<html>
Funny how things work along. Just as we have been having this
conversation about OD, why and why not - I received a most interesting
note from Sharon Joy Kleitsch <kleitsch@verizon.net>, which you
will find below. She makes some specific suggestions that I am sure a
number of you might have some good ideas about. If I am right, let her
know, talk about it here on the list, or both. I have suggested that
Sharon join OSLIST. <br><br>
Harrison<br><br>
<div align="center">*******************************<br><br>
</div>
I started the IONS group here in Tampa Bay in 1994 to bring people
<br>
together and to watch what happens. A recent outcome was a regional
<br>
IONS conference in July - Seeding Spirit in Action at Eckerd College.
<br>
In the meantime, the Florida IONS Learning Community has come to <br>
life to foster a wisdom society in Florida, based on IONS' vision of
<br>
a global wisdom society. <br><br>
We set up the weekend to expand the field of consciousness from <br>
our learning community to create a "village" and a larger
field. Reports <br>
from presenters, participants and organizers tell us we went over <br>
the top of our expectations. Edgar Mitchell, Wink Franklin, Chris <br>
Bache and four staff joined Barbara Marx Hubbard, Ocean Robbins, <br>
Aqeela Sherrils and Nadja Halilbegovich of YES! and Justine Toms. <br>
They agreed to be part of the community throughout, with many <br>
dialogue opportunities. We broke through the we and they to be a <br>
big us. <br><br>
We had World Cafes, Circles and Passion Cafes (based on OST), <br>
which I believe helped to create these fields of engagement, power <br>
and action. We've had a couple of follow ups and I want you to <br>
know the excitement about the Passion Cafes. We cannot <br>
get people to LEAVE! <br><br>
This was also what happened in Mendicino, where the Sacramento <br>
IONS Community group held a retreat the following weekend. <br>
We have another Passion Cafe planned for Sunday, following <br>
the workshop topics of the Earth Charter Community Summits <br>
on Saturday.
<a href="http://www.earthchartersummits.org/" eudora="autourl"><font color="#0000FF"><u>www.earthchartersummits.org</a></u></font>
<br><br>
IONS had a retreat in Petaluma in March with almost 100 members <br>
and community group representatives. Meg Wheatley and Juanita <br>
Brown worked with IONS' Nancy Young and Gregg Ganschaw to offer <br>
various kinds of dialogue experiences. Passion Cafes were a big hit. <br>
See details at <a href="http://www.ions.org/" eudora="autourl"><font color="#0000FF"><u>www.ions.org</a></u></font> <br><br>
CUT TO THE CHASE: <br>
Now to the present.. Monday synchronicity brought your book - <br>
OST: A User's Guide into my hands, which I've loved galloping through. <br>
There is so much resonance there for me, the FL-IONS Learning <br>
Community and for the international IONS networks. <br>
On page 157 you start in about learning organizations, where you <br>
write that universities focus on the past, corporationsand governments <br>
on the present. You suggest LEARNING ORGANIZATIONS as custodians <br>
of the future. Do you know that catalyzing learning communities is among the <br>
goals of IONS? In Florida was are deep into it - doing the inner and <br>
outer work for over a year now. <br><br>
HERE'S MY IDEA: <br>
How can the Florida IONS Learning Community work with OST <br>
to further your research and our actions to creating a world that <br>
works? While our focus in Florida, a view from space will show <br>
that there are no lines anywhere.... <br>
I've been involved with IONS HQ in various ways over the years, <br>
as well as Meg Wheatley, Juanita Brown, Sharif Abdullah, David <br>
Cooperrider and others. Regionally, there are all kinds of actions <br>
I've been a part of to build living communities. <br><br>
There is a growing interest to explore more ways to bring folks <br>
together and to watch what happens. I would like to see Open Space <br>
more involved with IONS internationally.<br>
<br>
How might we all work together? Suggestions? <br><br>
Sharon Joy Kleitsch <br>
The Connection Partners, Inc.<br>
- linking people, resources and ideas <br>
1100 North Shore Dr. NE #302<br>
St. Petersburg FL 33701<br>
727-550-9660<br><br>
<x-sigsep><p></x-sigsep>
<div align="center">Harrison Owen<br>
7808 River Falls Drive<br>
Potomac, MD 20854 USA<br>
phone 301-365-2093<br>
Open Space Training <a href="http://www.openspaceworld.com/" eudora="autourl">www.openspaceworld.com</a> <br>
Open Space Institute <a href="http://www.openspaceworld.org/" eudora="autourl">www.openspaceworld.org</a><br>
Personal website <a href="http://www.mindspring.com/~owenhh" eudora="autourl">www.mindspring.com\~owenhh</a><br><br>
<font color="#0000FF"><u>OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU<br>
</u></font>To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options,<br>
view the archives of <font color="#0000FF"><u>oslist@listserv.boisestate.edu<br>
</u></font>Visit: <a href="http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html" eudora="autourl"><font color="#0000FF"><u>http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html</a><br><br>
<br><br>
</font></u></div>
</html>