If you'd like to donate to the Access Queen Project for WOSonOS? scholarship and travel aid, contact [Lisa Heft]. Thank you!
A brief history of Access Queen
At the 2001 WOSonOS? in Vancouver a group of us posted issues for discussion regarding how to help those who wish to attend the annual global meetings to physically get there. A number of us are from other countries where the money it would take to attend is simply impossible - others of us live on very low financial levels. We developed an idea where one of us could raise awareness on the OSLIST (our OS global learning community's virtual discussion list)regarding who needed support and who had support to give -- as a way both to raise awareness of those who'd like to be included and as a way to pool support across our community.
I (LisaHeft) volunteered to be the awareness-raiser / town crier / weaver of people and needs. Our dear colleague Laurel Doersam soon after named me "Access Queen".
So between one WOSonOS? and the other I shared ideas of how people could raise funding (I put a sample Request For Funding proposal online for people to use parts or all of for giving to potential funders --- I invited those who came to the WOSonOS? to bring handicrafts from their countries to sell [in the "Global Village Marketplace" to raise money for the Access Queen Fund or to get some money back for their own outstanding travel expenses -- I encouraged folks to believe in themselves and the community by asking for assistance --- I asked people to consider donating their Frequent Flyer miles, sharing their accommodation on-site and paying for that other person's bed) --- just about everything I could think of.
I also received from the WOSonOS? 2001 the money left over after expenses were paid. Into that fund a few folks sent me money from the sale of original works of art on Books of Proceedings that had been auctioned off at their Open Space events, books of poetry they'd sold, and more.
Some amazing people had the courage and faith to ask, and some generous people responded, as did the Open Space Institutes of Australia and of the United States. We (you) helped six people get to WOSonOS? in Australia in 2002. In 2003, again with the help of many individual donors plus the Institutes of Australia and the United States, and the addition of the Open Space Institute of Canada, we helped six people get to the WOSonOS? in "Swenmark". And in "Swenmark" during the WOSonOS? people raised additional money for Access Queen by holding a silent auction, selling capoeira and salsa dance lessons and massages, and buying each others' crafts and books at the Global Village Marketplace. In 2004 the Access Queen Fund helped a colleague from Russia and a group of Indian colleagues attend the Goa, India WOSonOS?. In 2005, 15 people came to WOSonOS? in Halifax, Canada due to funding support or the non-financial support of matching people for room shares, accessing discounts on registration fees (thank you, WOSonOS? host teams!), helping folks navigate the costs of ground transport or pocket money, and more. In 2006, Askers and Givers came to Moscow. In 2007, Kiev, Ukraine. And now, in 2008, Askers and Givers will come to San Francisco, California, USA for WOSonOS? 2008.
So if you have any ideas for how to raise money for this or next year's intrepid adventurers, if you want some ideas for how to raise your own money to get to WOSonOS? in San Francisco in 2008, if you have some extra money, frequent flyer miles or other resources you want to donate to the Access Queen Project, do contact me and let's make more dreams come true!
Contact me at mailto:lisaheft@openingspace.net
LisaHeft Berkeley, California, USA
Here is a sample template for requesting funding for attending the WOSONOS conference...
Request for Funding for ___[your name]____
Attendance and participation in the 16th International Open Space conference -- July 2008 in San Francisco, California, USA
Use this, plagiarize this, adjust it, tailor it to fit your style, whatever helps you in your requests for support. If you have any questions about how to write things just contact Lisa at mailto:lisaheft@openingspace.net She’s happy to provide feedback on your own writing if you need a second reader. Do let her know of any successes you may have raising funding through this or other manners, so she (as Access Queen) can share that news with others on the OSLIST and share all of our good and creative ideas
This is a request for funding for all or part of expenses (registration, travel, accommodation, and per diem) for ___[your name]___ to attend the 16th annual world conference of facilitators specializing in the use of the method of Open Space Technology. For professionals in this field, this is the one place where they can learn from and share and work with others in their area of expertise, exchange approaches and observe trends, gain a greater awareness of global and intercultural issues and as a result bring their own professional work to a higher level. Because it is an interactive conference, participants will be able to bring up their specific case studies for work among their peers. The comparable activity would be to attend an extensive Master Class or participate in research and field study.
The 16th International Open Space Conference: World Open Space on Open Space
The 16th International Open Space Conference: World Open Space on Open Space (otherwise known as WOSonOS?) will be held in San Francisco, California, USA -- July 23 to July 26, 2008 (with a workshop for some delegates and other events beginning July 21 and running through July 27, 2008).
This is a participatory conference. The agenda will be co-created by the participants during the opening activities and all registrants are potential presenters -- therefore there is no agenda available in advance. A full participant list plus a list of topics and presenters will be available at the end of the event. A recent year’s topics included: Open Space with Blind People; The Short (3-hour) OS Meeting; Good Practice Methods; The Practice of Peace; OST and Open Space Online; High-Tech in Open Space; Personal Preparation; Participative Planning and Open Space; Marketing of Open Space; Doing OST Differently - Sharing Tradecraft; Getting the Theme / Topic Right; How to Avoid Oppression in Open Space; Advantages of OST for Business Executives; Working with Communities; Open Space and Nature; and OS and First Nations.
For further information about the Conference, contact:
What is Open Space Technology?
This is a way to format a group meeting, retreat or conference that generates communication, collaboration, innovation, and other solutions to challenges and transitions. When your organization or community has a complex problem, you are completely out of ideas regarding a solution, you have a diversity of people that you can bring to the process, and the time for resolving this situation was yesterday --- This is a great time for Open Space. Group members emerge from the process invigorated, refreshed, and proud of their individual and collective accomplishments. Committees, task forces and design teams can take weeks, months and even years to accomplish their goal – or in some cases simply to define their goal. Much of this same work can be accomplished by holding an Open Space. A half- or one-day Open Space can help people to quickly bring forth emerging issues and opportunities and to build mutual understandings and networking; a 2.5 day Open Space includes issues, opportunities and action planning, resulting in a complete written report of the proceedings for all participants plus identification and prioritization of next steps.
Open Space is an interactive process -- participants meet in concurrent and overlapping mini-discussions around a theme or an issue, across departmental, hierarchal or historically opposite lines. The cross-pollination of moving from group to group and topic to topic in a non-linear way allows participants to jump quickly from familiar ways of thinking into innovation and action, going only to groups where they feel they are learning or contributing.
The use of Open Space Technology has been effective in over 20 years in a diversity of settings, cultures and countries. The method has been used by communities working towards peace, chemists designing new polymers, tribal and governmental leaders planning land use, community advocates and local government designing literacy programs, conference organizers holding conferences in this format, architects designing pavilions for the Olympics, an entire town having a simultaneous discussion town meeting, and community workers helping communities rebuild and heal after times of war. This tool can be utilized by groups of 5 to over 2000 and the dynamics and the results are always the same: input from stakeholders at all levels, new ways of thinking and working, large amounts of work done rapidly, bringing perceived competitors together on issues and projects, organizational flexibility, interdepartmental or intercommunity teamwork, a sense of accomplishment and a feeling of passion and energy for the challenges ahead.
Worldwide Open Space
For more information about the method of Open Space Technology and to see a world map indicating where Open Space Technology has been used: http://www.openspaceworld.org (in various languages)
Harrison Owen is the originator of Open Space Technology. His book, "Open Space Technology: A User’s Guide" (Berrett-Koehler, publishers) may be ordered at a slight discount off the retail price at http://www.openspaceworld.org/wiki/wiki/wiki.cgi?ResourcesToPurchase
The global learning community of over 400 Open Space practitioners: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
___[your name]___
[A description of your work; a bio; how you will be using the information, learning and skills you gain and the partnerships you build from this event]; your contact information]
The Investment
Additional accommodation in Moscow and also perhaps in another city on the travel route will be required for arrival several days in advance to accommodate varying airlines’ schedules and participants acclimating to time zones as they ready themselves for the conference. It is also probable that the participant will not be able to reasonably fly out until at least a day or two after the event. Therefore a total of ______ additional night’s lodging is included in this funding request, plus a per diem and ground travel expenses for those several additional days in Kiev and/or another layover city.
Airline ticket round trip from _____ to San Francisco, California:
Ground transportation: [Describe costs of train, taxi, shuttle, etc. here]
Conference Fee:
[List here]
Conference Accommodation:
[List here]
Pocket money at conference: (Although some meals will be included in the Conference Fee, please keep in mind that there may be extra meals involved and for many people the simple costs of paying for a beverage or sharing a taxi may be prohibitive)
Pre- and Post-Conference Accommodation in the USA or other countries where overnights are required for longer travel:
Per diem in USA (or other countries this participant may have to stay over in to accommodate layover dates of country-to-country airline flight schedules - to cover food and other ground transportation):
Thank you for your consideration and your support.
With your support of a financial contribution towards the above expenses, _______will raise the level of [her/his] own expertise and service to communities and organizations and will share [her/his] experiences and lessons learned to enhance the learning of other professionals in [her/his] field. [She / He] will also be better able to share with and train others -- to disseminate a method for convening people that not only is useable by any non-facilitator but also exhibits a true democratic process, using the strength that diversity brings and is effective in all countries, cultures and settings.