OSI-US Board Meeting November 24, 2006
- Thank you for your comments, adjustments, corrections.
Present: Douglas Germann Sr., Karen Davis, Lisa Heft, John Engle, Ric Giardina, Ed Laboy
- - Absent: Peggy Holman, Gabriel Shirley, Kerry Napuk, Mikk Sarv, Phelim Mc Dermott, Tree Fitzpatrick, Christine Whitney Sanchez - - Notes-taker: Lisa Heft
- We began by sharing moments of silence together.
- Mikk started the call with us but had to leave because due probably to weather conditions in Estonia there was a great buzzing sound in his telephone connection to our conference call. He is passionate about sharing the newsletter responsibility between the Open Space Institutes and wants us to move that item forward. He noted also that November 25 is St. Catherine’s Day in Estonia. In departing the call, Mikk took the buzzing bees with him, but also the honey…his presence was very much felt during our call.
1. International Co-Hosting for the Annual International OSonOS (Karen)
- Karen has been talking with Larry Peterson (OSI Canada) who has been also in touch with Brian (OSI-OZ) so our trio of OSI’s are ready to invite a call in January (at earliest because of holidays). Karen and Larry are working on a draft invitation and will send that to us all for input. Invitees: (others to add?) - Thomas (Sweden) Kerry (United Kingdom), Gerard Mueller (Denmark), Gail West (Taiwan), Tova Averbuch (Israel), Mikk (Estonia), Fremy Cesar / John (Haiti), Michael M Pannwitz (Germany), possibly Gerardo deLuzenberger (Italy), (who?)___ (France), (who?) ___ Ukraine (OSonOS 07) (+ any OSI’s or OS communities in South America or Africa? We are aware of individuals but not groups…). The purpose of call is to explore the possibility of collaboration among OSI’s / groups worldwide to co-sponsor the international OSonOS’s. This does not preclude regions hosting their own - however it is thought that global co-leadership for the annual international OSonOS’s could help with organization, continuity, marketing and promotion as well as creating more funds for each year’s Access Queen fund for that event.
Actions / Decisions / Agreements :
- If you are aware of other groups or OSI’s, please let Karen know.
- Please contact Karen if you have experience with international calls where we might be able to bill just one place for the international people who cannot afford to connect with us otherwise. John mentioned Skype and Karen will look on that website - if anybody has further ideas or details, let Karen know.
2. OS Institutes Collaboration on Worldwide Newsletter (Kerry, Karen, Mikk)
- Karen tested this idea with Larry Peterson (OSI Canada) - Larry was very enthusiastic. How to proceed?
Actions / Decisions / Agreements :
- As discussion regarding this logically would include the same people who will be on the International Co-Hosting for the Annual International OSonOS call, Karen will send out this idea along with the invitation to the people who will be part of that call. She will quickly check in with folks at the beginning of that call to ask them if they are interested in this newsletter idea and then we can continue follow-through on that project separately from that call.
3. OST Facilitator Training (Karen / Lisa)
- Karen and Lisa shared an email conversation Harrison had started regarding OST training - he had wanted to know if more (or other forms, or consolidation, or expansion, or anything) was needed. Karen and Lisa’s understanding of that conversation is that people responded in the same way as we do on the OSLIST when someone says ‘what can be done’ - you just open more space. There seemed to be an agreement on this email conversation that there is not any specific need - just everyone continue doing the good work. Karen is hosting a training January 14-17, 2007 under the Practice of Peace title (4 days with an option for of those days for folks who want to learn about facilitation and one of those days to include folks who wish to drop in for reconnection or exposure to the method). Lisa is hosting an Open Space Learning Workshop (2.5 days for people of all levels of experience, with a lot of time on all the aspects of pre-work) in San Francisco on December 6-8, 2006 and she will also be hosting a San Francisco workshop in April 2007.
Actions / Decisions / Agreements :
- Retire this item.
4. Practice of Peace Events continued expansion (Karen)
- Karen has spoken with several people who in past have held Practice of Peace events and trainings under that name. They may or may not do further trainings under the name Practice of Peace and with Harrison - they may instead offer future trainings without that title and with or without Harrison. There are not as many Practice of Peace activities as there were around the time of the publication of Harrison’s book by the same name. As all Open Space is indeed the practice of peace, practicing peace continues. If there are any other new Practice of Peace -specific activities, Karen will let us know.
Actions / Decisions / Agreements :
- Retire this item.
5. OS Field Guide Development (Doug)
- Doug is always interested in expanding OST in the USA. Our sense is that much coaching and mentoring is going on with people in the field and that seems to be doing the same thing as a ‘field guide’ would do. Some of the coached / mentored folks decide to join the OSLIST when invited, some not. What do these folks seem to need? They ask questions for coaching / mentoring and are offered feedback, ideas, the User’s Guide as basic reading, and materials such as can be shared through openspaceworld.org and Lisa’s website. Agreement that people seem do be doing great just ‘going off and doing it’, asking a few questions afterwards, and taking workshops or reading more as they feel they need it. Lisa is still ‘puttering’ on her project creating a database of case studies organized by type of organization / community (such as faith community, government, environment, etc.) and task (such as strategic planning, conference, conflict transformation, etc.) - this will continue and launch will be some time in future.
- Discussion that it may be useful to have a site on openspaceworld.org to further help OS facilitators promote / market / sell to potential clients - perhaps something that gathers letters and testimonials from leaders of businesses / organizations / communities (saying that it works and what they accomplished - perhaps this is also the same as clients’ thoughts 6 months after the OS event). Peggy, Chris Corrigan and Larry Peterson had invited evaluation / had developed interview questions OS facilitators could use with their clients and were going to create a resource sharing these evaluations. We would like to find out about how that is going, as well.
Actions / Decisions / Agreements :
- Continue this item in the Bin, get an update from Peggy, rename this item with Doug, Ed and Ric as its champions.
Reflections at the end of our meeting…
- Good participation, nobody dominating conversations, which is always appreciated; very efficient; felt good to be ‘all in the same living room having the same conversation’; thanks to Lisa for facilitating with humor and style and for taking notes; thanks to Karen for taking on so many issues and items (living systems that continue and continue); love to Mikk and his bumblebees; really feeling Peggy’s presence, as well; happy holidays to all
- We ended by sharing moments of silence together.
NEXT MEETING: December 22 11a PST / 7:00 GMT (usual time)
BIN for December 22 OSI(US) Board meeting:
- 1. International Co-Hosting for the Annual International OSonOS (Karen)
- 2. OS Institutes Collaboration on Worldwide Newsletter (Kerry, Karen, Mikk)
- 3. Creation of Resource (Testimonials, Evaluations) for Helping Facilitators Promote / Market OS to Potential Clients (Doug, Ed, Ric)
- 4. Guidestar (Peggy)