help me think this through?

Winston Kinch kinch at rogers.com
Fri Oct 4 07:04:02 PDT 2002


My two cents:
As was recently clarified for me in my own mind; as a Sponsor of an Open
Space event it is appropriate and reasonable for you to have the
intention/desire/goal/hope of promoting and recruiting people into your
organization. As a Facilitator I would hold that it is not. Your only
"intention" (as a wise man said to me a few days ago), in that role, should
be to open and hold the space for authentic being and doing around the
stated theme.
Which are you? In this situation, can you with integrity be both/and?
Shalom
Winston


--- Original Message -----
From: "Ted Ernst" <ted at chicagohumanist.org>
To: <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
Sent: Friday, October 04, 2002 9:10 AM
Subject: help me think this through?


> I need some help thinking through an idea I have for using OST as a
> recruitment tool.  I'll tell you a bit about my thoughts and I hope then
> you'll help me see where I'm thinking too small or too big or too
> controlling or whatever.  Thanks much in advance!
>
> I've posted here a couple of times before about using OST for a "How Can
I
> Practice Peace?" one-day, but for that event, I worked hard to separate
the
> event from my affiliations.  I didn't promote the event as a Humanist
> Movement event, for example, nor did I suggest to people at the event
that
> they join the HM or even find out more about it.  I answered their
> questions, of course, but only within the context of a normal
conversation,
> and it wasn't driven by me.  What I have in mind this time is different.
>
> A bit of background about the HM is in order.  Started in 1969 in
Argentina,
> now in about 100 countries, about 300,000 members paying membership fee
> twice yearly (sliding scale, $100 in the USA, $6 in South Africa, $2 in
> Ghana, for example) and participating in weekly meetings with personal
work
> and social organizing.  We have no outside funding, no paid staff, no
board
> of directors, no elections and no bosses.  Each person chooses what to do
at
> a given time.  See why I was thinking about OST?  We do have a clear
> direction, to humanize the earth, but that's pretty vague, I'd say, and
> allows plenty of freedom for all.
>
> I've been to Zambia several times and helped other people build up groups
> and teams in the HM.  They do this by inviting people to a central point
in
> a village or compound and then giving a short informational talk (about
30
> to 60 minutes) about what we're doing.  The meeting concludes with an
> invitation for anyone who wants to join and form a team to come to a
seminar
> in a couple of days where they can learn about how to start the team and
> such.  The others can still join, but in the teams of those people
forming
> the teams.  In other words, it's highly organized and structured and has
> certain rules because over time those have been shown to work very well
for
> personal development and the execution of various communnity projects.
>
> I want to try something different, using OST if I can manage to make it
make
> sense in my head and heart.
>
> My idea is to gather the people for a several hour meeting titled "What
is
> the future of _____ neighborhood?" or something like that.  I have
thoughts
> about introducing myself during the opening and maybe a sentence or two
> about the HM, but not much more and then let the people loose.  I'm
hoping
> this will be the passion quadrant, the heart.  That way even if people
don't
> want to join the HM, they have created connections and shared their
common
> passions about their community and perhaps even made plans to do some
good
> things.  My mental difficulties in planning this come from the "What
next?"
> How do I the invite them to know about the HM and perhaps join if they're
so
> inclined?  You might ask why I want them to join.  I find the personal
work
> we do to be as important as the social organizing and I've never found
> another place to do both at the same time (of course we're always doing
> both, but not necessarily conciously and intentionally).  The idea is
that
> the social projects will go much better if the people are also working on
> themselves.
>
> What do you think?  Does it go in the closing?  Does it happen as a
handout
> that invites them to a standard informational meeting?
>
> I look forward to hearing some of your thoughts on this.
>
> Thanks and peace,
> ted
>
> ___
> Humanize the Earth!  http://www.chicagohumanist.org
http://www.tedernst.com
>
> *
> *
> ==========================================================
> OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
> ------------------------------
> To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options,
> view the archives of oslist at listserv.boisestate.edu,
> Visit:
>
> http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html

*
*
==========================================================
OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
------------------------------
To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options,
view the archives of oslist at listserv.boisestate.edu,
Visit:

http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html



More information about the OSList mailing list