Wosonos 2012 first open space

Sun Nov 21 13:09:59 PST 2010

Phelim -- sounds wonderful and stop working so hard! 

Harrison

Harrison Owen
7808 River Falls Dr.
Potomac, MD 20854
USA
Phone 301-365-2093
www.openspaceworld.com
www.ho-image.com (Personal Website)
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-----Original Message-----
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of Phelim
Sent: Sunday, November 21, 2010 10:44 AM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: Wosonos 2012 first open space

Dear OS listers,

As Jon Harvey has already reported on the os list, two weekends ago the
first open space was held for our Wosonos 2012 event. The Improbable office
booked the space for us and I opened the space. It was a great turn out
considering we had limited time to drum up support and interest. Thank you
for helping make that happen. There was a lot of enthusiasm and lots of
sessions called and of course the beginnings of the rumblings from the field
that come up when one takes the initiative on starting an event like this. I
got to meet some faces for the first time and also met some people I didn't
know I knew.

So here's my feedback on the whole event. On Sat/Sun we had a day and a half
in open space.
After the event there are a number of things that are "up" for me. One is
Improbable's heart responsibility towards creating an event like this and
ultimately what the nature of their involvement is. Improbable took the
initiative on making this invitation happen at the 2010 Wosonos, thanks to
Matilda with support from Jon and Romy, and it was as such that it was
accepted in Berlin. With this we have been handed an ineffable something, we
have been entrusted with it and we have responsibilities towards it. It is
like a gentle flame (a metaphor which came up a lot over the weekend) and We
feel a onus to look after this and make sure it doesn't go out. We must
honour its journey from Berlin and its previous historic invocations it will
be coming to us via Chile and end up in the UK. So we are Honouring the past
whilst looking towards creating a new space for it to burn brightly in the
future. So at present we are cupping it in our hands trying to shield it
from our autumn win!
 ds here.  At the same time we mustn't hold it too tightly so that the flame
gets smothered and loses it's oxygen and spirit.  So can we balance the fact
that we made the invitation and are the trustees of this accepted invitation
without controlling it too much? 

All these challenges seem like a perfect opportunity to use what OS is
designed for. As a company (theatre not business although it of course is
both) some of the benefits we have are  of being a very small organisation
who has in the past facilitated some very big events so we have some
experience here. We also have a pool of people in our own open space
community (mostly but not wholly from  the artistic world) who have a
passion for and interest in open space and it's divergent possibilities and
uses. 

My personal interest is in finding out if we can use open space itself to
unfold an emergent organisation/community/team who will help make all this
happen. Can we learn how an organisation might create itself out of open
space principles? At the crux of the process we hope to use this opportunity
to hold a space where open space practitioners feel welcomed, where we are
welcoming amongst ourselves and consequently in a good place to turn
outwards to the world to invite people to the UK. We are creating a
community that welcomes a wider worldwide community. 

In this first OS we did the minimum of  "organisation" hoping that the
people who turn up will take responsibility for doing/changing things they
want to make happen. 

So the tension we find ourselves holding in is looking after the trust that
has been placed in us to host this event with the desire to not "control" or
dictate how it happens. This is also important to us as we genuinely cannot
do this alone and need the support of others in order to manifest this
event.
At the moment we are still negotiating the fact that some people are turning
up and ask: "How are you going to be doing this?" Well ultimately it will of
course be how are we going to do this? 

The idea for what the event should be included some of these criteria:

It should be: An exciting party; Open to all; Have many by-products that are
beneficial to the UK open space community & worldwide communities; Help
build and coalesce the latent UK community which is "out there";  Ensure all
the people who want to be a part of it are given the opportunity to do so.
Welcoming people from the wider world to our Open shores. Transparency is an
essential ingredient for the central host team. 

I also saw lots of the prime ingredients for the fertile compost open Space
thrives on. This is a list of the criteria for OS to operate at a high
performance level. 

#1: A real business issue:
Yes we have it. A commitment to make this event happen in 2012 in the UK for
the UK OS community and the world. 
#2: Voluntary self selection: so our invite has gone out and already a group
of interested people have shown up. There is a commitment to do a number of
open spaces which invite the UK OS community to take part. This has been
flagged as hopefully not just being London centric so our reach has to go
further but I imagine those who can and are interested in working with us
will come to the next open spaces or stay in touch with us. We are aiming to
do open spaces outside London to pick up other memebers of the community and
widen the net. This continued activity of opening space in different spaces
will unfold its own self selection process. Anyone who is interested in
other parts of the UK who wants to host an invite in your area of the UK
please let us know!

#3: High levels of complexity: Already the challenges we face are I feel
beyond the ability of one single "old style" directive organisation of
encompassing or holding. The challenges we face in looking after the UK and
world communities their demands,dreams and hopes for the event are
incredibly complex.

#4:High levels of diversity:
This is an interesting one. I actually feel there was a good level of
practitioner diversity at the event but feel the call to do further events
really wants to engage with this. Ambassadors will be essential in
fulfilling this criteria on all the potential colours and possibilities. 

#5:Presence of passion and conflict: Yes present and correct I feel: in the
feedback on how we did the event, gossip and certainly present in some of
the sessions and interactions I had. Hurrah!

#6:Decision time of yesterday:
People keep asking us when its going to happen on the OS list and also who's
doing it so I guess we are already late by some peoples clocks!

The reports from the first OS have already gone online as a blog for the
people who were there to contribute to and comment on.

Overall 
Speaking for Improbable I'd like to say what is important for us is our aim
to ensure all the people who want to be a part of Wosonos 2012 are given an
authentic opportunity to do so. At the moment I feel that as a core
organisation unfolds or emerges we will be part of that or have a strong
relationship to it. We aim to maintain the links with the world community
and the world institutes. As this story tells itself Improbable must make a
decision as to what level of responsibility we take in it. As this happens
we will make an informed decision as to how central we are to that
organisation either as a company or as individuals. It is all unfolding.

In terms of actions, what needs to be decided and actioned on is: Where and
when the next open space to continue creating this team happens? Who hosts
it? We already have one offer which we need to say yes or no to soon. I'd
like to know if there are more out there? Either from the people who came to
the event or others who didn't come. So that would also include all kinds of
offers from suggesting a good space, a good place in the rest of the country
to go to or include, offers to host with or without our support etc..
Etc..All variations considered!  Please put the word out and get in touch
with us as soon as possible!

Best wishes to you all out there in the world 

Phelim x      

Sent from my iPad

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>From  Sun Nov 21 22:12:26 2010
Message-Id: <SUN.21.NOV.2010.221226.0100.>
Date: Sun, 21 Nov 2010 22:12:26 +0100
Reply-To: c.pfaehler at bluewin.ch
To: OSLIST <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
From: Catherine Pfaehler <c.pfaehler at bluewin.ch>
Organization: Catherine Pfaehler
Subject: Open Space with seniors
MIME-Version: 1.0
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Dear friends

I have been asked by the Grey Panthers (a political organisation of seniors)
to briefly present OST to them on Tuesday, Nov. 30th. Most of them are 55
years old or older. They want to have a one-day-event dealing with their
future and their image. At the same time, my contact tells me that many of
them like to tell stories from their earlier lives when they were still
working, and most of them think that a whole day is too long for them. Some
have also become a bit fatalist, not caring too much about the future
anymore.

Please let me know what your experiences are when facilitating OST for
seniors, and how to deal with the above contradictions, i.e. how to give
enough time for storytelling when at the same time one entire day might be
too long for them to attend. 

I will be out of my office for a week now, but would be delighted to find
some of your answers in OSLIST by then. Thank you already!!!

With gratitude, Catherine

Catherine Pfaehler

lic.oec.HSG

Open Space Begleitung

Burckhardtstrasse 2

CH - 3008 Bern

Telefon +41-(0)31 - 536 05 31

Mobile  +41-(0)76 - 488 15 46

c.pfaehler at open-space-begleitung.ch

www.open-space-begleitung.ch <http://www.open-space-begleitung.ch/> 

*
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<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
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<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>

I have been asked by the Grey Panthers (a =
political
organisation of seniors) to briefly present OST to them on Tuesday, Nov. =
30th.
Most of them are 55 years old or older. They want to have a =
one-day-event
dealing with their future and their image. At the same time, my contact =
tells
me that many of them like to tell stories from their earlier lives when =
they
were still working, and most of them think that a whole day is too long =
for
them. Some have also become a bit fatalist, not caring too much about =
the
future anymore.<o:p></o:p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span lang=3DEN-GB =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>

Please let me know what your experiences are =
when
facilitating OST for seniors, and how to deal with the above =
contradictions,
i.e. how to give enough time for storytelling when at the same time one =
entire
day might be too long for them to attend. <o:p></o:p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span lang=3DEN-GB =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>

I will be out of my office for a week now, but =
would
be delighted to find some of your answers in <st1:PersonName =
w:st=3D"on">OSLIST</st1:PersonName>
by then. Thank you already!!!<o:p></o:p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span lang=3DEN-GB =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoAutoSig><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>With gratitude, =
Catherine</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>

<p class=3DMsoAutoSig><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoAutoSig><st1:PersonName w:st=3D"on"><font size=3D2 =
face=3D"Comic Sans MS"><span
 style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS"'>Catherine =
Pfaehler</span></font></st1:PersonName><font
size=3D2 face=3D"Comic Sans MS"><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans =
MS"'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoAutoSig><font size=3D2 face=3D"Comic Sans MS"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans =
MS"'>lic.oec.HSG<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoAutoSig><font size=3D2 face=3D"Comic Sans MS"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS"'>Open Space =
Begleitung<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoAutoSig><font size=3D2 face=3D"Comic Sans MS"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS"'>Burckhardtstrasse =
2<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoAutoSig><font size=3D2 face=3D"Comic Sans MS"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS"'>CH - 3008 =
Bern<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoAutoSig><font size=3D2 face=3D"Comic Sans MS"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS"'>Telefon +41-(0)31 - 536 05 =
31<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoAutoSig><font size=3D2 face=3D"Comic Sans MS"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS"'>Mobile  +41-(0)76 - 488 15 =
46<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoAutoSig><font size=3D2 face=3D"Comic Sans MS"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS"'><a
href=3D"mailto:c.pfaehler at open-space-begleitung.ch">c.pfaehler at open-space=
-begleitung.ch</a></span></font><o:p></o:p></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3D"#0000a0" face=3D"Comic Sans =
MS"><span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:#0000A0'><a
href=3D"http://www.open-space-begleitung.ch/">www.open-space-begleitung.c=
h</a></span></font><o:p></o:p></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
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