Thanks, Fremy, for sharing these stories on the OSList. The Open Space Institute/USA provided some financial support for this event last year and we have just made a grant for 2009. I am telling the list about OSI/USA's financial sponsorship of this important work as a way to let the OS community know how their financial support of the Open Space Institute/USA works.
"We" did this together. OSI/USA's mission is to hold space for OS. Everyone on our board feels that the money we give to Haiti's OS community goes further than anything else we spend it on. I hope I don't sound like I am patting the OSI/USA on the back. .. it is my intention to remind everyone on the list that 'we' did it together, 'we' being the worldwide OS community. I don't remember exactly how much we gave the Haiti organization last year but I think it was about two thousand dollars. And I think that $2,000 made it possible for twenty people to attend the event who otherwise would not have been able to. I am proud of everyone. And, thanks, Fremy, for sharing these stories with the OSList. Fremy had shared these stories with our board and I asked him to share them with the list. On Sun, Apr 19, 2009 at 2:09 PM, fremy cesar <fremyce...@hotmail.com> wrote: > Dear Open Space Collegues, > Below, there are some stories collected after the annual Open Space in > Haiti in 2008. > > It is with great pleasure that I’m writing this report on the seventh > annual Open Space meeting in Haiti. In Haiti, Open Space has become a > crucial tool in helping organizations or any other group change their > practices in order to achieve more participation and shared responsibility. > > > > The seventh annual Open Space meeting in Haiti took place on June 26-29, > 2008. 79 of the 87 participants stayed at Villa Ormiso, which hosted the > event, and the remaining participants commuted every day. For most of the > participants, the fees related to their participation in that meeting were > covered by the organizations with which they are working. The Haiti Open > Space Institute sponsored 17 of them. > > > > *Theme:* > > * * > > *The Practice of Open Space: How are we using this approach to increase > organizational effectiveness?* > > > > *Below are several of the topics proposed in the village market:* > > > > - How can we use OS to help handicapped people, to make them feel they > also belong in society? > - How can OS be used to raise youth’s awareness about HIV/AIDS? > - How can we use OS to get Haitian and Dominican organizations to work > together? > - How can we help OS become a tool used in schools? > - How can OS help us in teaching people their rights and duties? > - The advantages and disadvantages of gay and lesbians in society. > > > > Below are reflections from some of the participants who had their lodging > and meals covered thanks to the generous gift from OSI, USA. All of them are > active members in our network. > > > > “For me, open space is a method, which can play an important role within > the Haitian society. Haiti has been in slavery for a great number of > years; it takes a lot of time for such a nation to become educated in the > right way and I think the OS method can do much in helping to achieve that > goal. I know that a lot of people have already been trained in OS and I > hope it will continue. I take advantage of the opportunity to give many > thanks to the OS Institute, which sponsored my participation in the OS this > year; I must say I benefited a lot from that method. > > > > > In the past, I used to think that what I did was always right and I always > wanted others to see things the same way I did, which usually created a lot > of frustration and disappointment in me. When I started participating in > OS, I realized that was not realistic; I started showing more tolerance > toward people and their ideas. Thus, I feel I have relieved myself of taking > on other people’s responsibilities and personal objectives. I really > benefited from that space, which was really open in order to share my > knowledge with others and to also learn from what others were sharing with > us.” > > (Marie Kerline Janvier) > > > > “I’m Mauricette Jean Lucien ; I’m one of those whose participation in the > Open Space at Villa Ormiso has been sponsored. My experience there and > what I learned will help me practice that method better; it will help me do > my work of managing my organization better, in an effective manner and in a > way that respects one another’s opinions” > > (Mauricette Jean Lucien) > > > > > > “Open Space is a suitable name for what it means. I can say it is an > activity, which can transform society. I see it already in myself, Open > Space brought a lot of change for me in my organization. Every time I > participate in the Open Space, I feel like I have moved into a higher level. > > > > Having my participation in the Open Space sponsored is for me the greatest > gift I could have received in my life. Open Space has brought a lot of > change in my life and in the organization of which I’m the leader. > > > > It helps me grow better in life. Every time I participate in the Open > Space, I learn a lot from the other participants. I used to see things > differently before. > > > > In the Open Space, I learned how to reflect and to plan ahead of time > everything I need to do. The three biggest things I learned from Open > Space are: shared power, building a culture of tolerance in me, building > a culture of peace.” > > (Delva Marie Eramithe) > > > > > > “We went to the training, which took place at Villa Ormiso, in June, 2008. > It brought a lot of changes through one workshop on education in which I > participated. The ideas shared have brought a lot of change in me. I > always had that thought, which was : why was I making all those sacrifices > for my children when my parents did not do anything for me; I always said > that if they had provided me a high enough level of education, I would not > have gone through certain hardships. When I got home, I reflected about > everything that has been said and I immediately freed myself from that > thought. > > Open Space taught me to plan what I need to do today and tomorrow ; Open > Space made it so that today my children go to school without any difficulty, > they can eat, they have a home; I plan everything based on what comes into > my hands. There is not enough time for me to say all the things this method > has done for me.” > > (Villard Malya) > > > > > > “I’m Theophile ANTOINE, I had the chance of being introduced to the Open > Space method since the year 2003. But, it is the first time that I have > the opportunity to participate in the Open Space on Open Space at Villa > Ormiso. > > > > It was a very enriching experience for me. Not only did it help me meet > many other people, but also it helped me build my skills even more in order > to be tolerant toward others even when I do not agree with their ideas, > which is something I think many people in our country are missing. > > > > Now, I also feel capable of leading an open space, after having > participated in a workshop on that. > > > > With respect to the welcome, it was very good because as soon as you enter > the yard, there was always someone to help you either with registration or > to show you to your room. > > > > With respect to workshop discussions, it went very well. Because the > rules of the Reflection Circles method were followed almost 100%. (Listen > with care to others and don’t cut them off. Speak clearly so that others can > hear you and in a way that they can understand you.) The meals were very > good and they were always served on time. > > > > I would like to thank you very much for your sponsorship this year and I > hope the next Space will be even nicer and more interesting than this year.” > > (Theophile ANTOINE) > > > > “I would like to greet the members of the Open Space Institute in Haiti and > those from the Open Space Institute in USA and I take advantage of this > opportunity to thank them for working together to sponsor my participation > in the latest Open Space on Open Space, which took place at Villa Ormiso, in > June, 2008. It is with great pleasure that I will talk about my work > after having gone through this meeting where I learned a lot in order to go > further. > > > > With respect to the promise we had made to go back and work in order to get > more people in Haiti to practice open space, I did not lose any time ; I led > an open space meeting with the organization I usually work with, which is > the Social and Sports Association of Marie-Therese (ASSMATH) and the theme > was : how can we start bringing a social and economic response within > Marie-Therese. I did the planning for that space, which took place on > Sunday, July 6, 2008, from 8 am to 1 pm (Marie-Therese is a poor > neighborhood located on Route de Freres, in the commune of Petion-Ville). > Children, youth, and adults participated in that open space. As a result, > they were all satisfied and they expressed how much they appreciated that > meeting and asked the association to hold another one in a short while; it > was a successful initiative for the members of the association and > especially for me who initiated that movement within the association. > > > > My work did not stop there although it has not become concrete yet, but I > started sharing and spreading that initiative, which started in the > neighborhood of Marie-Therese, with other association leaders from other > neighborhoods of Route de Freres, with the goal to expand the Route de > Freres network. And I am considering holding open space in many churches > and other institutions, which have a need for it. Therefore, I’ve > already started working on a project to implement everything I’ve just said. > > > > I support the work that the Haiti Open Space Institute and the USA Open > Space Institute are doing to promote the practice of open space everywhere > through sponsoring participants from several sectors of activities and > taking the initiative to train and have everyone participate.” > > (Mario Merancien) > > > > I would like for all OSI, USA members to know how grateful we are and how > much respect we have for you. We’ll always be ready to support > activities, which will take place in Haiti and we have a lot of gratitude > for that. > > > > Great appreciation and respect for all of you. > > > > Fremy Cesar > > For the Haiti Open Space Institute > > > *2008 OS/OS Report for the OSI, USA* > > Submitted November 16, 2008 > > Translation by Myriam Narcisse > > > > _____________________ > Fremy Cesar Co-directeur > Fondation Limyè Lavi > Haiti: > BP.15812 Petion-Ville > Tel: 509. 3705.3395 > > Guadeloupe: > Rue Charlery Bance > 97160 LE MOULE > Tel: 0590 818762 > 0690 862654 > www.eksperyansla.info > > > > * * ========================================================== > 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 -- Love rays, Tree Fitzpatrick http://thecultureoflove.blogspot.com/ . . . the great and incalculable grace of love, which says, with Augustine, "I want you to be," without being able to give any particular reason for such supreme and unsurpassable affirmation. -- Hannah Arendt 1335 Montecito Ave Apt. 35 Mountain View, California 94043 (650) 967-9260 * * ========================================================== 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
