OS In Vancouver on Friday

[Chris Corrigan]

Amazing OS in Vancouver on Friday.  The theme was "Making lives better
for urban Aboriginal People...Let's stop talking about it...let's start
doing it!"

175 people in attendance, including a federal cabinet minister, two
deputy ministers, two cheifs, many leaders from throughout the
Aboriginal community and dozens of community members, program staff,
private sector representatives, and clients.

Opened with a a prayer and a song sung by Leonard George a local chief
and son of the great actor Chief Dan George.  My opening stressed that
traditional nature of the technology, how this was how we always met to
solve our community's problems.  Stressed passion, responsibility AND
self-management, which equates to self-government, a very important
value in our communities.  The particpants were charged up and by the
time I had finished the opening, there was a stampede...five people
jumped out of their seats.  I had to call for more markers!

It took us twenty minutes to set 45 agenda items,most of them proposed
by strong young women.  Very few of the agenda items were proposed by
the leadership that was present.  Instead they found themselves actively
involved in a meeting where the agenda had been set by people who never
get a chance to set an agenda.

My notes remind me that the groups were very large and intially quite
close together.  The location was the Vancouver Friendship Centre
gymnasium, an Aboriginal community centre, chosen for it's locality and
the realized possibility of lots of drop ins.  In my experience, there
is nothing you can do to encourage Aboriginal people to meet in smaller
groups.  Has anybody else found this?  First Nations people seem to like
crowds...

This made the organizers a little nervous...shouldn't they be further
apart?  Shouldn't the groups be smaller?  Over the day of course, the
participants managed to spread themselves out nicely, and a nice
self-ordering came out of it.

In the vein of "trust the process" comes this story...We didn't break
for lunch, with the result that the whole crowd lined up for chow at
12:00 and didn't get into the 12:00 sessions by about 12:40.  The
organizers were going nuts..."make an announcement!"  I refused.  By
2:00, the meeting was running only 15 minutes behind, and by 4:00 ON THE
DOT we were back in the circle and beginning the closing, right on
schedule.  I asked the organizers if they had ever seen a conference
that was running late bring itself back on time and not drop anything.
They were amazed.  I was amazed too.  175 people, with no leadership or
influence, ran 40 minutes late and brought themselves back on time.
Remarkable.

Closing was very powerful.  We were lucky to have many traditional
people in attendance so many prayers were offered.  This kind of thing
wouldn't make it in the business community, but as a facilitator working
in the Aboriginal community, I am luckey to have built in openings and
closing at my disposal.  Sharing ranged from a woman who was a recovered
drug user/alcoholic/prostitute making a committment to action as a
result of the day to a man who lightened us up by coming into the
circle, giving his name and occupation and stating that he was looking
for a wife.  Someone called out "how many horses have you got?"
Laughter...his response: "None.  They ran away and we were too lazy to
brand them!"  I LOVE the way we laugh at ourselves!

This was a remarkable event and very important in the life of the
impoverished urban aboriginal community of Vancouver.  Open Space has
opened a tremendous set of opportunities for people.  A whole new
leadership came forward, and a fresh momentum was established.  And
equally importantly, this may become known as the event during which
Open Space took hold in the Aboriginal community in British Columbia.
Everybody is now talking about using it.  First Nations people recognize
this technology, as I've said before, and meeting this way is a very
profound process of rediscovery and is very imiportant to unleashing the
cultural models that have colonized us for hundreds of years.  There is
a HUGE appetite for this now...I can't state it enough.

So thanks for all of you who wished me well.  This was easily the most
important facilitation I've ever done.  Your support was invaluable.

I'd also like to thank Harrison, on behalf of the many people who
thanked me yesterday for the technology.  You have given us a great
gift, even if it was only by holding a mirror up to ourselves.  Open
Space represents a beautifully natural and indigenous technology that is
reawakening a power among a great many First Nations people in this
area.  It's very exciting to be a part of that.

Chi meegwetch.  Sorry for my overstated ebulence.  I'm thrilled...

Chris

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CHRIS CORRIGAN
108-1035 Pacific Street
Vancouver BC
V6E 4G7

Phone: 604.683.3080
Fax: 604.683-3036