Dear friends. Lots of wise thoughts have already been shared. I just wanted to say I facilitated an OST earlier this year, focusing on how to prevent harassements at schools in a community. 43 kids and 27 adults participated from about 8 different schools. The kids who are already engaged in those issues at their school, aged from 11-12 years to 16 and they participated just like everyone. They did really fine, brought up interesting issues and joined the session groups most of the time.
I noticed that some of the adults/teachers sometimes disturbed the kids a bit when wanting to help them. They did just fine but the adults didn´t trust that they would. At the end of the day some of the smaller kids were quite tired, one had to go home after lunch - stomachache from drinking too many sodas and eating biscuits. They were astonished: Can we have as many sodas as we want - well, if it´s Open Space it is, I thought (passion bounded by responsibility). Maybe next time I will not have almost unlimited resources in that area... I believe giving alternative activities as options being a good thing but in my case it wasn´t needed because they were all interested in the theme. Regards Thomas > -----Ursprungligt meddelande----- > Från: OSLIST [mailto:osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu]För chris weaver > Skickat: den 6 maj 2003 13:45 > Till: osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu > Ämne: Re: OS with kids - please advice > > > Gerard, > > I have had a similar experience. Here is what I recommend. > > For many of the younger children, the open space sessions > will not be very > interesting - a long time, talking about matters that are > abstract to them. > > I would approach people in the community who might be interested in > convening sessions that are hands-on, with kids in mind: > art, movement, > music, group games, etc. Since these sessions go up on the > agenda wall with > the others, then it is not a separate "child care" track, but > part of the > whole. And adults may choose to attend also of course > (imagine creating a > dance or painting along your theme of "what do we want to have in the > future, and how do we create it?" > > Whether the law of two feet can fully apply to children > depends on the norms > of supervision at your school. If the law does apply to all, > then a six > year old may leave the art session to wander the halls to > find her mother's > session, and children may be butterflies here and there if > they so choose. > If this is not comfortable to the sponsors then there could > be adult or > youth escorts to assist children who are ready to use their > "two feet". A > third choice is that children are only checked in and out of > the "childrens" > sessions by a parent, but then they are no longer equal > participants in the > OST, and the "childrens" sessions are not part of the whole, either. > > When we held a similar event at a school, many, but not all, > of the young > children chose to attended the art sessions, and many of the > older children > participated in other groups. At closing circle most of the > kids chose to > sit on the floor in the middle. After our once-around with > the talking > stick, the children shared their artwork individually and > sang two songs, > and that was our closing. It was marvelous. > > Chris > > > From: Gerard Muller <g...@openspace.dk> > > Reply-To: OSLIST <osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu> > > Date: Tue, 6 May 2003 10:14:35 +0200 > > To: osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu > > Subject: [OSLIST] OS with kids - please advice > > > > Dear All, > > > > I have been asked to facilitate an Open Space for a school. > The theme > > will be: "What school do we want to have in the future, and > how do we > > create it ?" > > > > When discussing who should participate, the conclusion at > this moment is > > the Board, the schools staff, parents, children and a > couple of others > > who have > > a say about or expertise in this. > > > > My question is about the children. This school has children > from 6-16 > > years old. The preparation group I am working with feels the older > > classes could participate. I expect also the younger ones > would just do > > fine - except that probably they will not be given a choice to > > participate or not - parents who want to join the meeting > will just take > > them along so as to not have to pay for someone to look after them. > > > > Anyone else has any experience with this ? > > > > Greetings from Denmark, > > > > > > > > > > Gerard Muller > > Open Space Institute Denmark > > > > * > > * > > ========================================================== > > osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu > > ------------------------------ > > To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, > > view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu, > > Visit: > > > > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html > > * > * > ========================================================== > osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu > ------------------------------ > To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, > view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu, > Visit: > > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html > * * ========================================================== osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu, Visit: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html