A story from the field: talking stick

Tue May 24 08:47:40 PDT 2005

Dear all,

Earlier on I wrote I always ask the sponsor to choose and introduce a
talking stick.

While most do not find this an easy thing to do, most select something
which I could not have thought of,
and more often than not the words they introduce the talking stick with
are something which, well, you
would like to have in writing....................

No-one ever did, until last Saturday, and it is a beautiful example I
would like to share with you.

The background: we have some 15.000 Somalians in Denmark, fugitives
from the war a decade ago.
Ninety percent are unemployed. Being foreigners, muslim and black does
not make it easier in
Danish society to get a job.

The question of the Open Space was:
"Many thousands Somalians would like to have a job soon - how do we
create that success ?"

Participants: some hundred people. Somalians, employers, and others
somehow connected to the issue.

And now for the talking stick, introduced by a Somali woman - here are
her words:

I have chosen to bring along a key to our closing round.

Every single Somalian who was on his way to Denmark, had a dream
We all knew it would require hard work to realise that dream

The dream was about getting a life with physical and social safety

Among other things that means having a job to enable us to pay for a
place to live,
to have control over our lives, and have a sense of pride in ourselves
and thereby
be respected in society.

This key represents our dream.

But it is as if this key does not fit to the keyhole we found here in
Denmark ...........

However, Today we have created a new key.
The key to our dream, to our future.

 From Today onwards we will use this key to turn into the right
direction.

We will turn it from left to right and will work hard to realise the
dream

Greetings from Denmark,

Gerard Muller
Open Space Institute Denmark
Phone: (+45) 21269621
Mail: gm at openspace.dk

*
*
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>From  Tue May 24 11:38:07 2005
Message-Id: <TUE.24.MAY.2005.113807.0700.>
Date: Tue, 24 May 2005 11:38:07 -0700
Reply-To: chris at chriscorrigan.com
To: OSLIST <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
From: Chris Corrigan <chris.corrigan at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: A story from the field: talking stick
In-Reply-To: <780cdae8dcc9c2c0787b75a8868a13e3 at openspace.dk>
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Yay!

Chris

On 5/24/05, Gerard Muller <gm at openspace.dk> wrote:
>=20
> Dear all,
>=20
> Earlier on I wrote I always ask the sponsor to choose and introduce a
> talking stick.
>=20
> While most do not find this an easy thing to do, most select something
> which I could not have thought of,
> and more often than not the words they introduce the talking stick with
> are something which, well, you
> would like to have in writing....................
>=20
> No-one ever did, until last Saturday, and it is a beautiful example I
> would like to share with you.
>=20
> The background: we have some 15.000 Somalians in Denmark, fugitives
> from the war a decade ago.
> Ninety percent are unemployed. Being foreigners, muslim and black does
> not make it easier in
> Danish society to get a job.
>=20
> The question of the Open Space was:
> "Many thousands Somalians would like to have a job soon - how do we
> create that success ?"
>=20
> Participants: some hundred people. Somalians, employers, and others
> somehow connected to the issue.
>=20
> And now for the talking stick, introduced by a Somali woman - here are
> her words:
>=20
>=20
>=20
> I have chosen to bring along a key to our closing round.
>=20
> Every single Somalian who was on his way to Denmark, had a dream
> We all knew it would require hard work to realise that dream
>=20
> The dream was about getting a life with physical and social safety
>=20
> Among other things that means having a job to enable us to pay for a
> place to live,
> to have control over our lives, and have a sense of pride in ourselves
> and thereby
> be respected in society.
>=20
> This key represents our dream.
>=20
> But it is as if this key does not fit to the keyhole we found here in
> Denmark ...........
>=20
> However, Today we have created a new key.
> The key to our dream, to our future.
>=20
> From Today onwards we will use this key to turn into the right
> direction.
>=20
> We will turn it from left to right and will work hard to realise the
> dream
>=20
>=20
>=20
> Greetings from Denmark,
>=20
>=20
>=20
>=20
> Gerard Muller
> Open Space Institute Denmark
> Phone: (+45) 21269621
> Mail: gm at openspace.dk
>=20
>=20
> *
> *
> =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
> 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
>=20
> To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs:
> http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist
>=20

--=20

CHRIS CORRIGAN
Consultation - Facilitation
Open Space Technology

Weblog: http://www.chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot
Site: http://www.chriscorrigan.com

*
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Yay!<br>
<br>
Chris<br><br><div><span class=3D"gmail_quote">On 5/24/05, <b class=3D"gmail=
_sendername">Gerard Muller</b> <<a href=3D"mailto:gm at openspace.dk">gm at op=
enspace.dk</a>> wrote:</span><blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"=
border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; paddi=
ng-left: 1ex;">
Dear all,<br><br>Earlier on I wrote I always ask the sponsor to choose and =
introduce a<br>talking stick.<br><br>While most do not find this an easy th=
ing to do, most select something<br>which I could not have thought of,<br>
and more often than not the words they introduce the talking stick with<br>=
are something which, well, you<br>would like to have in writing............=
........<br><br>No-one ever did, until last Saturday, and it is a beautiful=
 example I
<br>would like to share with you.<br><br>The background: we have some 15.00=
0 Somalians in Denmark, fugitives<br>from the war a decade ago.<br>Ninety p=
ercent are unemployed. Being foreigners, muslim and black does<br>not make =
it easier in
<br>Danish society to get a job.<br><br>The question of the Open Space was:=
<br>"Many thousands Somalians would like to have a job soon - how do w=
e<br>create that success ?"<br><br>Participants: some hundred people. =
Somalians, employers, and others
<br>somehow connected to the issue.<br><br>And now for the talking stick, i=
ntroduced by a Somali woman - here are<br>her words:<br><br><br><br>I have =
chosen to bring along a key to our closing round.<br><br>Every single Somal=
ian who was on his way to Denmark, had a dream
<br>We all knew it would require hard work to realise that dream<br><br>The=
 dream was about getting a life with physical and social safety<br><br>Amon=
g other things that means having a job to enable us to pay for a<br>place t=
o live,
<br>to have control over our lives, and have a sense of pride in ourselves<=
br>and thereby<br>be respected in society.<br><br>This key represents our d=
ream.<br><br>But it is as if this key does not fit to the keyhole we found =
here in
<br>Denmark ...........<br><br>However, Today we have created a new key.<br=
>The key to our dream, to our future.<br><br> From Today onwards we will us=
e this key to turn into the right<br>direction.<br><br>We will turn it from=
 left to right and will work hard to realise the
<br>dream<br><br><br><br>Greetings from Denmark,<br><br><br><br><br>Gerard =
Muller<br>Open Space Institute Denmark<br>Phone: (+45) 21269621<br>Mail: <a=
 href=3D"mailto:gm at openspace.dk">gm at openspace.dk</a><br><br><br>*<br>*<br>
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D<br><a href=3D"mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.ED=
U">OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU</a><br>------------------------------<br>=
To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options,
<br>view the archives of <a href=3D"mailto:oslist at listserv.boisestate.edu">=
oslist at listserv.boisestate.edu</a>:<br><a href=3D"http://listserv.boisestat=
e.edu/archives/oslist.html">http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.=
html
</a><br><br>To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs:<br><a href=
=3D"http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist">http://www.openspaceworld.org/osl=
ist</a><br></blockquote></div><br><br><br>-- <br><br>CHRIS CORRIGAN<br>Cons=
ultation - Facilitation
<br>Open Space Technology<br><br>Weblog: <a href=3D"http://www.chriscorriga=
n.com/parkinglot">http://www.chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot</a><br>Site: <a h=
ref=3D"http://www.chriscorrigan.com">http://www.chriscorrigan.com</a>
*
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