Egyptian Youth in Open Space, Facebook


Harrison Owen shared this recently on the OSLIST:

Egypt at the Crossroads Project
Thursday, March 31 at 9:00am – April 3 at 5:00pm
Location: Hotel Palmera (Ain al Sukhna)

Created By
Egyptian Youth Federation – الصفحة الرسمية للإتحاد النوعي لجمعيات الشباب

Approach
The workshop will be an Open Space event aiming to exchange views and visions on Egypt’s future between Egyptian and German youth belonging to political parties on the issue of political reforms in Egypt. Our goal is to empower the role of youth in the democratization process via training and dialogue among young members of the civil society and political parties in Egypt.

Background
The project promotes the establishment of structures for independent youth work, which increases the opportunities for young people in Egypt to participate in social processes. They are supported in their efforts to play an active and creative role in civil society, working towards a sustainable democracy and taking part in NGO activities of youth cultural centers.

Goals
This Open Space offers the participants room to discuss their understanding of human rights and democratic change, discover their potential power to change and improve the social and political reality of Egypt develop their own project ideas and implement them effectively The aim is support young people to shape their futures independently and join the political and social dialogue in Egypt.

Target Group:
Motivated and engaged young people (20+) who are either already members or are interested in joining or founding an NGO.

Join Now :
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Egyptian-Youth-Federation/203160736364186?sk=app_6009294086

8th Haitian OSonOS Gathering


John Engle sends this report and also publishes on-the-ground regular updates on progress at http://www.haitipartners.org/the-blog/:

We just completed 9th Annual Haiti Open Space on Open Space. Here’s a quick blog entry with link to photos and a short video.

http://www.haitipartners.org/2010/06/9th-annual-haiti-open-space/

We are grateful more than you can imagine for generous support of OSI (US), which is made possible through people like you. THANK YOU!

Open Space is thriving in Haiti. More than 80 people convened from around the country for this gathering. The atmosphere was upbeat and even joyful. The resilience of Haiti’s people continues to amaze me.

Thank you for your interest in what’s happening in Haiti and for your generous support. We feel so fortunate to be a part of this global network.

With deep gratitude,

John, on behalf of many here

Devoted and Disgruntled 5


Phelim McDermott reported recently…

It’s amazing but it is now five years since I first dived into Open Space after reading Harrison’s book. At that time I had never been to an open space event had no idea what it looked like but knew it in my bones.Since then we have done Devoted and Disgruntled 5 times and done one in Scotland, one Brazil, one in in NYC and one in Newcastle will be doing another one In Newcastle in the coming months. Been asked to set one up in LA etc.. its become a growing community of people who are devoted to theatre and want to use the fuel of their disgruntlement to change.

I remember that the thing that really inspired me to read the book in the first place was Harrison’s intro saying OS belonged to everyone and would never be certified/owned/contained etc we should all just do it. It reminded me of my own feelings about Impro and its relationship to the many attempts to categories, teach, quantify it. In the end Impro just was and would appear where it wanted. It also reminded me of Robert Le Page’s advice to “Mummenchance” theatre that they must “Give away the recipe.” He was referring specifically to the recipe for their squidgy changing putty like masks. But he meant this as a wider metaphor to look after our own creativity. We must gift the recipe not guard it.

In this spirit here’s our fifth annual report on the state of people who are passionate and responsible about theatre. The event is an annual 2.5 event on third day we reopen the space for whatever people want to still talk about and do.

So here’s the report and here’s a visual representation done from the report by wordle which i love. It’s a big theatre word sitting in a nexus of other issues! I think it gives a better feeling representation of the event than the report.

Report from 1st European Open Space on Open Space, Paris 2009


This report from Christine Koehler in Paris:

Appreciation, common ground, and deep conversation: all appear in Open Space as natural, emergent phenomenon. Best of all the people believe they did it all by themselves. And they did! Further more they know at some deep level that they can do the same thing again – and will. That is true empowerment. It is not the method, the process, or the facilitator. It is the people. And I can go and take a nap knowing that they will do an infinitely better job no matter how hard I might work. –Harrison Owen to OSLIST, July 30, 2009

On October 30, Saturday October 31 and Sunday, November 1rst 2009, was held the first European Learning Exchange , for a 3 days Open Space format, in one of the most beautiful scene in Paris : La Grande Arche de la Defense Facilitators, organizations, sponsors, colleagues who use Open Space Technology as a wonderful way to help groups self-organize and solve their most important problems with passion and responsibility were welcome.

We explored how we can best assist sponsors, organizations and ourselves to expand space and time for self-organization

Thirty-four participants coming from France, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, USA, speaking and holding sessions in English or French or in both langages, a facilitator from Germany, a team speaking 3 langages, gathered together at La Grande Arche . There was great ayurvedic food with spicy tastes, great energy, passionate discussions, interesting topics.

Twenty-three topics were posted as well as 18 action plans :

* open space film
* Quelles conditions idéales pour une efficience optimale ?
* Situation of Open Space in France and in Europe
* Follow-up of interventions : experience, practice
* Open Space in the Balkan Countries
* OsT et IT
* prepare participants to prepare to be surprised
* How to measure the ROI of collaborative facilitation designs ?
* How and where can we use OS ‘facilitation methods in France ?
* How do l calculate my fee for OST-facilitation
* WOSonOS 2010 Berlin
* Sustain cross pollination (follow-up)
* Cercles de reconnaissances
* How can we use collaborative approaches to support Eco-responsive initiatives ?
* comment aider les entreprises à créer un environnement favorable à l’épanouissement des salariés, quête de sens et valeurs partagées ?
* Open Space in participatory planning and public deliberation processes
* What is unique about OST ?
* Learning Exchange : reloaded, continued, deepen
* OST as ldentity building process
* What could a community of OSniks do in France ?
* A network of practitioners of collaborative approaches
* Talking alternatives processes into the French organizations
* La décroissance
* Comment créer une culture collaborative en entreprise ?
* Next steps (18 )

To have a better feeling about this event, look at our pictures and videos: Invitation on slides, Photos on Flickr.com are here and here. Watch the Video of closing circle. You can also download the Book of proceedings ( pdf file ).

See you next time in Berlin in may 2010 for World Open Space on Open Space. We expect to have passionnate discussion about the future of Open Space events in Europe. Come and join us there !

WOSonOS Report


Gail West, convener of the group that hosted the 18th annual World Open Space on Open Space practitioners’ gathering, reports from sunny Taiwan:

It was a time of deep, conversation, fun in the sessions and outside, celebration, I-Ching readings, spacial massage, reiki healing for one of the participants who got ill the last day, one child who came with her Mother, drawings, delicious food and more. And so……………. before the closing circle on Day 3, we had a whole-group conversation about “what’s next?” Following an invitation from Michael Jr to a global open space community gathering in Berlin in May 2010, we declared a consensus from this gathered group on behalf of others who were not able to be present in Taiwan, to have the 18th WOSONOS in Berlin in 2010. We hope to see many of you (including those not on this listserve) in Berlin in May 2010!

There were lots of camera folks here, so another round of photos, as well as the group discussions can be found in the included links. Enjoy!

Click for WOSONOS 2009 pictures on flicker or WOSONOS 2009 Group Discussion Documents Anyone can just sign-in, add new post, leave some comment, or start a new discussion.

Sustainability Summit in Harrisonburg, Virginia


from Bruce Lundeen at Shenandoah Valley Pure Water Forum

May 30th (Saturday) Harrisonburg Mayor Kai Degner convened a Sustainability Summit with an Open Invitation for all to participate. See link to summit website and watch local media WHSV-TV video coverage:

The meeting was run using Open Space Technology as a conference methodology. Latest Reports and Announcements from the Saturday event, already posted at the summit website. See report on water as a sample of one of the many reports from the Summit. Attendees came from all over (including Washington, DC) with a majority from the local Harrisonburg, Rockingham County area –there are 60 partner organizations listed.

Real-Time (Global) Virtual Collaboration


Lucy Garrick reports from The North Shore Group, Seattle WA on a synthesis of Open Space and a number of other change facilitation and virtual collaboration tools…

The Time For Global Collaboration Has Come. In the last month I helped design and facilitated the world’s first real-time global collaboration on the subject of positive change. This work excites me because as technology is providing new ways to connect and work together, RTVC provides an opportunity to reconfigure the way people collaborate in organizations as well as across organizations, communities, institutions and governments.

What is real-time global virtual collaboration (RTVC)?

RTVC is a group of change consultants and facilitators who adapt and integrate traditional collaborative change tools and facilitated techniques, such as inquiry, dialog and other group processes, for positive change.



The concept of the world’s first Real-time Virtual Collaboration Conference was to hatched about four weeks ago. It demonstrates what is possible when integrating facilitative change tools such as Open Space, World Cafe, Three Lens Conversation, etc. with real-time social media, such as VOIP, wikis, online collaborative tools and social media such as Twitter, LinkedIn, or facebook.

Conference participants prepared for the conference through a Mind Map portal created especially for this event.

The 1/2 day conference was designed and organized by the RTVC Team, itself a self-organizing group of consultants and facilitators living in seven countries: Germany, S.Africa, Brazil, United Kingdom, Ontario, USA, and Canada – most of us have not yet met face-to-face.

Conference participants from 30 countries convened on Skype Chat for the opening plenary session, posting topics for break-out sessions on positive change. Break-out sessions were held on the a variety of social media chosen by conveners of the break-out sessions. Think of a sort of virtual, conference hotel. 
Over 50 participants from around the globe signed on to the opening session using Skype Chat. 
Opening and closing sessions were facilitated by members of the RTVC organization.

Reactions To The Conference Taken from the Closing Session Transcript
thrilling 

excitement 

multilevel 

smooth 

encouraging 

engaging 

conversations 

learning
like riding a roller coaster
technically challenging

possibility 

engaging
falling off the cliff 

bacterial 

crossing boundaries
engaging 

exhilarating 

surfing 

disruptive 

just starting 

difficult connections
interesting 

complex 

What’s next? 

calls for more 

germinal

Click on the RTVC Mind Map to see facts, key learnings, session topics and more. Note instructions on how to navigate the mind map in the lower right corner of the page.

To learn more about RTVC join us at the RTVC Forum on the Change Management Toolbook.
Click to see how countries were represented at the Conference.

Leadership in a Self-Organizing World


Leadership in a Self-Organizing World is going on right now, May 14-17, bringing together years of experiments, efforts, stories, wisdom, and questions about leadership practice — with conference results showing up in wiki notes, flickr photos, and twitter updates.

New Video: 1,800 Delegates in Open Space


Christine Whitney Sanchez, reporting from Phoenix, AZ:

You can now purchase a DVD of CONNECTED: Transforming the Conversation at the 2005 Girl Scout National Convention through the Open Space Institute-USA bookstore. Proceeds go to the Open Space Institute-USA.

Here’s the description…

CONNECTED: Transforming the Conversation at the 2005 Girl Scout National Convention Р16 minute DVD РEnglish. This high energy video tells the story of how a blend of Open Space Technology and World Caf̩ were used to bring member voices to the foreground at the 2005 Girl Scout National Convention. Open Space brought self-organization to 1,800 elected delegates and multi-generational Strategy Caf̩s brought conversations that matter to 3,000 girls and adults. Price: US$60 go to bookstore

Pictures and Posters


Thanks to Doug Caldwell for the following pictures and posters…

Open Space on Open Space Proceedings


The proceedings from the sixteenth annual Open Space on Open Space, about 80 sessions worth of notes, thanks to 120 or so friends and practitioners, from more countries than I could tally from the participant list… are now posted for downloading. Enjoy!

Worldwide OSonOS Conversation Notes


Larry Peterson says:

Read the notes from another great conversation, in February, among contacts from institutes and groups from 8 countries around the world. We focused on Worldwide OSonOS which will be held in San Francisco so check it out. We also explored the possibilities for upcoming events in Taipei, Taiwan and Berlin (or another European location).

There were also some great stories of development in various countries and groups.

Thomas Herrman facilitated and Larry Peterson took the notes.

See you in San Francisco!

Création du réseau francophone Forum ouvert – Canada


FO rapport et historique français: Forum ouvert sur le Forum ouvert – Aller plus loin dans l’action, à Brownsburg-Chatham, Québec, le 13 octobre 2007. Rapport et historique (pdf)

Précédemment: 1e Forum ouvert sur le Forum ouvert international en français: Val David (Québec) Canada, 14 au 16 septembre 2007. Thème : Aller un peu plus haut, un peu plus loin dans nos connaissances et nos pratiques du Forum ouvert. Rapports de discussion (pdf)

Worldwide OS-Online — follow up


Event Report about “Worldwide OpenSpace-Online on Open Space Technology”

A large international group of Open Space Technology Practitioners from around the globe look back to a fantastic worldwide community gathering. On June 30th/July 1st, 2007 almost 100 OST colleagues and friends from 25 countries joined this unique Internet event. The flow of socializing and knowledge sharing was extremely powerful and joyful. Right after the 4.5 hour OpenSpace-Online® Real-Time Conference, Harrison Owen sent the following message to the OSLIST:

“Thanks to Gabriela Ender and her wonderful crew, we were treated to a marvelous global gathering. And we didn’t have to go anywhere! Actually I tuned in from my dock on the lake (WiFi reaches just that far) – so there I am with a fresh breeze in the face, water lapping at my feet and in constant communication with friends and colleagues from all over the world. The software is seamless, and if you have ever been in the Open Space, it feels just like the real thing. But I do have to admit that I missed the eye-to-eye contact, and maybe more than that the hugs that seem to be a regular feature of Open Space. But that is a small thing. Gabriela has done a wonder. She should be proud and I know that if you ever have a chance to experience OpenSpace-on-line for yourself or with/for a client, you will not be disappointed. It is the real thing – sans hugs. Harrison”

You are warmly invited to download a 14 page event report including evaluation (PDF) about this Global OST Community Conference:
http://www.OpenSpace-Online.com/event-report_070707.pdf

Cheers,
Gabriela Ender

Recent Changes Camp Continues


This on the OSLIST from Deborah Hartmann…

RecentChangesCamp is the international conference for folks interested in Wikis, Collaboration, Community Building, and Self-Managing Teams. The latest of several incarnations dating back to January 2006 is taking place now in Montreal as RoCoCoCamp.

Here is the link to the slide show (so far 🙂
*http://flickr.com/photos/tags/rocococamp/show/
*if you click on the image you will see the caption of each photo as it
cycles through the slide show.

Session notes are accessible from the home page.
http://www.rocococamp.info/

See also “Talking Chair” for (what I think is) an exciting development!
http://www.rocococamp.info/TalkingChair

The space has been amazing to work with… unique and with its own
challenges and incredible benefits.

Today we will “converge” to move forward. Exciting!!

deb

UPDATE: RoCoCoCamp in the mainstream media, original in French and translated into English.

Extreme Open Space: Many Languages


They Do Things Differently There was the theme of a day for Customers, Testers and Developers Learning Each Others’ Languages — A French-English Open Space forum …hosted by the XP (eXtreme Programming) Day Montreal 2006 conference.

Deborah Hartmann has posted the invitation, photos of proceedings, and some other bits about this program, in the OpenSpaceWorld.NET wiki workspace. Way to go Deborah!

Proceedings from Moscow OSonOS


…are posted here. This was the 14th annual Open Space on Open Space (OSonOS) international gathering of OS practitioners. Regional OSonOS events are upcoming in Ukraine, Maine, North Carolina and elsewhere… listed here.

Proceedings of Practice of Peace Program, Berlin, December 2005


In December 2005, Harrison Owen conducted the Practice of Peace Program (PoP) in Berlin. The PoP Program makes a direct, energetic link between one’s life and the practice of OST and open space in life.

Michael Pannewitz,
host and organizer of the program, announced in a recent OS list post that the documentation from the workshop is now available online. You can read the documentation and also view photographs of Harrison’s 70th birthday celebration (held after the PoP) here.

Girl Scouts USA – Opening Strategic Conversations


Christine Whitney Sanchez writes:

Claudia Haack and I are excited to share our report to the Girl Scouts of the USA on the “Open Strategic Conversations” capacity building project which culminated in large events at the Girl Scout National Convention. Naturally, the Girl Scouts have given us their permission to share this with you.

On October 7, 2005, an Open Space on Governance was held for more than 1600 delegates and over the following 3 days Strategy Caf̩s attracted over 3000 participants. These events were eagerly awaited by 100 volunteers Рthe core of the capacity building effort who we had trained in Open Space and World Cafe. They had self-organized for planning and implementation before, during and after the convention to become the logistics backbone for these events.

The “Smooth Operators,” as they called themselves, captured the spirit and imagination of what lies in the future for Girl Scouting and have gone on to facilitate many Open Space events and World Cafe conversations in their local Girl Scout councils and their communities at large.

Whither British Drama? OST leads the way


Writer-director of the established British theater, Improbable, Phelim McDermott, is one of the latest people to join the OS discussion list.

Improbable organized a 200 person OST event in London on the topic of the current situation in British drama.

Of course, as many others who stumble upon OST, Phelim notes that he worked in open space long before he worked with the method.

Two articles in London’s Guardian and Observer describe this recent application of OST.

Reading about Improbable’s principles is also intriguing.

The original invitation for the two day OST event, DEVOTED AND DISGRUNTLED: What are we going to do about theatre?, was also posted to the OS list.

Improbable has graciously posted the proceedings from the two day event on their website.

Thank you for the story, Phelim!