Kevin, Welcome to the list! I have found this list the place where I'm closest to more than 400+ strangers (more and more of whom have become friends) over the past 4 years.
As Chris Corrigan (www.chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot) mentioned recently, this list is an incredible place. Indeed, for me it has been a source of spiritual support. Many miracles have been born here. I've lost count. I think your nose will tell you who you want to "remember" OS with, as OS has always been with us and nobody can teach it. Only a "reminderer" (not facilitator or even trainer can "teach" OS), many of us believe. I "remembered" OS with Birgitt Williams (www.genuinecontact.net) in Novosibirsk, Russia (like you, I'm an American abroad- based in Moscow). The Genuine Contact Program offers one of the many ways/approaches/"schools" to OST. It has been so interesting to learn that with OST we have come to part/much of the answer. And each of the approaches to OST offers a special something. And OST is changing too as we are as people. One of the most satisfying regular events that the OST community/organization holds regularly is the international annual gathering of OST practitioners and those with an interest in OST: the Open Space on Open Space (OSonOS). Moscow has the privilege of hosting next year's OSonOS, August 4-6, 2006. This is an absolutely delightful way of meeting many of those who have been doing this work for a while (or just started yesterday). You can learn more about the OSonOS at: http://www.openspaceworld.org/news/open-space-on-open-space Another very valuable (perhaps under-mentioned) resource is Harrison Owen's Understanding Open Space CD audio set. This set is his "reminding" talks from an OST Reminding Workshop in Seattle in 1999. I have found especially the first CD to be extremely valuable in "remembering" what OST and os is. http://www.openspaceworld.org/cgi/wiki.cgi?BooksAndVideos Lastly, you might want to consider from the very beginning creating a mentoring circle or stammtische (thanks to our German OSWorld friends, and Michael Pannewitz in particular for this term-- www.openspaceworldmap.org) of people who practice or have an interest in OST. Creating a community of practice does not have to be something hard or time-consuming: it can be like a stammtische -- meeting at a bar, or something that has the formal elements of an OST meeting as might be the case with a mentoring circle. Once you begin creating the community it makes the work of introducing OST in places where people are not as familiar with it much easier, and it is easier to learn. Warmly, Raffi Aftandelian essenceworks consulting group Moscow, Russia mailto:ra...@bk.ru * * ========================================================== osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist
