advice re: potential OS with community youth sports organization

[Raffi Aftandelian]

Dear listers,
Just today I made an OS presentation to some staff of a small community youth sports
center here in Moscow. I am seeking some advice as to how to
proceed further.

Overall there seems to be interest in potentially conducting an OS
meeting. However, the director and the deputy are a bit hesitant to go
ahead until they can see if the aerobics and dance instructor feels
part of the organization or not. The director values the instructor
alot as a capable and talented worker but thinks that the aerobics
and dance instructor does not seem to have much organizational
allegiance. The instructor does not seem to share the same desire as
the director to broaden the scope of the organization's programs or does not seem to
believe it possible that the organization can be a much more effective
local entity.

This is because the instructor does all her work in the schools and
not physically in the organization. She is funded both by the sports organization and the schools. It is hard for her to
see her connection to the organization. Also since her position is
from two funding streams, the instructor may feel that such an open
meeting might reveal that she is "double-dipping". As a result, the relationship
between the director and the instructor is somewhat strained, not a
lot of trust here.

The sports organization, while limited in financial resources, has
done a lot for the community. Essentially it has helped at-risk youth
to not get drawn into crime and such. The flip side of this is that
the organization has a low profile. Most of its work is conducted
off-site, in the schools because the organization's own space is very
small.  Kids, understandably, associate the activities funded
by the organization with their school.

The director, being a go-getter, sees the potential of an OS, but
wants to have the instructor on board before proceeding with an OS
meeting. The director and deputy as a result of today's meeting and some post-meeting talk crystallized an
idea that had been floating in the ether for a while: developing a
plan for organizing inter-mural sports competitions for their district
would give the organization a much-needed boost. The organization
would be much more visible, give it access to much more funding, allow
it to increase its programming, etc.

She thinks that if there were perhaps some kind of structured meeting
of just staff (it sounded like they didn't want to do an OS at this
small meeting) that would help clarify, among other things, whether this instructor
is willing to go along and help make this inter-mural sports competition
program a reality would be very helpful. Maybe after such a meeting
they might be interested in using OS as a planning tool for the
organization overall.

The concern I heard from the director and the deputy is that holding
a mini-OS just on developing a plan for district sport competitions
would not guarantee that they could find out if a person was on board
or not.

Any ideas how to proceed?

As I type this, I imagine you might suggest that they try to have
faith that if they hold an OS, what they need to have happen will
happen. That if they hold an OS, and this instructor doesn't come
that's fine. Is that really so?

I'm still new to OS. And while I have one OS under my belt, it's still
hard to believe that it works.

Thanks much folks for all your support! It's so exciting to be a part
of this. For all my doubt, the very fact of my personal excitement
every time I describe OS tells me that I am part of something
absolutely wonderful.

In spirit,
Raffi Aftandelian

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