Dear Claudia, I´m very grateful to have read the story. Thrilling and wonderful! There are few things comparable to the start of such a venture, to the continuous opening space,... isn´t it? Best wishes!
* Eleder BuM31 Mind Mapping-Open Space Technology-Creativity* www.burumapak.blogspot.com (eus) @Eleder_BuM<http://twitter.com/Eleder_BuM> (Twitter) www.in-fluyendo.blogspot.com (esp) www.flowandshow.blogspot.com 2011/8/24 Dr. Claudia Gross <[email protected]> > Dear All! > > My name is Claudia and I am writing you from Cairo/Egypt. > Harrison has mentioned my name in May after the OSLEX in Sardinia, the > cradle of the 5th Principle. > > Since it's Ramadan, the Holy Month, life is quieter and > I finally have found the time to write you some lines about the development > of Open Space in Egypt. > > Actually it all has started 2,5 years ago when the director of the Konrad > Adenauer-Stiftung, a German political foundation present here in Cairo, > has asked me if I could imagine to facilitate an Open Space in Egypt. Of > course I could! Then it took another 2 years until we had a meeting in > November 2010, planning the supposedly 1st Open Space in Egypt for March > 2011. On Jan. 25th the demonstrations on Midan Tahrir started and suddenly > everything moved that seemed to be clear and stable. > > I will never forget the picture of the Midan Square filled with millions of > people, demonstrating peacefully and expressing their wish for democracy and > a better life. Fascinating time that gave birth to many great initiatives > and movements in Egypt and the whole Arab region. While I am writing you > this email, the Arab Spring is just about to close another page and open a > new chapter: Gaddafi's era is about to end. Two nights ago, people were > celebrating on one of the main streets here in Cairo (and supposedly in > front of the Embassy), waving the flags of the new Libya. Goosebumps! > > After the revolution in Egypt ended on Feb. 11th, we started sitting > together again and came back to our original plan of organizing the Open > Space - could there be any better time for it? The title was born soon > "Egypt at the Crossroads" and from March 31 until April 2, 30 young activists > (Egyptians and Germans) came together for the maybe 1st Open Space in > Egypt. It was a time of amazingly fruitful discussions and the participants > highly appreciated the format that matched so beautifully with their new > freedom, their wish to express themselves and their aspirations. Some > commented that the Open Space reminded them of the atmosphere on Midan > Tahrir. After having had doubts during the demonstrations if there was an > international agenda behind it, they highly appreciated the OS Technology > that hasn't an agenda by definition and consequently cannot have a hidden > agenda. What a relief! > > In May and June, I facilitated two more Open Spaces in Egypt, this time > funded by the German International Cooperation (GIZ, formerly know as GTZ). > The 2nd OS with 30 participants on "New women for new Egypt" and a 3rd OS > with 80 participants with the title "Egypt at work!?" All three OS were > organized by the Egyptian Youth Federation which has a facebook page on > which you can see the pictures of these events. After over 130 people got > infected by the Open Space virus, many new projects were identified and some > of them are already realized. > > The most prominent amongst them is the 4th Open Space in Egypt called > "Unity in Diversity" to foster the inter-faith dialogue. This OS was defined > as a project in the 2nd OS and the aim was to organize the 1st Arabic > speaking OS in Egypt. A group of participants of the three former OS had > organized the funding, the logistics,the design of the welcome poster and > the invitations. While at the beginning, they hoped to find 25 participants, > they succeeded in attracting 40 participants, women and man, coming from 17 > Egyptian governorates (of 28), discussing the last days before Ramadan about > their perspectives and ideas on religion and the peaceful social interaction > of the Egyptian community. The facilitator of this event was also a > participant of the 2nd OS. I contributed by coaching him where needed and > requested and supporting him in the set-up of the venue, a Bedouin-like tent > in an eco-lodge in Wadi Natrun, a place where a couple of Coptic monasteries > are in the direct neighborhood. Historical place. By chance when checking in > and deciding with whom to share the room, a Salafi and a Copt decided to > stay in the same room, having no idea that real religious opposites were > about to meet and get to know each other ("Whatever happens..."). As > social psychologists would put it: "Proximity creates sympathy". I wish we > could create more events like this, bringing more people together to build > bridges and create something new based on voluntarism and the collective > wisdom (in contrast to the force and power of a few and their limited > horizon). > > Just one day later the 2nd Arabic OS for an Egyptian NGO in the Egyptian > delta was facilitated as well by a participant of the first three OS. The > title of this event was "Activate the concept of volunteering" and 21 > participants joined the discussions. > > In the aftermath of these five OS and the time between and after them, > former OS participants e.g. > - did a clip with interviews of the participants of the 1st OS, > - created closed facebook groups to keep in touch and actively use this > medium to exchange information and ideas, > - continued working on their projects, > - brainstormed online on new, more local pictures for the OS principles to > design new posters, > - translated some of the material (and were happy to use the Arabic > version of Lisa Heft's glossary as translated by Carol Daniel Kasbari - > thanks a lot for your support!), > - wrote two articles on the 1st and 4th OS in German (and currently > translate them to English and Arabic), > - met twice in an OS Learning Exchange in Cairo, > - organized an OS Iftar (the meal to break the fasting at sundown during > Ramadan) and one more will be held in a couple of days > - started to develop the website "Open Space Egypt" that just was launched > by Eslam (www.openspaceegypt.com) > - and the related facebook group > http://www.facebook.com/pages/Open-Space-Egypt/137259493032174 , > - plan to organize one or more Train-of-Trainers respectively > Train-the-Facilitators with participants from the whole region, > - and supposedly many more things I haven't heard about... > > Since the GIZ took the chance to write two books about the Open Space > events I have facilitated (which are not published yet), they had > professional photographers with them. They were able to publish their > pictures on the facebook group of the Egyptian Youth Federation and a video > clip on YouTube (which is still password protected, the second will follow > soon). I hope we will manage to show them all to all of you on the Open > Space Egypt website too. > > As you can see, things are moving here in Egypt and the whole Arab region, > and Open Space and its participants play a huge role in it. > Countless people are bringing in their talents, passion and take > responsibility for their future. > > We are all looking forward to more developments to happen after Ramadan and > Eid - insha'allah. > > Sunny greetings from Cairo! > > Claudia > > _______________________________________________ > OSList mailing list > To post send emails to [email protected] > To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] > To subscribe or manage your subscription click below: > http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org > >
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