Dear Diane and all:
I am attempting to re-connect and follow-up with the northern folks
mentioned in the paper (coalition builders)... I will advise / connect as
soon as I'm able.
I agree with the regional coalition building challenges you (Diane) cite
below.... That has been my experience as well.
When successful, I've noticed that the group is comprised of secure
individuals and organizations - not necessarily big or well funded but
definitely displaying qualities of OS - open enough to actually
be/hear/learn/assert themselves with others without defensiveness. I've
noticed that some group seem to arrive at this via CRISIS and others via the
sort of leadership we promoted in the school... They also seem to be / have
one or more of the following:
~ some issue they want/need to address
~ some need they must meet (ex. collaborating in order to reduce costs
and/or secure more funding)
~ deeply committed to a big/global sort of a cause - sometimes directly
expressed in their work and sometimes their work is one aspect of this
larger story
A recently new experience (and still in progress) involves connecting women
and women's organizations from across Canada in different coalitions - via
ICTs (information communication technologies, ex. everything from phones to
online/email to videoconferencing).
Interestingly, the actual work is about promoting women's rights and
informing public policy on related issues, along with increasing knowledge
concerning and reducing the exploitation of women via ICTs !! I love the
metaphor of using the weapon to grow flowers... We're also connecting
internationally. I am excited to see what develops over this next year...
Should anyone be interested, I would be happy to see if you can't be added
to our ezine subscription list and database for inviting to online
collaborative meetings... We do, indeed, have a plan to do an online OS :-)
Let's keep in touch on the federal research / community capacity building
project I mentioned previously as well! I'll scan my memory and records too
for other examples of OS and multi-sector community-based work
Thanks also for the links to the papers - can't wait to dig in...
Glory :-)
----- Original Message -----
From: "Diane Brandon" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, January 25, 2006 8:52 AM
Subject: Healthy Communities (was Keepin' Busy)
Gloria, I'm interested too, in what you've written about below, if you
don't mind including me in your off-line information sharing.
I coordinate a "healthy community coalition" in a 4-town region in
Maine, and work on state level HCC processes, so I would like to know
more about the Canadian "coalition/network across non-profit
sub-sectors with a focus on 'building healthy communities.'" I'm hoping
to make a state meeting in Vermont next week, to look at how we do
regional "healthy communities" work in VT/NH/ME, and what learning
circles we might engage in.
I'll rename this thread, in case it continues. The use of OS in broad
regional/community building/linking initiatives seems a bit different
to me than its use in more clearly defined organizations. When there is
a group of people employed by one incorporated organization, and a
Board of Directors for the corporation, a certain amount of structure
and planning (convergence) exists naturally. But when people who live
in a region, who are interested in improving "quality of life" (that
vague catch-all term!), get together, and there may be many community
organizations involved (healthy communities, sustainable communities,
safe communities, and all the sector networks), providing structure for
the work after the OS (or other type of process) is a challenge. (A
link to a good paper about healthy communities work in the US is
www.ncl.org/publications/ncr/92-2/Wolff92-2.pdf and also see
http://www.ncl.org/publications/email_news/2002/05/kellogg.html ).
I'd like to learn more about OS being used in this sort of multi-sector
community-based work.
Diane Brandon
Eliot, Maine
Maine Network of Healthy Communities: www.thehcnetwork.org
KEYS Region: www.keysregion.org
<<As a result, they are now pursuing a territorial coalition/network
across non-profit sub-sectors with a focus on "building healthy
communities." This was determined to be the focus that would
potentially include the largest group of non-profits organizations
possible.
>>
<< I could send some docs with more description and/or an article I
wrote which was published in the National Storytelling Network's
Storytelling in Organizations electronic newsletter...>>
On Jan 24, 2006, at 12:38 PM, Glory Ressler wrote:
Hi Eric:
Not sure what to say... first ever national school on leadership for
non-profit sector.
Held in BC, Alberta, Northwest Territories. Ontario, Quebec and Nova
Scotia
Arising out of the Voluntary Sector Initiative's National Learning
Initiative... addressing identified needs and challenges to leadership in
the sector...
I can share more but, perhaps, it's best done by individual requests
rather than whole listserv communications?
For example, I could send some docs with more description and/or an
article I wrote which was published in the National Storytelling Network's
Storytelling in Organizations electronic newsletter...
Let me know what you want / need and I'll do my best to provide it!
Glory :-)
----- Original Message ----- From: "Eric Lilius" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, January 24, 2006 9:20 AM
Subject: Re: Keepin' Busy
Hi Glory,
Could you write more about this leadership school for the non profit
sector?
Eric
Glory Ressler wrote:
Thanks Doug!
Your appreciation (keep it comin' bro - lol) stimulated me into
remembering another meaningful story about OS/OST...
In my work developing and delivering a pan-Canadian (schools held across
the country) leadership school for the non-profit sector, Open Space
Technology was extensively used in conjunction with story circles, which
we called 'Great Conversations'.
One result was that leaders participating from the Canadian far north
began to see how their personal and organizational visions connected to
each other and to the larger community. As a result, they are now
pursuing a territorial coalition/network across non-profit sub-sectors
with a focus on "building healthy communities." This was determined to
be the focus that would potentially include the largest group of
non-profits organizations possible.
This group also had a breakthrough concerning challenges around
collaborating with the aboriginal peoples of the area (which has been
historically unsuccessful - think silos). They came to realize that they
needed to listen more to the aboriginal stories before offering their
own - and to learn from their experience rather than assume that had
something to teach.
--
Keep the Frost Centre Open
http://savethefrostcentre.ca
`·.¸ ><((((º> .·´¯`·.¸.·<º))))><¸.·´¯·.¸
`·.¸.·´¯`·.¸ ><((((º> ¸.·´¯`·.¸><((((º>
<º))))><·.¸.·´¯`·.¸><((((º>·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸
·..·´¯`·. <º))))><.¸.·´¯`·.¸.·<º))))><
Eric Lilius
Box 27
(1563 Eagle Lake Road)
Eagle Lake, ON K0M 1M0
CANADA W78.34.12/N45.07.09
705-754-9859
705-754-9860 (fax)
"Ring the bell that still can ring, Forget your perfect offering. There
is a crack in everything, That's how the light gets in."
Leonard Cohen
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