<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">Well this invites a very interesting conversation.<div>I get that, Harrison - and...</div><div>At the end of the OSonOS by the Sea and at some other OS events I have participated in in Closing Circle someone usually says 'this was great and gee I wonder where all the ___(for example, young people, or the military)__ were?' </div><div>And I was guessing they were not there because we did not do extra to help those not-usual-suspects get there - for the beauty of diversity.</div><div>So 'whoever comes' is in some cases whoever has email access, whoever can afford travel, whoever is already part of the 'in group's information stream, whoever knows how to navigate finding low-cost housing in a community that is not their home region.</div><div><br></div><div>The wonderful Jorge Amigo (hola Jorge!) and I have had several passionate conversations about this - and I am guessing that different colleagues here on the list feel both ways or one way or are experimenting with their feelings about...</div><div><br></div><div>If I (an individual or a host team) really loves the work of doing 'one more thing' to help people with visas, low-cost housing, and so on - aren't we just individuals following what has heart and meaning?</div><div>If I (an individual or a host team) think it might bring in diversity to arrange for home-stays and help people find room-mates in their preparation for the event - are we doing that open-space-or-otherwise pre-work to welcome diversity (beyond saying 'welcome everyone') - or are we taking away individuals' ability to do for themselves?</div><div>And what are the results and affects of doing one or the other on our living system of potential and actual participants?</div><div>Is doing these sorts of things respect for individuals - providing them with an ally, information tailored to their abilities / questions / capacities / requests - or is it disrespecting their capacity for doing for themselves?</div><div><br></div><div>What is 'doing for' -- and what is doing acts of ongoing invitation through action? (you can see my bias ;o)</div><div>What is taking responsibility for yourself to start - and what is my role - my co-responsibility - in caring for community, including those who are not the 'usual suspects'?</div><div><br></div><div>I totally believe in 'each one help one'. And yet I know that as a majority culture person (take for example someone who knows how to travel to new places or knows I want to bring a laptop if I want to help emergent documentation in an Open Space event - or somebody who knows other people who are coming to the event so I can ask questions on the side about where they are staying) - being in majority culture gives me an opportunity - no, actually, for me, a mandate - to help make visible resources and relationships and information and access to others who may not have my same capacities, abilities and culture. To me, 'whoever comes' invites a 'how are you as host making it possible for more 'whoevers' not like the usual group to also say 'my place is there too, I am coming too'?</div><div><br></div><div>I am not saying everyone has to do that - I am saying that is what I love doing, cannot help but do, am interested in exploring, and invite my clients to do. </div><div>As usual - we do what we have passion and capacity for - and as usual, we wonderfully all see things in different ways, including what is helping and what is 'overly help-y'. A very fine line indeed, and differently experienced by all of us.</div><div><br></div><div>Fun stuff to explore...</div><div><br></div><div>Lisa</div><div><div apple-content-edited="true"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-size: medium; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></div></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"> </div><br><div><div>On Oct 23, 2012, at 12:38 PM, Harrison Owen wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><div lang="EN-US" link="blue" vlink="purple"><div class="WordSection1" style="page: WordSection1; "><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span style="color: rgb(31, 73, 125); ">Lots of good points Lisa – and maybe some solutions? Venue costs – Can be considerable, of course. Can be very expensive if you only think of hotels and other such things. But Churches usually only need their space on Sundays. Else wise they might appreciate some small (or larger) donation. And for a “good cause” maybe free? Likewise, schools work on the week, but weekends are free. Common spaces – like a tent on the common green. We did it for the price of the tent. It wasn’t gorgeous, but definitely fun. Nothing but the forest. Could get wet in the rain, which can be more fun.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span style="color: rgb(31, 73, 125); "><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span style="color: rgb(31, 73, 125); ">Housing? At the Pullman Versailles, the bill goes up. But off season resorts get very reasonable. And have variety of Bed Spots. Camp Grounds, for instance.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div><div><div><div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); "><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; color: black; ">I know that the reason a lot of people do not feel the need to host one is - hosting something is usually not about the really amazing holding space moments - most of the work is about event planning.<o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; color: black; ">Getting a room, paying money for it in advance, answering everyone's emails behind the scenes, really dry and to some, really tedious details of party planning that are not joyful for all kinds of people.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); "><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); ">Oh Answering emails – I guess that is rather like talking on OSLIST? I always found it that way. Actually the problems arise when you place yourself in the “Do-For” mode. I just offer the information and invite them to Do-For themselves. Or maybe to reach out to other participants? – Chain email (reply all) sort of thing. Next thing you know space is open way before anybody comes to town. Take responsibility for yourself to start, then reach out to help your fellows. That’s how community emerges, I think. Each one help one. It ain’t all me folks.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); "><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); ">ho<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); "><o:p> </o:p></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></span></blockquote></div></div></body></html>