it works!

Elena A. Marchuk marco at mail.nsk.ru
Sun Jul 1 16:14:34 PDT 2001


Raffi, Congratulations!
Though there are a lot of questions - and one and the first - what to do,
when on the second day arrives so many new people?
to explain from the very beggining what was happenning the previous day and
what would be done on the second?
I think it is the only possiblity, to make an introduction of convergence
part a little bit more longer.... or ARE there any other approaches?
Best wishes to all

Elena


----- Original Message -----
From: "Raffi Aftandelian" <brynza at online.ru>
To: <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
Sent: Sunday, July 01, 2001 4:49 PM
Subject: it works!


> Hi folks!
> no matter that friday night it took place in a grungy old private school
> under repairs, that the chairs were dusty, that one break out room two
> hours before curtains smelled like cat pee, that sat. we started an hour
> late. The bottom line is that my first OS: Developing a training program
> for Moscow Public Schools: issues and opportunities was successful. This
> I did as a volunteer for friends and colleagues who have started this
> initiative in light of the extreme xenophobia and racism that is rampant
> in Russia today-- especially towards Chechens.
>
> 17 people participated day one. half of those didn't come the second day
> and new people came an hour or so late on the second day (1.5 day
> event). But hey, I tried really sitting with the principles.
>
> Participants after initial hesitation jumped with both feet.
>
> Some questions:
>
> 1. When preparing for an OS, what expectations do you have/communicate
> to the sponsor re: people's participation. Can people come for just a
> part? If you leave, can you come back? To a certain degree there was a
> fair amount of coming and going?
>
> 2. What are people's criteria for "space grabbing"-- the point at which,
> as I understand, the facilitator should intervene, albeit in a pretty
> inobtusive way (on the surface)? I saw quasi-space grabbing behavior at
> the meeting. But my gut told me to hang back and things indeed worked
> out. (thank you, Birgitt, for really getting us to think about what the
> essence of OS in Novosibirsk, bc i go back to the two words for me--
> profound nonintervention)
>
> 3. I noticed there was a fair amount of confusion when it came to action
> planning. people wondered what to do with all the ideas. I said several
> times I will explain, but people were very nervous. I wonder if my
> mistake was when it came to asking people to read all the reports if I
> should've given an overview of the remainder of the meeting so that
> people would know what was happening. the energy for a while went low,
> people checked out, flew away (butterflies). I just hung in there.
> Finally I was able to explain to most folks (after only less than half
> the folks participated in the voting! yep I didn't comment outloud on
> this.) the future planning. some people got it.
>
> I felt that it would be best to leave the circle, left, and slowly
> convergence energy developed in the group (we ended up with one big
> working group)-- and a full-on power struggle to boot which they
> resolved. The quasi-space grabber was deposed. I noticed these things
> quite by accident. I wasn't watching this the whole time, but rather
> picking up bits while doing the picking-up-coffee-cups number.
>
> and by the closing circle, there was indeed a sense of closure,
> satisfaction, that the group had gone to some real deep places together,
> had a sense of accomplishment, that they from the get go were highly
> democratic with each other. in a word what you often hear at this point.
>
> so thanks for your support, prayers, and I'm off to organizing my next
> OS!
>
> your comments would much be appreciated!
> raffi
>
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