engaged position and telling me about a number of places they would >see such work as useful. Thanks to Harrison, they got a gift they >deserved. Felt quite good to serve in such a meaningful way. I'll >continue. I now would like to share this approach with others in France >and starting a French Open Space Institute (web site in preparation for >sometime next year). Of course, I have plenty of questions around OST, >but I'll wait: This post is already long enough, you guys are busy, and >I need to read more of the documentation to make sure I am not asking >questions that have already been answered 20 times. > >All the best to each of you, >Dominique > >Note: I am a guy, for those who would wonder. > >Dominique Proudhon >Group Facilitation >Problem solving >Conflict resolution >Dampierre >38470 Notre Dame de l'Osier >(33) 4 76 36 71 34 >(33) 6 78 91 48 77 Noch 4 Plätze zu vergeben zur 3. Lernwerkstatt für open space-BegleiterInnen vom 25. bis 28. Januar 2004 in Vlotho. Jetzt anmelden www.michaelmpannwitz.de/o_lernwerkstatt2004.htm Michael M Pannwitz, boscop Draisweg 1, 12209 Berlin, Germany FON: +49 - 30-772 8000 FAX: +49 - 30-773 92 464 www.michaelMpannwitz.de www.openspace-landschaft.de * * ========================================================== [email protected] ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of [email protected], Visit: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
