[OSList] OST for social movement strategy

[חן צבי]

Hello wonderful people,
first time here.

I am seeking advice about holding OST events in the context of the
environmental movement "Extinction Rebellion".


*Some background, followed by questions:** The movement in the UK has
thousands of people involved, a few hundred local groups and a mailing list
of around 200K.
* It operates by grassroots activists and volunteers. The lack of time and
resources is a huge challenge. There is a recurring experience of "Silos"
and disconnection between different parts of the movement.
* Maintaining focus, alignment and coming up with a strategy in such a
distributed and decentralised setting is also a major challenge, with
tensions around making plans centrally or not.
* I'm thinking that an open space event every 4 months might really support
the needs and purpose of the movement. Each time members can put their
hearts and minds together in response to a burning and energizing focus
question for the upcoming months. (e.g. How can we revitalize and come back
stronger after COVID?).. I believe it can nurture a stronger sense of
connection, community, better information flow, and a much more efficient
way of making plans and operationalizing them in response to a given
direction.


*Questions:*1. Do you think my instincts here are correct? Do you have any
important points  to consider when executing?

2. The event will need to be held online. How effective is that? Can it
hold well hundreds and maybe thousands of people? Do you have any
recommendations or resources on how to make it happen well?

3. Probably the biggest issue is time, and how long the event will be. I
had a chance to read that 5 hours is quite the minimum to get something
substantial. How long do people survive in online events in which they do
not move?  Many participants will not have the privilege to make themselves
available for so many hours, and that can cause substantial tensions around
accessibility and equivalence, do you have any ideas on how to attend
to it? I also got a chance to read that the commitment to be present from
start to finish is more important than the amount of people coming, how can
we take care of that in a long online event where people are volunteers?

4. Does it make sense to produce a condensed and prioritized report after
the event that will detail some sort of emergent strategy and plans to meet
the purpose presented? Any resources on how to do it well and in an
efficient manner?

5. Do you know any experienced practitioners in the UK (maybe you?) that
might find this aligned with their values and would want to support with
deeper advice?

I'd appreciate responses to any or all of the questions, thank you for
reading !
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