strength based, large scale grief work

[Christine Whitney Sanchez]

Cross-posted on the AI & NCDD lists...

Dear Open Space Friends,

There are many opportunities for generative, strength-based citizen  
conversations popping up in Arizona due to the law that was signed  
last week by our governor, making it a crime to be an illegal  
immigrant in Arizona and mandating police to stop anyone they suspect  
of being "illegal".  One third of our population in Arizona is  
Hispanic.  You can imagine the tensions and the grief.

I'm working with a local group that would like to host a large-scale  
conversation on May 26, working title:  Transformation Talks: Our  
Voices - Arizona's Future.  We are designing a 2 hour event in Phoenix  
that can accommodate up to 1,000  The reason for the large number is  
that the governor and many others constantly refer to a (poorly  
designed) poll with a sample of 500 that claims that 70% of Arizonans  
favor such a law.

We will likely use a World Cafe format, use appreciative questions and  
create the conditions so that people can self-organize for  
collaborative action.  The team I'm working with feels strongly that  
people in Arizona need a chance to talk about their pain, fear and  
anger first before they will be able to move into thinking about the  
future.  I agree.

When my twenty year old son first heard the concept, he said, "Who  
will pick the questions?"  Not long ago, someone (was it you, Chris  
Corrigan?) mentioned a process where the questions emerged at tables.

I would be grateful for any stories about working with grief on a  
large scale and your thoughts/suggestions on event design and  
questions that will encourage deep conversations and move into action.

Warm wishes on a windy Phoenix day,

Christine

Christine Whitney Sanchez
Collaborative Wisdom & Strategy
+1.480.759.0262
www.christinewhitneysanchez.com
www.promiseusa.com
Skype: christinewhitneysanchez
http://www.facebook.com/ChristineWhitneySanchez
http://www.linkedin.com/in/christinewhitneysanchez


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