Open Space at Haitian school

[john engle]

We opened space in a way that was new to me last Thursday. I have shared
with you other Open Space experiences at The Louverture Cleary School in
Haiti, a private boarding school for kids who have been assessed as being
academically gifted and who come from desperately poor neighborhoods and
households. I wish to share with you this new experience.

The school director and its principal convened on the basketball court at
7:05 am all 220 students. The students simply stood on the outdoor court
while the director and principal stood on a bench so that their messages
could be heard.

They invited the students to choose between several options regarding how
they would spend their day. Their message had also been shared in writing
earlier in the week. Both principal and director shared: "Each option
represents an important way to serve the school community and to glorify
God." Its a Catholic school.

The options were:

1) Attend classes as normal and participate in "work hour" immediately
following school as normal. (Students are responsible for cleaning school
and doing upkeep on school grounds as well as participating in school
improvement construction projects).

2) Attend classes as normal in the morning, and being excused from work hour
so that they can participate in afternoon Open Space.

3) Attend Open Space in the morning and participate in work hour in the
afternoon.

4) Have a full day of work detail which included having the opportunity to
work alongside several skilled tradesmen.

The theme for the formal Open Space meetings (one in the morning and one in
the afternoon) was: "How do we use the education we are receiving to help
our country?"

We tailored this particular program with so many options for two reasons:

1) There are no microphones and no places large enough inside or outside, to
have all students in a circle and protected from the intense tropical sun.

2) The School director wanted to give students options to ensure that those
who came to the formal Open Space were there because they really wanted to
be there.

At 7:45 35 students convened for the first Open Space meeting. There was
time for two different one hour sessions and we reconvened at 11 am, taking
40 minutes to do report backs and an additional 12 minutes for the talking
stick exercise.

Students present were primarily from grades 6 - 10. They posted 22 subjects,
convened in about 15 small groups and 12 reports were submitted. The school
principal and director visited us from time to time to show their support.
At one point the principal, Garry Delice, a Haitian man, expressed to me
with a beaming smile as he watched students choosing from among the 22
subjects: "It thrills me that the students are experiencing Open Space. Not
only are they practicing a democratic process, they are also learning that
they--their ideas and intentions--are important to us. In fact, the students
are the essence of this school. They need to shape who we are together and
what we become."

This comment from a student from the 6th grade was one of the many positive
remarks in the closing circle: "I've learned from my classmates today. I
hope we do Open Space more often because of the way it helps us to work and
learn together."

At 1:20 48 students and several teachers convened for the second Open Space
meeting. There was only time for one-one hour session. 20 subjects were
posted. Students were getting so excited about posting subjects that the
chaos became greater than what I am accustomed to dealing with. I decided
that it would be futile to try to bring this ecstatic group of kids to
silence so that I could invite everyone to choose their subjects and then
get started with small groups. I simply walked around and shared this
message in a calm voice with clusters of kids until I felt enough had heard
me. Then, I walked away from the chaos and shared with the teachers present,
"Better that we allow this energy to pass instead of try to take control." I
came back about 10 minutes later to find that the excited mob had
self-organized into small groups throughout the school courtyard. 9 reports
were submitted after the one hour session.

>From 3:00 to 3:50 students shared reports. While I rarely provide
opportunities for small groups to give reports in Open Space meetings, the
principle and director felt that it was important with the students and I
believe they were right. There were profound ideas being shared in these
reports and some discussion about them.

Here are two of the comments shared during the talking stick exercise (from
3:50 to 4:15):  "An experience like we've lived today in Open Space develops
one's spirit. It helps us to think better, to better understand others as
well as ourselves. These are the types of activities we need to turn our
ideas into concrete actions." (Edwide Marcelin, 9th grade) "I hope that
other schools will do Open Space. It is important for students to apply
their knowledge in dialogue. But, in addition to Open Space being done with
students in schools, it should be done with adults too. It provides us with
a new way of thinking and working together." (Taylor Jackson, 10th grade).

john engle
port au prince, haiti


http://www.beyondborders.net/experiment.htm

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