[OSList] A VIRTUAL OPEN SPACE EXPERIMENT

[Suzanne Daigle]

Hello All,



A huge leap, a bold move. Later today and this week, we are launching the
Virtual Agora Gardens as part of the World Happiness Fest activities. It
will be a self-organizing conversational space using the combined
technologies of QiQo Chat (where you can choose your garden and topic) and
Zoom (where you then engage directly in face-to-face conversations on
topics of your choice).  A unique feature of this Virtual Agora (gathering)
is that people will be hosting each other. No leaders, facilitators or
official hosts. Self-organizing like in nature!



You can check out the space and concept here;
https://worldhappinessfest.qiqochat.com/cafe



All are warmly invited to join this experiment, lending your passion and
skills as hosts and facilitators, helping us informally open and hold space
for others and with others.  It is free and lasts all week. You can drop in
anytime and stay as long as you want.



As the planning for the World Happiness Fest was underway, there was no way
to predict the alarming and unfolding circumstances of the coronavirus.
The Global Happiness Event is in its third year and has been increasing
exponentially. Over the past weeks and month, the planning team, organizers
and world hosts have been adjusting, creating and responding with such
sensitivity, generosity and heart.



With this latest Virtual Garden initiative, it’s also been a race against
the clock. What was intended to be a small Open Space experiment,
complementing the many activities (presentations, live events, and more) of
the World Happiness Fest is now potentially a place and space that will
fill an urgent and important need for many.



*A bit more background:*



The World Happiness Fest Week (March 16th - 22nd)
https://www.happinessfest.world/en/ is launching today from Madrid.  All
in-person events and presentations *now *“without audience” will be
recorded and live streamed free. Many of the in-person Agoras (gatherings)
– about 80 around the world have been cancelled or scaled down which will
certainly shift the attention to virtual. Many of our colleagues in the
Open Space community were/are hosting Agoras where they live: in Canada,
Nashville, Spain, India and other places.



*Lucas Cioffi*, founder of QiQo Chat and a great friend of Open Space, has
worked tirelessly to develop this virtual garden concept with input from
our friends and colleagues here and there, along the way.



*Luis Gallardo*, Founder and President of Happiness, also an ardent
supporter of Open Space, came up with the idea of having a virtual garden
setting for this conversational intiative. Luis was at World Open Space in
October and he, with core members of his planning team, also attended the
Peace and High Performance gathering in New York.



This is an excerpt of Luis’ message to a global community a few days ago as
their team continued to plan, adjust and respond to the needs and current
happenings.* It is in the spirit of his heartfelt words that we are
extending this invitation to you. *





Given the almost widespread alarm that is causing the spread of Coronavirus
throughout the world, we want to take a very special role, a role of hope
in view of fear, and the remembering that we are all responsible for the
decisions we make.

This is the time when we need positive, calm and aware leadership. It is
now when we need to talk about stress, before trauma and after, the impact
of negative news on our behavior, the crippling effects of fear and anxiety
and its consequences. This is the time to contrast the facts, to learn from
the past and to build a future full of hope, because we know that
isolation, loneliness and depression are devastating to human beings.

We have decided to take advantage of this alarm situation and the
celebration of The World Happiness Fest between March 16 and 22, 2020 to
set an example and remain the forum we are. We are a forum for reflection
on integral human development, on new economic and development models, on
peaceful coexistence and the flourishing of all; family, work, school and
community.

We will keep the agenda online and by video streaming giving free access to
anyone who wants to access the contents and wisdom of the experts of our
community, and we will enable our online platform so that there is
dialogue, from any corner of the planet, without moving from home if it is
what you want.



Thank you for your support and feedback. Forgive the bumps along the way.
This is truly an experiment and we’ve still got lots to learn and test. But
we felt we just had to leap!



As always, ever appreciative,

Suzanne



Suzanne Daigle
Open Space Facilitator
NuFocus Strategic Group


Cell: 203-722-2009
www.nufocusgroupusa.com
s.daigle at nufocusgroup.com
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