Cross Cultural Facilitation

Mon Oct 3 07:58:53 PDT 2005

Am I the right person to be walking the    circle/holding the space at this time in the unfolding story of these people?

probably...definitely...who can know that? who can assure that? 
another question might be : do i do that? do i walk the circle/hold.. .......?   
Funda

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Brendan Mckeague 
  To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU 
  Sent: Monday, October 03, 2005 4:06 PM
  Subject: Re: Cross Cultural Facilitation

  Thanks for your comments folks - both on and off list - I feel as though I've planted a little seed, then gone away for the weekend and returned to find a budding flower of such grace and beauty....such a wonderful gift.

  What is now emerging for me from your knowledgeable and insightful comments is the true complexity of discernment in this situation - this is the very stuff of Open Space for me - deep listening to my spirit as I engage with the multiplicity of voices bringing rich wisdom, challenge and affirmation...

  And so I will speak to my client and discuss some issues further - about

  1       Open Space - is this methodology appropriate at this time for this group - and is one day sufficient?
          I think that at least 1.5 days would provide that additional sleep-space and familiarity with the process that enables more     learning to occur - and this learning might well include reflection on the role (and gender?) of the OS 'holder'.

  2       If we go with OS, then who is appropriate to open and hold space? Would a white male 'facilitator' inhibit or enhance the experience?
          What if the deeper learning that OS can access is prompted by the reactions of some participants to the presence of a white male        facilitator? What if such learning is inhibited or limited by the gender/culture of the facilitator? 
          AND - how would we ever know?

  3       I honour the possibility of my fulfilling this role - I have a deep empathy with those who have suffered oppression and violence and    have considerable experience now in providing the service of opening and holding space for others - in this sense I agree with 
          Harrison that OS operates "beneath Culture, Gender, privilege (or lack of same), education, etc.

          I believe that I do have the capacity and competency to be authentically present to the service that this process might provide in this         situation - so far as I can determine at this time - and that I will be blessed with sufficient spirit within myself to 'hold' in an    appropriate way (while not carrying the responsibility for) the diversity of the gathered participants. Open Space is a process that    connects deeply to the heart - and as I believe this to be true - then my heart-energy will be open to those who gather....and trust    that whatever happens...

  4       However - is this (my centredness, self-belief and good intentions) enough in this context?  Am I the right person to be walking the    circle/holding the space at this time in the unfolding story of these people?

          I will need to bring this question to the client/sponsor and as Lisa/Joelle and others say - ASK - and then:
          'Trust your intuition, and ask your host team to trust their intuition - and to listen for the answer inside.'

  Thanks folks for truly inspiring feedback
  Brendan

  At 09:09 PM 1/10/2005, you wrote:

    Brendan - having done a number of Open Spaces in precisely the same circumstances you describe (or almost) I don't think there is a problem. Or as you might say - No Worries! For example, I did an OS with 500 folks from the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) at a point where that organization was about ready to explode. There were 500 women and me. And the YWCA is a VERY feminist organization! I have also had the privilege of opening space with a number of Indigenous groups. Again - no problems, no worries. I think the critical thing is your authenticity - just fully being there. And Open Space (as usual) does the rest.

    I might take some small issue with Wendy's suggestion that you acknowledge your maleness and privilege up front. I would not do that for several reasons. First of all it is really just a redundant statement of the obvious - you are male and privileged. But most of all, such a statement draws attention to you. What you want to do (or at least what I would want to do) is to move as quickly as possible to that moment when the group starts to do its thing and you leave center stage. Anything that slows that movement or gets in the way, I try to eliminate. Think of one more thing NOT to do. 

    What saves the day in such situations is the "fact" that OS operates "beneath Culture, Gender, privilege (or lack of same), education, etc. -- I think. Doubtless awareness and sensitivity to the issues involved is a plus, and we all have a lot to learn. But when facilitating an Open Space, I am not sure that such awareness makes that much difference, and indeed it may be a distraction in that you become so aware of difference that you miss the commonality. I have always found that people everywhere have more in common than they do in difference. In any event, I have never found any difficulty in situations such as you describe PROVIDED I was authentically present (as much as I could be) AND moved the opening along as quickly as possible to the point where the folks got to work, and I got out of the way. As we all know, it really isn't about me/us.

    Harrison

    Harrison Owen
    7808 River Falls Drive
    Potomac, Maryland   20845
    Phone 301-365-2093
    Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com 
    Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org
    Personal website http://mywebpages.comcast.net/hhowen/index.htm
    OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU 
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    -----Original Message-----
    From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of Brendan McKeague
    Sent: Friday, September 30, 2005 11:22 PM
    To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
    Subject: Cross Cultural Facilitation

    G'day folks in the OS global community
    A new client has asked me about facilitating a one-day OS for a group of stakeholders and others about the creation of a refuge/hostel for indigenous women - she has only minor concerns about using Open Space having recently experienced her first event with me - her major concern is about using a non-Aboriginal white male as the facilitator - see honest and forthright comments below - and this event would be in a different part of the country from where I live and where I'm not known locally in the indigenous community - any thoughts on this query? Any stories of this sort of cross-cultural/gender scenario?
    Cheers
    Brendan 
    We have an opportunity with the new site being built in ----- to devote some of our resources to responding to the plight of indigenous families.  Having a different focus away from the mainstream site gives our service an opportunity to explore, with the assistance of indigenous stakeholders, a different way of responding to women and children from indigenous families escaping violence.  I don't know what this will look like and it will be difficult and we won't always get it right.  It will be a process of learning and experimenting with new ways of responding to families. 

    This is like a leap into the unknown for us because it will change our service.  It has not been undertaken by any other service to my knowledge, so there is no blue print to how we should proceed.  Having said this, I do think it is possible and I believe it will have a positive impact on our service as a whole. 
    There would be about 35-40 people invited to this gathering which would represent all of the key groups that would have an interest in a mainstream organisation taking on and providing a service to Aboriginal women and children. 
    There has been a positive reaction so far to the proposal from Aboriginal organisations but I am sure we will face some resistance/perhaps hostility? (I will probably know this before we enter an open space) - and in a sense that is one of the reasons why I think an Open Space forum will be good so that we can hear and respond to people's concerns. 
    One of my concerns Brendan is how they will receive you as a facilitator of this process.  I am confident about you holding the space for us to discuss these issues but I also don't want to set you up in the process either.  I am worried that there might be some hostility to a man facilitating the process and not a woman (you may be the only man there).  I would love your thoughts around this and whether you have done anything similar before.  Part of me says be courageous and go with what you think will work and another part of me is scared stiff!  
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