Dear Claudia,
Everything about your story gives me goosebumps. So glad you are here.
Warm wishes from sizzling Phoenix, Arizona,
Christine
Christine Whitney Sanchez, Partner
Innovation Partners International
480.759.0262
www.innovationpartners.com
On Aug 24, 2011, at 8:50 AM, Dr. Claudia Gross wrote:
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
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