GOOD WORK FOR 2,000 COLOMBIAN STREET KIDS (long)

Mon Nov 8 16:39:19 PST 2004

Hi Peggy,
What a wonderful story. Thank you.
Audrey

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Facilitating Individual and Organizational Change 
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 <http://www.facilitatingforchange.com/> www.facilitatingforchange.com 

-----Original Message-----
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of Peggy
S. Holman
Sent: Monday, November 08, 2004 7:13 PM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: GOOD WORK FOR 2,000 COLOMBIAN STREET KIDS (long)

GOOD WORK FOR 2,000 COLOMBIAN STREET KIDS

Where to begin to tell this story?  I hope to channel two of my favorite
story tellers, Harrison Owen and Chris Corrigan, who always seem to
capture the vibrant aliveness of the event itself.

THE SET-UP

I was already on my way to Bogota, Colombia, to teach a class at Los
Andes University on Whole Systems Change.  About five weeks before
leaving, I received an e-mail from Andrés Agudelo ,
aagudelo at tandemadr.com, one of my contacts in Bogota:

> Hi Peggy,
>
> Just a quick note to let you know some good news. I had a meeting with
an
> italian priest, Javier de Nicolo who has worked in the
> streets of Bogota helping kids who are abandoned by their families,
and get
> into drugs and prostitution (or the guerrilla) to survive. What he has
been
> doing is training them in different skills, and he gets them jobs, or
makes
> team of youngsters to pave the streets of the city, financed by the
mayors
> office and some private funds. He agreed to make an OST in order to
motivate
> the kids: they start working with energy, and then fade out.
> What do you think? Would it be interesting for you when you come next
> october?
>
> Best regards,
> Andrés Agudelo

Of course I said yes.  The next message, two weeks before the event,
added one interesting and challenging wrinkle – this Open Space would be
for 2,000 people:

> Hi Peggy,
>
> The priest would like to do an OS for two thousand of the
kids/adolescents,
> including three hundred of the people who work with them, if possible
oct
> 31st and Nov. 1st. Would this be fine for you?
> 

> When would be a good time to talk by phone?

>
> Ciao,
> Andrés

I remember thinking, “2,000 people?  Is that for real?  I’m sure when we
dig into the details, it will be a more ‘normal’ size.  And if not, it
will be fine (I hope).”

We talked the next day.  And sure enough, they wanted 2,000 people
present.  The context and questions all sounded straightforward enough.
I trusted Andrés’ judgment and made the leap.  It was a go.

A few days later, 12 days before the event was scheduled was my first
conversation with the sponsor; actually the sponsor’s right hand—Helena.
As I later learned, Helena is a remarkable dynamo with an
extraordinarily competent staff that is used to dealing with very large
numbers of kids.

I should mention a couple interesting twists to this story.  Since we
were in Bogota, the OS would be in Spanish, a language in which I can
count to ten and name a few colors.  While I had met Andrés during my
first trip to Colombia during the summer, this would be our first work
together.

During our conference call, I learned that Helena’s exposure to OS
consisted of what she had learned through Andrés and one 50-person
self-conducted experiment with some of the adults who work with this
jobs program.  They loved the experience and the results and they were
completely committed.

I called both Harrison Owen and Michael Pannwitz to gather any
information from their 2,108 person OS that might be useful.  They both
said essentially the same things:

The dynamics are the same as any other OS
.be prepared to be
surprised
and have fun.

I arranged to fly in a day early to see the site.  Andrés was going to
be out of town, so I was on my own in sorting through the logistics.  I
was still a bit in denial that there might be anything special that I
needed to consider for an OS this size.

THE SITE

My first impression was of the sheer beauty of the place.  I learned
that Fr. Javier de Nicolo was 75 and has been working with street kids
for 40 years, helping tens of thousands find a better life.  Through the
years, he has attracted the resources to build about 8 facilities around
the city to house and educate the young people.  The site of the OS was
primarily for young girls, ages 8-12, many of whom had experienced
physical and/or sexual abuse.  The plan was to take them off campus when
the OS participants, ages 16-22, mostly male, arrived.

My next impression gave me great reason to question my sanity in saying
yes.  I saw the room planned for the OS.  Unlike the US, in Bogota,
there’s no handy sign posted with the room capacity.  I did a bit of
walking and counting and my best estimate was the main floor would hold
750 people sitting on the floor with a tiny circle in the center.  The
stage could accommodate perhaps another couple hundred and the balcony,
with no inside access for posting sessions might hold another couple
hundred.  Helena seemed completely unfazed by the seeming impossibility
of putting 2,000 people in a space that, by her own admission, had never
held more than 1,000.  That’s when I took the leap and thought to
myself, “I’m working with a religious organization.  We’re in god’s
hands.”

The courtyard leading to the room was big, square and could easily
accommodate 2,000.  We agreed to prepare both the room and the courtyard
and would be outside if the weather made that possible.  

Ah, the weather.  We were in the rainy season.  Bogota is a lush, green
place, much like my home town, Seattle.  That meant I knew and
appreciated the price paid to live in such a beautiful, green place.  It
rains a lot.  I had looked at weather.com and saw nothing but rain in
the future.

We talked about tape on the floor to mark aisle ways.  We made one
accommodation for the limited space inside and windiness outside.
Rather than putting the paper and markers on the ground in the center of
the circle, lots of volunteers would pass out paper and markers to
everyone who wanted them.  Conveners would come to the center to
announce their issues.  That enabled us to keep the center circle small,
maximizing sitting space.

They had 40 computers on site and volunteer teachers to support the kids
with entering their reports.  Plus, they had plans to prepare 2,000
breakfasts and lunches for the two days.

We talked about the theme.  The priest had just gotten some devastating
news: the jobs they had from public and private sources for the work
program were in jeopardy because kids were showing up stoned and were
stealing.  The theme took on a new urgency and a decidedly fear-based
twist: from the best possible job opportunities now and in the future,
it became saving the jobs they had.  I did my best to open the theme to
be more affirmative, future focused.  In the end, saving jobs won.  The
theme:

"Como puedo colaborar YO para que los empleadores nos sigan dando
trabajo ahora y en el futuro?"

Loosely translated (I think): How can I contribute to employers not
canceling work for us now and in the future?

The oddest part to me is that I never panicked.  Rain seemed inevitable
and in no way could I picture 2,000 people fitting in the room.  The
theme was the most fear-based I’d ever work with.  And I was calm.  Some
part of me thought that was very odd.  Most of me just knew it would
work.  Perhaps it was because I was VERY clearly working with people who
had handled huge crowds before.  While they needed my expertise on the
OS logistics, it was clear the kids and I were all in good hands in
every other way. 

 I didn’t actually see Andrés until the day before the event.  I had
just finished an intense three-day course and he was returning from
running an equally consuming multiple day workshop in Ecuador.  He saw
our OS site for the first time that afternoon.  He thought it could hold
1,500, still not the 2,000 we expected.  We were both pretty tired.  We
reviewed a few logistical items that evening but didn’t actually agree
to how we would work until the next morning as we drove to the site.
And still I was calm.  So was Andrés.

For the opening, we took our cue from Harrison and Michael.  I’d speak
in English, Andrés in Spanish.  He wouldn’t do exact translation, rather
he’d speak the OS rituals in his own way.  We took it a step
further—since the number of English speakers was tiny, I would speak one
line and he’d add all of the specifics in Spanish.  (I actually
suggested not appearing at all.  Ultimately, we agreed that while they
wouldn’t understand my words, there was something important about the
presence of this stranger coming from another country to work with
them.)

DAY ONE

After gloomy, grey skies and constant rain since I’d arrived, the day,
October 31st, dawned with blues skies and sun shine.  As far as I was
concerned, it was a minor miracle.

We convened in the courtyard, with huge letters put together on the
sides of the buildings spelling out the law of two feet, the four
principles, the conference theme.  It was spectacular.  The priest spoke
(at length) then turned the microphone over to us.  We began.   

In recent years, I’ve begun asking for a brief silence anytime the whole
group gathers.  At a minimum, it is a chance for people to collect their
thoughts.  More subtlely, there is something very powerful about groups,
particularly very large groups sitting together in silence.  We were
curious how these young people, with their drug-addicted backgrounds and
reputation for violence would respond.  It was AWESOME!  Two thousand
young people so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

We took them through the opening and then it was time to post sessions.
And I got my only big surprise.  EVERYONE stood up and started milling
around.  I wasn’t sure what was happening or whether anyone would post
anything.  And then it began.  Andrés was suddenly surrounded by kids
with topics on their papers.  For the next forty minutes, he stood, rock
solid, holding the microphone as one by one, 300+ sessions were
announced and posted.  So much for our neatly taped aisle ways!  The
kids entered the hall to look at the agenda wall.  And they were on
their way.

One theme was named over and over: taking responsibility for their
actions.  The sessions themselves were filled with remarkable
conversations:

·        Is it time to end the “code of silence” and speak out when
someone shows up to work stoned?

·        How do we handle people who don’t obey the rules of the
program?  Should they be kicked out?  Helped back into drug rehab?

The kids were deeply engaged.  And our challenge was the teachers!  They
were so used to keeping the kids under control, fearful of violence if
they didn’t, that some were taking over moderating groups!  Wherever we
could, we coached the teachers in real time to participate but not take
over.  We expressed our distress to Helena and ultimately agreed that we
would meet with the teachers in the morning before we opened the space
on day 2.

Our concern reached its peak when we heard Helena’s voice over the
loud-speaker system that reached the entire campus announcing that it
was time to change sessions.  And then she kept talking.  Andrés went to
take the mike from her and returned empty handed.  I went out, found her
talking to a young man, just holding the mike, and I said, “I’ll take
that,” removed it and left.  A few minutes later, she joined Andrés and
me.  We talked to her about how important it was for the young people to
experience taking responsibility.  She thanked us for the reminder that
she was doing exactly what she often told the teachers not to do!  

A few minutes later, our blood pressure was raised again.  We heard the
priest, midday, lecturing over the loud-speaker, telling everyone they
should go to work.  So much for butterflies!  I knew it was my
responsibility to keep the space open for the kids.  Andrés, as my
translator, and I, as someone from completely outside the system, took
off to find the priest.  I took (respectfully) the microphone out of his
hands as he was about to launch into yet another lecture over the loud
speaker system.  I told him that he was talking to them about
responsibility but not giving them the chance to practice it.  The
process we were using supports people in taking responsibility for what
they love, helping them learn to embrace responsibility from within
themselves rather than it being imposed by others outside themselves.
He told me he wanted what was best for the kids.  I said we wanted the
same thing.  It was a defining moment.  He not only took what I said
very graciously but the next day, he came with a completely different
attitude and no longer a need to lecture at length!  I thanked him for
his support at lunch on day 2.  He said, "Day 1 was the apocalypse.  Day
2, we are in heaven."  It is my favorite line from the whole event.

DAY TWO

The clear weather held.  We began the day meeting in a circle with the
teachers.  We asked them how they saw things going.  Some were quite
distressed, feeling the young people needed better guidance.  Others
were thrilled with the thoughtfulness and initiative.  In the end, we
encouraged them to listen as much as possible; to assume that even if
what they saw wasn’t the way they’d approach the work, that it was just
fine; and if they couldn’t resist intervening, that they do it with a
question. 

Another 140 sessions went up in the morning and 40 in the afternoon's
action
planning OS.  The dynamics were much the same as the day before.  No
orderly queuing in aisles, just a mob, respectfully waiting their turn
to announce their sessions.

The kids were quite amazing.  I felt a bit like Mother Therese.
Whenever I walked through the square, they surrounded me.  Mostly, they
wanted to try their 3 or 4 words of English and ask me questions.  On
the second day, I joined the film crew (yes, we had a professional
videographer with us) and started asking the kids questions.  They told
me that they definitely want to do more OS.  When I asked why, one of
these hard-core young men (no doubt carrying a knife or a gun somewhere
in all that baggy clothing) said it gave him a feeling of family.

One young man approached me right after the space opened to tell me that
he had left early on day one but was committed to staying all day today.
I wondered if he’d just told me indirectly that he wouldn’t leave to get
stoned today.

The man who ran the program was thrilled.  He told us that he had
learned so much from this.  The kids had told him that the program was
far too easy on offenders, the rules should be much tougher!  His
solution: he would ask the kids to define the rules and the
consequences.  What an incredible shift!

A teacher found me to say that she had gone into a room where the kids
were playing cards.  Her first impulse was to tell them to get to work.
Instead, she remembered the suggestion of asking a question.  “Did they
need anything?”  “No,” they replied, “we’re just fine.  We’re taking a
break and will get the work done just fine.”  The teacher left, a bit
bemused, but satisfied that she’d done the right thing.

As you can imagine, there was incredible support from many, many people
to pull this off.  The kitchen baked 8,000 loaves of bread for day 1.  I
understand that 2,300 lunches were served that day, making the official
count of 1,800 low.  (We may have a new OS record!  They're re-counting
the number registered.)  The team working the computers posted reports
as they came in.  The last I saw of the report, it was at least 600
pages.  None of it would have been possible without my extraordinary
colleague in this adventure, Andrés Agudelo.  While relatively new to
OS, he has many years as a Gestalt therapist and exudes calm even when
deluged by several hundred kids surrounding him with sessions to
announce. 

AFTERWARDS

I left for home the next morning, the weather gray and drizzly, leaving
a request for Andrés to let me know what happens.  We were quite sure
that Pandora’s box was wide open and nothing would be the same.

Four days after the event, Andrés sent this message:

>Hi Peggy,
>
>I will try to call yoou this weekend. A lot of things have happened,
but I’d rather talk to you.
>
>Ciao,
>
>Andrés Agudelo

And so it stands
.

Peggy Holman

November 7, 2004

P.S.  Pictures and a video coming soon
.

___________________________________
Peggy Holman
The Open Circle Company
15347 SE 49th Place
Bellevue, WA  98006
425-746-6274
www.opencirclecompany.com 
peggy at opencirclecompany.com 
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