[OSList] a recent OS event in Phnom Penh

[Harrison Owen via OSList]

Funny thing. Works even with…???....   And the biggest problem is always with Facilitators and Sponsors – who are (wretchedly) afraid that “things could get out of control.” So we have to “ease our way into it” – Prepare to people!… And Guess what ? The added time makes those people (facilitators and sponsors) comfortable. Also increases “billable hours” – which for consultants is a wonderful thing. But for The People involved (those who really Care about the issue) it really doesn’t make any difference. My experience. Globally. 30 years. O course I can always be wrong. ????

 

Great Story! Thank You!!

 

ho

 

 

 

From: OSList [mailto:oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org] On Behalf Of Irene S Leung via OSList
Sent: Wednesday, June 22, 2016 10:41 AM
To: oslist at lists.openspacetech.org
Subject: [OSList] a recent OS event in Phnom Penh

 

Greetings from Cambodia. I want to share a story about an OS event I facilitated in Phnom Penh 2 weeks ago. 

But before that, a note of appreciation to all the veteran OS facilitators who shared tips, scripts, and advice about OST on the internet. Special thanks to Gail West, who steered me to the right direction during moments of confusion and doubts.

 

Open Space Creatives is a personal initiative. I wanted to explore a stopgap measure, or find an alternative to prevailing social attitudes resulting from decades of aid dependency, government corruption, top-down management. Even the arts and culture sectors are not immune to attitudes that keep people from going forward without asking "where is the money to pay for this?" or "we are waiting for the board of directors to give us a strategic plan." I invited 3 co-hosts who are regarded as leaders in their own fields (a gallery owner and art festival director; a senior manager of an arts organization that works with people with disabilities; and a technologist who has been a community manager for Mozilla localization).  We then invited everyone we know from visual and performing arts, architecture, film, writing, technology for a one day gathering around the question "How do we do more of what we love?"

 

During the planning stage, an anthropologist friend who has lived and worked in Cambodia for 10 years told me that OST could only work if it was introduced gradually through a 2 or 3 -day workshop. He said Khmer people don't like to take responsibilities for their actions. They have such a strong sense of social hierarchy that they will always look towards someone else for answers. Also, one of my co-hosts said OST is contradictory to the way Khmer people interact with each other. After my stint as a consultant at Cambodia's Ministry of Culture, I know exactly what they were saying as those behaviors have been a major source of frustrations for me the last 12 months. Yet, the same behaviors are precisely the reasons why I wanted to experiment with OST in Cambodia. I wanted to know what it takes for people to dismantle the self-fulfilling prophecy of powerlessness and futility.

 

What followed during the planning stage were actually confusion and doubts. All my co-hosts wanted to tweak the format, e.g. announce "half" of topics ahead of time, or add to the rules. Then Gail set me straight, she pointed out what OST is and how certain modifications aren't OST. All the noises from naysayers around me (and inside my head) went quiet. 

 

The event "How do we do more of what we love?" was a success. All the Khmer arts people (e.g. art teacher, art managers, cultural organizers) really took to the format. In the closing circle, a number of them said they expected open space to be a physical place on the ground that has no roof, but now they realized it is a process. The arts managers who work with people with disabilities were pleasantly surprised with its freedom. The art teacher from the province who wanted to start a film school asked how many people OS could accommodate. And a bright young third year college student wanted to know what other subjects would an OS event be on. And theater practitioners from New York (Trojan Women project) wanted to know where I got the facilitation script. After the event, it was clear my skeptical co-hosts have been won over as well. They want to organize another event in 6 months. 

 

"Album" of proceedings can be found at https://goo.gl/E0Vfvi

where you'll find Khmer translations of the 4 principles and law of mobility.

photos on facebook page  https://goo.gl/Zx5Eac

and local press coverage (from a VOA student intern) http://www.voacambodia.com/a/a-gathering-to-let-creative-ideas-be-heard/3384065.html

 

Again, thank you everyone who have posted OS tips, scripts, advice, and stories. It has been an amazing experience and I look forward to hosting more with arts people inside and outside Cambodia.

 

Best,

Irene

 

 

IRENE S LEUNG PhD
culture as development
+855-12-298-225

https://culturalcapitalists.wordpress.com/about/
https://openspacecreatives.wordpress.com/

"If the world is to be healed through human efforts, I am convinced it will be by ordinary people, people whose love for this life is even greater than their fear." -- Joanna Macy

 

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