Dear Friends I have a one day open space this Friday in Canberra (Australia's capital) for our leading adult literacy organisation. The 50 or so people attending are policy makers from various fields. The focus is on literacy and young people. Several young people will be attending (say 2-3).
A member of the leadership team hosting the open space is very concerned that the process/the facilitator ensure that the voice of the young people is heard. While perhaps making some welcoming comments in my introduction, I don't intent to single them out or really do anything further than I would normally in opening the space. But, I am open to the wisdom of the list. I think it's a relevant concern that a group of 40 powerful adults could intimidate 3 young people (their small numbers are a problem in itself), even though that is not their intention. How would other people respond to these concerns, have you done anything differently to include young people in a largely adult group? Many thanks warm wishes andrew Andrew Donovan tel +61 3 9416 3021 fax +61 3 9416 2935 PO Box 1705 Collingwood VIC 3066 Australia