[OSList] On behalf of the Open Space Institute - US Board (OSI-US)

Wed Mar 14 16:55:55 PDT 2012

Thanks, Suzanne, for sending the note about the Open Space Institute - US.

It's been a learning journey, to be part of the OSI-US board since it's beginning.  And it's been a while since I've told the origin story.

It was 1996.  Harrison was on a cross-North America trip.  He brought the idea of a research institute to Toronto, then Seattle. Shortly after that, he continued on to Melbourne, Australia.  In each of these places, a small group gathered, inspired by Harrison's vision of an institute.  So three OSI's were formed in rapid succession, each pursuing the notion in a different way.  (The Canadians always remind us that they were the first. :-)  In the US, we decided to create a nonprofit entity so that we could accept donations.  Early on, we asked people what they wanted from an Open Space Institute.  They told us they wanted space for:

* mutual support and connection,
* mentoring and being mentored, and
* sharing stories and learning for one another.

One person said he wanted OSI to be the hearth, the heart fire, where he could send friends to learn about Open Space.

About 10 years ago, we started responding to requests to support the opening of space in underserved parts of the world.

I think these intentions remain central to our reason to exist.  

So if you believe in our mission - holding space for Open Space, or want to support bringing OS to the under-served, or just want to say thank you for the difference OS has made in your work and or your life, then please make a member donation in any amount!
http://osius.org/content/support-osi-us.

And no matter what, thanks for whatever you do to open space in the world,
Peggy

_________________________________
Peggy Holman
peggy at peggyholman.com

15347 SE 49th Place
Bellevue, WA  98006
425-746-6274
www.peggyholman.com
www.journalismthatmatters.org

Enjoy the award winning Engaging Emergence: Turning Upheaval into Opportunity

"An angel told me that the only way to step into the fire and not get burnt, is to become 
the fire".
  -- Drew Dellinger

On Mar 14, 2012, at 6:02 AM, Suzanne Daigle wrote:

> To our Open Space Colleagues and Friends:
> An eventful year for Open Space and a time of rich dialogues and meaningful projects for the OSI Institute US, accomplished with and on behalf of our global community. Again this year, we invite you to join us and to become members of the OSI Institute US.  
> 
> 
> Many reasons for doing so:
> 
> To provide support and funding for various projects of benefit to specific groups and/or our entire community.
> To indicate to clients, community groups and others that we are members of the OSI Institute US
> To acknowledge the volunteerism combined with the judicious funding in support of the infrastructure that invites deep sharing and learning together as colleagues on the OS list and through other means.
> 
> Please consider making a financial contribution!  Donations from individuals in the past have varied between $25 to $1500, a range that reflects people’s financial circumstances and desire to contribute. http://osius.org/content/support-osi-us.
> 
> We also welcome anyone who would be interested in serving on the Board to contact us. No requirement that it be someone from the US.
> 
> Accomplishments in 2011
> 
> The following represents the highlights of our work:
> 
> Harold Shinsato completed the mammoth task of migrating the OSlist (including the extensive archives) from Boise to its new on-line home -- a mighty feat that happened with hardly a glitch.
> Thanks to the generous support of our members, we were also able to provide financial assistance on various projects including Open Space training in Haiti and the first WOSonOS in South America beautifully hosted by our Chile colleagues.
> OSI board members traveled to Florida for a full 3-day retreat in the spring, everyone paying their own travel with accommodations provided by local Florida folks. During our time together, we had an opportunity to step back and explore more deeply how we can work with others in our community to extend the on-line reach of Open Space in corporate organizations, with government groups and others. We also had conversations about what it means to Open Space and how we can support a better understanding of the process engaging people through a Manifesto-ing document. These initiatives are on-going.
>  At year-end, we hosted an annual membership meeting which attracted about a dozen people. It was held using Maestro Conference. Notes and audio are available at: http://osius.org/content/musing-our-membership-meeting. In 2012, our goal is to invite and outreach more often to a broader community using tools like Maestro Conference so more people can join in the exchanges and discussions.
> By visiting our website (http://osius.org), you will see a summary of expenses and activities, proceeding minutes of our meetings, specials videos and more.
> On behalf of all of us, thank you in advance for your generous support. 
> 
> 
> From your Open Space Institute – US Board
> Suzanne Daigle, Karen Davis, Doug Germann, Lisa Heft, Peggy Holman, Ed Laboy, Phelim McDermott, Christine Whitney Sanchez, and Harold Shinsato
> 
> 
> 
> -
> _______________________________________________
> OSList mailing list
> To post send emails to OSList at lists.openspacetech.org
> To unsubscribe send an email to OSList-leave at lists.openspacetech.org
> To subscribe or manage your subscription click below:
> http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.openspacetech.org/pipermail/oslist-openspacetech.org/attachments/20120314/8a33699f/attachment-0008.htm>