A question of size ;-)

Irv Sheffey irv.sheffey at sierraclub.org
Thu Jul 1 21:06:26 PDT 2010


I've lurked around this list for a couple years now, not opening space but
knowing that one day I'd get off my duff and do so.  I've had the pleasure
of reading your posts and several others during that time and like the one
below, learned quite a bit.

I'll keep your observations and advice in mind (and spirit) as we move
forward.

Thanx!

Irv
_________________________________
 
Irv Sheffey
Associate Field Organizer - Washington DC
Environmental Justice & Community Partnerships Program
Sierra Club
3101 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE  No. 314
Washington, DC 20020
tel:   202-575-1469
cell:  202-299-6503
 
e-mail: irv.sheffey at sierraclub.org

-----Original Message-----
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of Michael M
Pannwitz
Sent: Thursday, July 01, 2010 5:52 PM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: Re: [OSLIST] A question of size ;-)

Dear Irv,
I did hit the reply all button but all I see is the OSLIST, so I suppose 
its not working the way you envisioned...at least not from my machine in 
Berlin.

I have been hired as an Open Space facilitator for a number of community 
projects in the last ten years.
As far as I can tell from the perspective of a hired Open Space 
facilitator my job has been pretty much the same every time.
And it seems to make not much of a difference whether its been a 
neighborhood, an urban renewal project, a school, a company, etc.
First, I make sure that it is clear who the sponsor is.
Then I insist on having a contact meeting with the sponsor (it might be 
the school principle, the CEO of a company or the board of a community 
project, etc.).
If such a meeting does happen I go through the prerequisites for an Open 
Space event, assisting the potential sponsor of the OST event to figure 
out for himself, whether he believes that the prerequisites are in 
place...convincing me in the process that they are in place...or not.
Then, a decision is made after sleeping a couple of times.
Then, as pointed out already in the contact meeting, a planning group 
made up of the sponsor and a cross-section of the people needed at the 
event is convened.
This group makes all the plans, decides on the theme, writes the 
invitation and figures out how the people they want to be there are invited.
Now, all along this stretch its completely irrelevant whether I 
understand whats going on as long as the sponsor and the Planning Group 
feels that they got a hold on everything.
As this process unfolds, regardless of whether its a welfare 
organisation, a business, a neighborhood, etc., the Planning Group 
(usually it keeps expanding) not only does all the work but becomes a 
group that begins to open space for all kinds of people to participate. 
So, its not facilitator driven.
In fact, its this planning process that is the most important 
preparation for the OST event.
I am detailing all this stuff to point out that all of these tasks are 
the business of the sponsor/planning group. They have the capacity to 
find answers to all the questions you have. And if they dont succeed in 
that (which I still have to experience) then the event will not take 
place...and should not take place.
The suggestions and experience offered around your question can be added 
to but when it comes down to it, the answers will come from the system I 
have been hired by. And they are very specific and different from case 
to case.
Some examples:
--owners of small businesses, such as a one person shoe repair shop, 
feel that they cannot attend a three day OST event: the planning group 
found a retired shoemaker that kept the store open
--single moms felt they could not attend because there was nobody to 
take care of their kids during the event: volunteers turned up that ran 
a makeshift day care during the event
--the sponsor found that they could not afford to rent a place to 
accomodate the 100 people they were planning for: a delegation sent to 
the board of the local church convinced the board to donate their 
general assembly hall for the three day event
--the sponsor was not able to come up with all the funds needed to run 
the event..the Planning Group decided to "charge" for attending on a 
sliding scale, seems that this did not keep anybody from coming
--the Planning Group felt that there were certain groups they would just 
not reach...they found people from those groups and worked with them on 
strategies to reach those especially needed but usually not present at 
such events

I guess others on this list could tell you of dozens of other 
"solutions" to seemingly complicated challenges.

If there is going to be change or action in the "community" it will 
happen because of the planning group figuring out how to make the event 
and what follows take place.
And the less I as the hired facilitator gets involded, the more space 
there is for the group and the sponsor.
In other words, the main task is to do whatever it takes to have the 
Sponsor/Planning Group work through their questions...they will come up 
with the answers.
Its not about me going to the people, its about the people in the system 
(be it a school, a corporation or a community)going to the people rather 
than relying on someone from without the system, like me or others, 
working out solutions for the system.
In the long run, it is not experts improving systems but everybody in 
the system improving it.
I find this to be a tough role for myself wanting to fix and control and 
direct everything the way I feel is the perfect way. And here I turned 
70 and am still struggling. In those cases where I managed to follow my 
own advice it was a thrilling and liberating trip.
Have a grand time with your project!!
Greetings from Berlin
mmp




Irv Sheffey schrieb:
> I'm working with a local community group to organize a one day forum on
> creating local sustainable neighborhoods, here in the District of
Columbia.
> We want the forum to be inclusive of a wide range of perspectives from
> environmental NGOs, local government, civic leaders and most important,
> folks from the community at large, namely the "grassroots".  The theme is
> "Getting from here to there, creating sustainable east of the river
> communities." We are targeting people who reside in a part of DC that is
> geographically separated from the other, two-thirds of the District, by
the
> Anacostia River.  This part of DC is the home of over 140,000 people, many
> who have been historically neglected socially and politically.  We
envision
> the forum to be a place where their voices can be heard  
> 
>  
> 
> This brings me to my question and I hope someone out in the network has
some
> suggestions.  How do we open space such that we get a good representation
of
> people from these neighborhoods, without overwhelming ourselves?  Whereas
> it's relatively easy to work in a context of a given organization, i.e., a
> company, a school, a profession, since affinity is defined and numbers
> limited but what do you do when you're seeking a broad cross section of
the
> public?  We have a modest budget and a venue that could accommodate
upwards
> of 200 people.  How can you be "open" while reasonable as to how many
people
> can be logistically accommodated?
> 
>  
> 
> The forum is scheduled for late October and we will begin outreach efforts
> over the summer.
> 
>  
> 
> I hope that this doesn't sound like a "duh" question for you more
experience
> facilitators.  I could truly use your insights. I've taken the liberty of
> copying my co-organizers of this event.  It would be great if you can hit
> "reply to all" in responding, so that they can be directly informed.
> 
>  
> 
> Thank you,
> 
>  
> 
> Irv
> 
> _________________________________
> 
>  
> 
> Irv Sheffey
> 
> Associate Field Organizer - Washington DC
> 
> Environmental Justice & Community Partnerships Program
> 
> Sierra Club
> 
> 3101 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE  No. 314
> 
> Washington, DC 20020
> 
> tel:   202-575-1469
> 
> cell:  202-299-6503
> 
>  
> 
> e-mail: irv.sheffey at sierraclub.org
> 
>  
> 
> 
> *
> *
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-- 
Michael M Pannwitz, boscop eg
Draisweg 1, 12209 Berlin, Germany
++49-30-772 8000
mmpanne at boscop.org
www.boscop.org


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