Inviting Topics for helping social agencies work together?

Harrison Owen hhowen at comcast.net
Sun Aug 28 14:39:06 PDT 2005


Doug -- the questions -- Issues and opportunities for dealing with OUR turf wars -- is actually very specific, but to that group. My problem with the question is that it highlights the "negative" (turf wars). A better approach, I have found is to phrase the question in terms of possible probabilities. Some thing like, "Issues and opportunities for serving our community." Certainly includes "turf wars" but gives a lot more space.

Harrison
Harrison Owen
7808 River Falls Dr.
Potomac, MD  20854
USA
301-365-2093
207-763-3261 (summer)
website www.openspaceworld.com


  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Douglas D. Germann, Sr. 
  To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU 
  Sent: Sunday, August 28, 2005 5:03 PM
  Subject: Inviting Topics for helping social agencies work together?


  Hi--

  A couple days ago I had lunch with a lady who is head of a volunteer center
  which gets volunteers for all the social service agencies in the county.
  She said that the major conversation that needs to happen in town is How
  can we work together better as social agencies? She sees turf wars as
  preventing working together.

  So I am curious what inviting topics you have seen people have that gathers
  passion and responsibility around getting social agencies working together.

  It occurred to me we need to get specific when we invite conversations on
  this question--"turf wars" is too general, people cannot really get a
  handle on it, as something that might have a solution. It feels too much
  like this is the environment we live in: how can fish do anything about the
  water?

  So, for example, it might be better to ask people, What are the issues and
  opportunities for addressing violence in our County?

  We need a specific question, a tight focus, but something with breadth and
  depth: focus on one flower with deep roots and many petals. We are looking
  for a water lily question.

  In other words, if we found a live question, even one of life and death for
  the people we invited, a specific issue that perhaps does not even feel
  like it is the underlying problem (not working together), all to show that
  it is possible to work together. Later, point to the story created as the
  exemplar in the future.

                                :-Doug. Germann
                                Seeking people making community change.

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