[OSList] A Short Open Space for Happiness in Chile

Sat Jun 23 07:48:17 PDT 2012

Thanks Mikk and Hege. 

Yes Hege you are right, probably don’t using chairs would be must easier and
fast, but you know, then we would not have the pedagogical opportunity of
co-creating the circle together.

And in some way I think, when the time of creating the agenda begins, if
people are sitting on their chairs they can focus best in their real passion
and responsibility about the theme or main question of the event.

Anyway Hege, I must say you that you have let to me remember that my first
incredible experience of facilitating open space (May 2002), effectively we
did it with people standing up, both in the opening circle as in the closing
circle, and for two different groups.

And just for to honor that first time is that I want now to share with you
and all again, a short article that I wrote some months later of that
fabulous experience: https://www.box.com/s/866ff6118469f3e4f9dd 

In some way also this is a kind of happy birthday for this wonderful
adventure of ten years long ;o)

Hugs,

Juan Luis

 <http://www.cdic.cl> www.cdic.cl 

De: oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org
[mailto:oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org] En nombre de Hege Steinsland
Enviado el: jueves, 21 de junio de 2012 2:42
Para: World wide Open Space Technology email list
Asunto: Re: [OSList] A Short Open Space for Happiness in Chile

Thank you for shearing this documentary. I learnt al lot, and it gives
courage and inspiration :-)

I have one question : Do we really need chairs in a situation like this.
Would it work to let people stand in a circle through the introduction and
closing circle? Its so much more fleksible in a situation with little time,
and you dot know how many will join in? Any experience?

Love from Norway

Hege

Den 21. juni 2012 kl. 01:09 skrev JL Walker:

Hi friends,

Inspired by the interesting discussion sustained in this list about “Any
experience with short open space” (thanks Catherine Corbaz!), I have decided
to write apart this recent and synchronous story that I think puts a two
cents on it.

Within the framework of the 1st Meeting of Healthy Relationships and
Happiness(www.encuentrofelicidad.cl), which was held in Santiago of Chile on
26 and 27 May last, which mainly included national and foreign expert
speakers and investigators on these topics for a total of 2000 attendees, we
in the CDIC(www.cdic.cl) had the great honor to facilitate a mini open space
of an hour and a half (90 minutes).

We were invited there to share our accumulated experience in the citizen
ambit, from September 2011 to May 2012, with the facilitation of five open
space (up to the date of the event), that we have called Creative Dialogues
about Happiness (a beautiful project which I hope I’ll also be able to speak
you in details at a later time).

The organizers have scheduled us in one of the last modules of more than 40
presentations and conferences that have had been make in the two days of the
event. And if it from the outset we plan to do so in a form of experiential
workshop that could allow participants to have the real experience of an
open space, with also an certain pedagogical desire of grant them a global
understanding of the benefits of the method, this was especially enhanced by
changing conditions at the last moment.

Few hours before our little open space workshop begins, they informed to us
that for reasons of force majeure, we should have to move to a much smaller
room that the one that they had originally assigned to us.

One more reason to say “whatever happens is the only thing that could have”
and to remember also the fifth new principle pointed out recently by HO, in
the sense that “wherever it happens is the right place”. And because for
that moment there was a complete uncertainty of how many people would
attend, we then decided to put all the chairs stacked on both sides of the
classroom and give welcome to all participants standing on their two feet,
inviting to all to greet hand (often converted to hugs) and then, only then,
they begin to co-create together the circle with the chairs.

After that, when we begin to open the space in the usual way, the first
thing that we pointed out was about the importance of the circle and how is
it that a previous phase of opening of the physical space it was always
necessary for to facilitate this dialogue method.

The question of this mini open space was the same that we had been working
in the five previous dialogues: What can we do today to be happier in Chile?

Then a burst of participation, positive energy and creativity occurred, in
which around 80 people lifted something like 60 topics that quickly were
merged into four working groups of 20 minutes each, for finally give way to
a memorable and inspiring closing circle that ended with the presentation of
a 5 minutes video which intent to summarize our five previous dialogues.

At the end, the received samples of gratitude encourage us and excited to
take forward our next big meeting (7th Dialogue), when we hope to convene a
larger number of people representing the diversity that we are looking for:
experts, authorities, opinion leaders and common citizens, recognizing the
importance of dialogue to increase happiness in the life of people in Chile.

In the following link you can see a photo sequence of all the moments that I
have talked you above:http://tinyurl.com/6ljuuco

And here the link of the video that summarizes our five previous dialogues:
<http://youtu.be/8xsNukuU5Fc> http://youtu.be/8xsNukuU5Fc

Love & peace,

Juan Luis Walker

PS: And as always, hope that my English goes well ;)

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