[OSList] Ending a one day OST with 775?

[Pernilla Luttropp]

Dear collegues!
I very much enjoy the conversations on this list. But I haven¹t used it for
getting input myself until now. I'm looking forward to your wise thoughts on
my question.

I¹ve been doing Open Space for over 10 years, some big and some small but
most of them for only one day. Right now I¹m planning a one day Open Space
at a school with 775 students, 16-18 years, teachers and politicians. The
pre-group, with mostly students, decided on the theme ³What do you want to
change in our municipality?² (I tried to argue for develop/expand instead of
change, but they didn¹t want to develop all the bad things...).
I might add that the politicians are really excited about this and they have
decided to return to the school within 2 months with feedback on the issues
that involves their work.
 
My question is how to end this Open Space the best way. I haven¹t done a big
group like this for a few years and since then I¹ve changed some things -
³one less thing to do². I used to do prioritizing with dots in big groups
but lately I just give space for reflections or invite for action planning,
depending on the group.
 
The pre-group was worried that the 1st-graders would be too shy to announce
their issue in the microphone. I¹m not too worried about that, but I¹m not
sure that inviting for action planning is a good idea. It might just be the
³known voices² of the school that steps up (that would probably change if
the Open Space went on for two days).

My gut feeling now is to do prioritizing, call out the top 5 issues, let
everybody say one word each in the microphone and then end it with the
turn-around-and-take-the­next-step. That will probably only take one hour
(young people are usually fast). What do you think?
 
This is the schedule for now:
8:30 Introduction and creating the wall
9:30 Session 1
10.40 Session 2
11:45-13.15 Lunch (not negotiable time)
13:15 Session 3
14:20 Coffee break, time for finishing report and getting back in the circle
14:45  ???
16.15 Ending time

Rainy greetings from Sweden and Stockholm!
Pernilla Luttropp