strength based, large scale grief work

Sun May 2 18:24:10 PDT 2010

Thank you, Michael, for the story and the good wishes.  I'll check out  
the blog.

I am holding the notion of "all kinds of downstream/elsewhere  
conversations".  As you know, Arizona certainly holds a ton of light  
and shadow...

Warm wishes from windy Phoenix,

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

On May 2, 2010, at 6:17 PM, Michael Herman wrote:

> christine,
>
> i did a world cafe program about a year ago where a group of 100 or  
> 120 students met in a world cafe way heavily informed by open space  
> principles -- where they got to create their own questions in the  
> first round and then address them in the four later rounds.
>
> one of the points of this model was that these students were being  
> considered for scholarships at a couple of major universities.  but  
> some of them would be cut.  the moment of being together was short  
> and then the decisions came out.  regardless of who won and who  
> lost, we wanted to create an agenda that worked for the day, but  
> also could travel easily back to all the high schools these folks  
> came from and then on to college with them.  or we wanted to create  
> an agenda that at least had that potential for travelling.
>
> so the first question we asked was something like "what questions do  
> young people who aspire to be leaders need to be asking and  
> answering for themselves?"  in that first round, each table made  
> lists of questions.  one person stayed to explain, and the others  
> moved on at the end of that round.
>
> then in later rounds, those gathered at each table chose a  
> question.  or the person who stayed could pick the question,  
> allowing folks to select a table based on the question to be  
> discussed.  hints of os.  just barely.  there was also the option to  
> cluster questions or have sequel conversations or add new questions  
> to the list.
>
> this is how i remember it anyway.  but a blog post at the time has  
> more and better details.
> http://www.michaelherman.com/wordpress/archives/2009/04/02/leadership-cafe/
>
> to me, the main benefit is that we were able to identify and  
> validate (in a sense) piles of questions that could then be raised  
> in all kinds of downstream/elsewhere conversations.  this part of it  
> seems like it might be helpful in arizona now.  hope so.  and good  
> luck!
>
> m
>
>
>
>
> --
>
> Michael Herman
> Michael Herman Associates
>
> http://www.michaelherman.com
> http://www.ronanparktrail.com
> http://www.chicagoconservationcorps.org
> http://www.openspaceworld.org
>
> 312-280-7838 (mobile)
>
>
> On Sun, May 2, 2010 at 5:47 PM, Christine Whitney Sanchez <cwhitneysanchez at gmail.com 
> > wrote:
> 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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