Fw: Follow-up from Melbourne OSonOS

[Peggy Holman, Open Space Institute (US)]

Friends,

Here is the gift of a story from Chris Low, who lives and works in Haiti and
attended OSonOS in Melbourne last year.

under the clouds in Seattle,
Peggy

----- Original Message -----
From: <Chriswlow at aol.com>
To: <usa at openspaceworld.org>
Sent: Thursday, September 04, 2003 10:24 AM
Subject: Re: Follow-up from Melbourne OSonOS


This Spring 2003 the Matènwa Community Learning Center had an Open Space on,
"What kind of Education will save La Gonave?" (Lagonave is getting more
deforested everyday and there is drought and hunger.  We estimate that half
of our
students get a complete meal once day, many eat only a piece of fried dough
one
day and then cornmeal, beans and cabbage the next.)
About 40 educators and directors came to the open space. Many topics about
creating vegetable gardens at school came up. Many discussions about the
importance of this hands on learning vs. memorizing texts in French.

But the most energizing conversation was about corporal punishment. The
question being whether Haitians were ready for this kind of democracy. A
pastor who
is known to use corporal punishment frequently was being confronted by the
opinions of several younger teachers who were against it. It was amazing. In
the
pastor's church there would never be such an open discussion. I was very
impressed to see that one of my teachers, a woman who had been very timid
before
her years of experience with Reflection Circles and Open Space technology,
and
is now a student of theology, spoke with great clarity. "With all due
respect
Pastor, I have been teaching here for 5 years now and I have never once felt
the need to hit a student. If you get to know them you know how to control
them
through dialogue." He had tried to interrupt her in mid sentence but she
said," I listened to you, with all due respect, now you are going to listen
to me."

Coming from this little village in the mountains, on a little conservative
island off the coast of Haiti,  what some discribe as the end of the earth,
people are finding their voice through Open Space.

Thank you
Chris Low

Chris W. Low                                Summer address:
c/o Lynx Air                                  Chris W. Low
Box 407139                                   10 1/2 William St.
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33340              Cambridge, Ma 02139

(011) 509 554-8813                      (001) 617-491-5365

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