I think....peace happens by itself when space is open...it's natural human behaviour.
space creates peace...peace creates space and so on.......... space is a simple thing like putting a full stop after one sentence and taking a breath to go on........... Funda ----- Original Message ----- From: Lisa Heft To: [email protected] Sent: Saturday, November 19, 2005 5:33 PM Subject: Re: Teacher edu in open space? Hello, Diane - Melinda wrote to me about learning more about Open Space facilitation. I am glad you are asking all these questions so that everyone can help you both. You wrote: <A friend of mine, Melinda Salazar, teaches at the public high school in Durham NH, the home of UNH.She and another teacher at the HS put on a "Teaching Peace" one-day conference last year, in April, aimed at NH teachers, and secondarily for parents, activists etc. from New England. There were the usual keynotes, workshops, round tables, and I think there were about 85 participants. It felt good - challenging, new connections, strong spirit - and they've decided to do it again this April..She and I have been talking a lot about the plans for this year. I . have been sending her tidbits from the OS list, which she has appreciated. The question: Melinda and her co-organizer are considering using OS for the April 2006 Teaching Peace conference. Is it appropriate for this sort of event?> Yes, it is not only totally appropriate, but it has been used for the Practice of Peace conference 2002 in San Francisco, 2003 on Whidbey Island in Washington State, 2005 in the American Southwest, and my friends on the OSLIST can name even more peace conferences held in Open Space. Open Space teaches peace. So its use for the Teaching Peace conference makes perfect sense. Not only would you engage participants in sharing knowledge, experiences, resources and community, but you would be modeling a tool used for peacemaking and conflict resolution used around the world. You continue: <The day is about 6-7 hours long, on a Saturday. With complete agreement that longer would be better . the firm plan for this year is a Saturday in April. Does it make sense to try OS for all or part of the day? (I read with interest the "taste of OS" emails a while back.)> All of the day. Why? Several reasons: you want people to get as much as they can out of layering their thinking, cross-pollinating ideas, experiencing a diversity of thoughts, sharing puzzles, challenges and successes, and getting most out of the nutrition-rich environment of co-created issues, answers, questions and discoveries. The little 'taster' OSs are when we have no possibility of doing longer ones and when we sift and decide whether bringing a taste of OS will serve the participants (or whether we should choose other methods for such a short time). Think of the deliverables. The deliverables of a 'mini' OS are participants naming what is important to them, finding out who else is passionate about that issue, sharing resources and building community. The deliverables of a 1-day OS are all this and more, as a day-long OS can take people out of their linear, cognitive thinking and shift them into more intuitive, whole-systems, interrelated, 'sparking-off-each-other' thinking. My colleagues on this list can add more, I'm sure. Giving conference participants less of a day in my mind deprives them of this possibility. And my experience is that when we faith in the people and the process (thanks, Jimmy, for inviting this conversation about your own conference) and give the agenda to them, they co-create something which is much richer, more meaningful and more applicable to them than anything that we in even our best intentions can provide for them through our inclusion of 'expert' keynote speakers. <I just read the part about "keynote etc. the day before, then OS for 1-3 days works well" -- would a keynote 9-10am, then OS until 3pm, then a closing circle work? Any suggestions?> Do note that in the sentence above we are talking about a several-day OS, not a one day OS. Be v-e-r-y careful about thinking you should put a keynote in just one day. First of all, people sit. And listen. Their bodies are at rest. Not great for when you want them to jump into Open Space. Then: it's taking 1 hour away from them. That's right. Just something to think about. So: I would think of exactly how long your day can be (until 5?) and do something like 9-10 Opening Circle and Agenda co-creation, 5 1-hour sessions in Open Space, and then a 1-hour Closing Circle. And step back and see what amazing people can do together. <Some of the concerns re doing 100% OS: If there is no keynote, no names or topics on the flyer, will teachers, parents, and peace activists be attracted to come? This is not a required "in-service" training, so there is no pre-set audience. It's not the business corporate culture, where people are used to going away to a hotel for 2-3 days for events. The participants are largely teachers who are tired by Friday night, and it's appealing for many of them to come and listen rather than expect to offer something themselves.> Here's my question back to you - can you write a compelling invitation that draws people into the room because they are engaged and inspired by what you have written? I bet you can. (here are some sample invitations: http://www.openingspace.net/openSpaceTechnology_method_resources_invitations.shtml ). There is even a Practice of Peace invitation, but there some of the other invites might also show you how you can engage people. And remember, Open Space will energize people and it 'ain't no' long boring meeting or didactic training. They don't have to prepare anything to present, no homework is required, and sure, they can even listen if they want (but I know that so many of them will be inspired to host discussions, especially if you and Melinda design a really delicious, nutritious focusing question (theme - see some examples here: http://www.openingspace.net/openSpaceTechnology_method_resources_themes.shtml ) to get them going. Also, here's my thinking - the right people will come. Those who don't want to just won't. So you don't have to worry about entertaining them (clumsy word but you know what I mean). You just have to invite, and invite in many different ways, and invite richly different kinds of people, and keep inviting all the way up until the day of the event, to share the word, the energy, the excitement and your host team's enthusiasm for each and every individual being important and welcome to this amazing event. <The conference is low budget (the teachers make and sell Teaching Peace t-shirts to fund it, and there is a registration fee, something like $15 for the day), so hiring a professional OS designer seems unlikely.> Ah, say it isn't so. It's not unlikely - imagine it being likely, and if you can imagine it, it can be true. Can you provide any or part of the expenses, such as travel, accommodation and meals? Can you provide homestays? Are there any nearby funders (Universities with peace, leadership, education or international relations programs/departments/degrees? businesses who would like to put a banner at your event to increase their visibility, larger businesses who have community engagement programs? Funders of non-profits? collaboratives of regional peace organizations?) who can pitch in just a bit of money for an honorarium, or air tickets, or.? Many of us are happy to help - either you will find an Open Space facilitator close to your region, or you will find some funding that will just make the difference for expenses and a small honorarium.but you know what? Nobody will be able to help you if you don't just take the leap.and.ask. I bet you'll be surprised. Ask more, share more - we're all here to support you and Melinda, Lisa ___________________________ L i s a H e f t Consultant, Facilitator, Educator O p e n i n g S p a c e 2325 Oregon Berkeley, California 94705-1106 USA +01 510 548-8449 [email protected] www.openingspace.net * * ========================================================== [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
