Immigration OST

[Chris Weaver]

Hi Wendy,

I'll speak from my experience, but I look forward to sharing what arises
from the collective wisdom at the June workshop related to your questions.

As for web-based tools, I have grown fond of Basecamp, which includes easy
email routing and file-sharing along with weblog-type posting and commenting
on which anyone in the group can post messages.  It's not free but it's
cheap and it's ad-free.  I have used it with "Initiative" groups that come
out of an OST, but I've not yet used it as a follow-up tool offered to the
whole group (which requires the step of enrolling everyone who wants access
to the basecamp site).  I also pay close attention to Michael Herman and
others with lots of OST-online-collaboration experience when they post to
the OSLIST about it.

I say "offered to" because I do not believe in a single-method approach to
follow up.  I see it as the OST sponsoring team and facilitator's
responsibility to provide a book of proceedings with contact information to
each participnt in whatever form he/she prefers - hard copy, email, or
web-based.

So as for the digital divide, I always remember that whether and how any
work is carried forward is up to each participant ~ the sponsoring team
takes leadership for follow-up SUPPORT in an open invitational and inclusive
way.  My way of doing action planning results in "initiative groups" which
each have a "champion" or co-champions.  I invite the champions to convene
follow-up work in whatever way they choose.  If they meet in cafes and
communicate by phone or in person, beautiful.

In my vision of an ongoing OST learning (& action) community, when the time
for the next OST meeting approaches, the sponsoring team, in its
invitational role, invites everyone who participated in the last event to
share any progress in initiative work by funneling reports & updates to the
primary web-based collaboration site, and inviting everyone to go and have a
look prior to the next OST meeting so that the shared knowledge-base expands
and deepens and the work in the face-2-face OST can kick-in in a higher
gear.  I am sure that this process of knowledge-transfer prior to an OST can
be done in many elegant self-organizing ways and that a sponsoring team can
become skilled at facilitating this in a way that reaches as many and as
diverse a community as possible.

The more I explore these ideas the more I see the value of conscious
facilitation of the formation and evolution of sponsoring teams.  Through
their leadership, things can really get cooking and stay cooking.

Chris








-----Original Message-----
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU]On Behalf Of Wendy
Farmer-O'Neil
Sent: Thursday, May 18, 2006 3:51 PM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: Re: Immigration OST


Chris wrote:

>They take leadership in opening space through community OST meetings, with
well-crafted action-planning components, and also in ensuring that ongoing
web-based collaboration tools are in place and maintained.  The sponsoring
teams also take leadership in keeping the invitation flowing, or you might
say "sustaining diversity."<

Chris,
Could you talk a bit more about the web-based collaboration tools you are
using?  How are you addressing digital divide/access issues?

I am doing work in my community fostering ongoing OS-based dialogue circles
dealing with sustainability, social justice, community economic development,
grassroots action, etc. I have found that there is a sector of the group
with passion for these issues who are intentional
non-internet/non-technology users.  Have you encountered this? If yes, what
strategies are working for you in keeping these folks in the flow?

Thanks,
Wendy

-----Original Message-----
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of Chris
Weaver
Sent: May 18, 2006 12:32 PM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: Re: Immigration OST

*
*
==========================================================
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

*
*
==========================================================
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