Global Open Space project

[Joelle Lyons Everett]

In a message dated 11/12/04 4:14:13 PM, wcbn007 at easynet.co.uk writes:


> This isn’t to say we want any less open space percolated around the world 
> but the name global open space being launched out of America (if that’s what 
> this message says) may be the wrong name at the wrong time unless the people I 
> have been talking with are a very confused international sample
> 

Chris--

I find your comments very interesting, because they parallel conversations 
that were held at an Open Space on Open Space conference in California a few 
years ago.   We wanted to make OST more accessible to people anywhere in the 
world who wanted to use it.   Our conclusions were:

1)   We did not want to use the world global, and did not want this to be an 
American project.

2)   Instead of always meeting on the N. American continent, we would begin 
moving the annual worldwide Open Space on Open Space conference to many areas 
of the world, always hosted by local OST practitioners.   This would facilitate 
increased participation of people in each region.

3)   We would raise funds to support participation in conferences and 
training events by people from many countries, especially those who had insufficient 
resources to travel.

4)   A number of people offered to provide facilitation training and support, 
if desired by local practitioners, in many parts of the world.

About red and blue states, the map that you see is exaggerated by the way the 
electoral system of the US works.   An individual's vote for president of the 
US is really a vote for an elector of the candidate's party for that state.   
So, even if a presidential candidate has a small majority in a state, he will 
receive ALL of that state's electoral votes.   So, the country is not as 
polarised as it looks on the "red and blue" maps.

However, many of the values I wish to support appear to be in the minority 
just now, and it does not make me happy.   It does make me want to stay in 
contact with other people around the world, and to have opportunities to work with 
other Americans who share my beliefs--which this conference might facilitate.

I don't know all the convenors, but the ones I do know I respect highly.   
Peter Block has worked with organizations, and taught consulting skills, for 
several decades, and is widely respected for his integrity.   Some are not native 
Americans--Dinesh is Indian, working in the US.   Michael Lindfield came to 
the US from Britain.   He was at the first Open Space conference I ever 
attended, with Harrison in Sonoma county, and Dinesh has been a part of the Open 
Space community for a long time as well.   These are not people I would suspect of 
having a hidden agenda to impose American values on other cultures.

I don't know what is planned for this conference, but you could easily get 
more information by participating online in the conversations.

My two cents' worth--

Joelle


  

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

To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs:
http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.openspacetech.org/pipermail/oslist-openspacetech.org/attachments/20041114/d509952d/attachment-0016.htm>