A Happy New Year to all!!!!

[Harrison Owen]

I guess maybe I am a purist -- but somehow this really seems like the start
of The New Millennium, as indeed it is. Last year was just a practice run,
albeit a very noisy one. Best part about this year is that it seems so
normal. Even quiet. Just one more year in all the Billions. Rather puts
things in perspective.

Heard from Michael Pannwitz, who like the rest of us is sort of reflecting
on things past an future... I hope he won't mind if I share it -- but even
if he does, I don't care. I guess that sort of lapse of correctitude comes
the  passage of 65 (years) and the onset of senility... Anyhow, this is
what he had to say ---

The most wonderful of the 17os I facilitated in 2000 just a couple of weeks
ago with 30 student representatives from a local high school aged 13
through 19: 2,5 days, action planning, the whole bill. They took to it like
fish to water. And then they invited us to their regular session in their
school a week later. They did it in open space...I have never seen such
immediate transfer. Of course, it worked, everyone was
flabbergasted...after decades the first productive session: 2 hours total
with next steps being reported from 8 issue groups...pretty close to what I
think could be an inspired organization.

Irmi Gruensteidel, she had come to OSonOS part time and attended the
training in Hungary, was my partner, all she could do was cry at the event
at the school I just described.

I shed a few tears myself, and the thought occurred to me that if the kids
take to Open Space (and we know that they do) there may well be hope for
our species on this planet.

Happy New Millennium.


Harrison



Harrison Owen
7808 River Falls Drive
Potomac, MD 20854 USA
phone 301-469-9269
fax 301-983-9314
Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com
Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org
Personal website www.mindspring.com/~owenhh
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