[OSList] Opening Space in mixed/low literacy community

[Chris Corrigan]

I think it's worth remembering that is every group there will be various levels of comfort with writing and reading AND every group will take away tangible results as well as intangible results. In other words when designing documentation for a highly literate group don't forget about the non-literary harvest as well. 

Chris

-- 
CHRIS CORRIGAN
Harvest Moon Consultants
www.chriscorrigan.com

Art of Hosting - Participatory Leadership and Social Collaboration, Bowen Island, BC November 11-14,2013

> On Oct 3, 2013, at 8:30 PM, Lisa Heft <lisaheft at openingspace.net> wrote:
> 
> Hi, Kim - as with any facilitation, any process, any documentation design, any adjustment - it all depends on the context, culture, objectives and situation of your particular meeting.
> Feel free to share more with us so we can help you more specifically.
> 
> John and our Haitian colleagues have worked for years with oral and reading (mixed) groups - and have learned so much.
> And we have learned so much from them.
> 
> In addition to what brother Chris has said, I would think about your specific situation, this specific group, their specific context, how they will use the ideas and relationships generated at this event *after* the event, and more.
> 
> In my work with a multi-language group of mixed oral and writing cultures, we simply had people help individuals who are non-readers write their topics - someone does that for them. They still come up to the center, name their topic, own it. In my work on prison yards with inmates, the context adjusts our ability to post and use a room, so our adjustment is an ongoing conversation circle right there in the center of the prison yard - where zero documentation is possible because it is not always safe to have things written down in a prison setting, readers or non-readers. In my work with mixed groups, we sometimes set up a mural on the side that people can add to, though they have more energy for the face-to-face dialogue than for documenting on the side. So sometimes we have roving graphic documenters picking up snips of conversation, sometimes it is not useful (for the participants) at all and we simply have others / multi-lingua readers in the groups take notes, create the Book of Proceedings - and then dissemination is either people reading their won pdf complete books or members of their communities holding discussion circles in person post-even to go over the book. And you have heard other options as well.
> 
> Nothing that works across groups or is assumed for any particular cultures, everything designed for the specific group's needs both within the event and afterwards.
> 
> All individuals being honored for their differences (that is why personally I say 'oral culture' instead of 'nonreaders' or 'illiteracy', which implies something of a 'less than'. 
> Helpers can be everywhere - both the helpers you invite and the self-organizing helpers within the group.
> 
> It is really fun to deconstruct it, think about it, and reconstruct it with access and inclusion in mind…
> 
> Lisa
>  
> 
>> On Oct 3, 2013, at 4:15 PM, Kim Willing <kim.willing at tassie.net.au> wrote:
>> 
>> Hi everyone,
>> 
>> I wonder if anyone has any advice or experience in opening space with a community of people in which literacy levels are mixed.  Of course wanting to provide equal opportunity for people to enter the circle with agenda topics and not sure how to do it at this stage.  Perhaps provide a scribe in the middle for EVERYONE? Don't want to make it obvious who can and can't write their topic.  And, how to make it easy for people to select sessions from the agenda wall?
>> 
>> I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
>> 
>> With thanks,
>> 
>> Kim.
>> 
>> Kim Willing
>> Groundswell
>> 0428399798
>> http://au.linkedin.com/pub/kim-willing/14/17a/4b3/ 
> 
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