After Ecstasy, The Laundry
Convenor: Chris Wei-ying Low / Paul Everett
Participants: Jill Hardwick, Michael Kukla, Nicole Tamburro, Lyneve Whiting, Penny Wolf, Jan Carr, John James, Justus Lewis, Michael Dobbie, Herbie O’Flynn, Maria Maguire, Kerry Willis, Rob Chaffe
Summary of Discussion, Conclusions, Recommendations, Actions:
Open space every six weeks in on the island of Lagonav, Haiti. How do we get action?
Resourcing issues: time, skills, ask group: “Is this appropriate?” Use inquiry to have the groups assess their own capacity, collectively and as individuals. Distingush between what they want to do and what they CAN do given their resources and capacity.
Each meeting should be talking about the present issues, not the past issues
Have a faith in success. It breeds actions that create the future.
Documentation as a way to maintain momentum, unofficial leaders emerge. Use a feedback process to plot progress, such as a chart, a space on the floor, listings, or illustrations to promote commitment and feel small successes.
Identify the person(s) who carried the group memory, criticism of actions is absent.
Follow-up is Crucial: Who is doing it? Relationship building, “How’s it going”, attitude, not “checking up on you”.
Create song, dance, poetry and relationships between people, these are critical to on-going activities.
Open Space is the Story Action---changes people’s story.
Have a story action called Open Space
Carrying the group memory and facilitating/enabling others to succeed. You need someone to work the white spaces---the place where people and/or organisations come together.
Formal acknowledgment of what has happened as a step to gaining further commitment.
Recognition of groups that emerge, using symbols (ribbons, badges, whatever is culturally appropriate) to add to their sense of commitment.
Opportunity to create space to celebrate experience. Discover what celebration means in the cultural context in which you are working.
How do you record your action plan?
Matrix of “want to do” and “can do”. Map out the matrix on the floor and have people go and stand on the commitment square with their bodies.
Medicine Wheel
What kinds of interventions might we do? (appropriate structure and control)