The four-day Open Space Technology facilitator’s workshop finished yesterday. When it was done, Liz Logan and I stayed a while at the pavilion. I learned some things and crystalized some questions I’d like to share.
Liz has done a great deal of research about Peak Oil, and from her location near Atlanta she is preparing to provide both facilitation (“space holding”) and also content expertise for communities seeking to re-localize as a response to the peak oil reality.
Having just emerged from a 4-day facilitator’s workshop and from the SOS, we were both thinking about methodology and containers for transformation.
One question we explored was whether it is advisable for someone who takes leadership to hold space for transformation, whether in person or online, to also engage in content. My experience is clear that the facilitator of an OST meeting is most effective if he/she doesn’t attend breakout groups or otherwise engage on a content level. But I am interested in the question of the role of a space-holder for a blog like this one, or like Liz’s blog. Does an online collaboration space need a space-holder who doesn’t engage in content or action on initiatives?
I also enjoyed Liz’s stories about the strength of the relocalization movement in Northern California. I was not aware of this term as a movement, which is for me a wonderful alternative to, say, “anti-globalization”! We went on to get excited about the potential of SOS Communities and SOS Councils as a powerful tool for community relocalization.
I love that SOS Asheville will focus primarily on local actions and the local/regional sustainability community. And I am re-inspired to develop SOS as a model that small groups of local leaders can apply to their own communities. It also makes even more sense to me that the “circle of authors” for this SOS Asheville blog be the local folks who come to the seasonal SOS events.
Relocalization isn’t an idea. It’s a living reality that grows from local roots.
Chris
Liz Logan said,
July 6, 2006 at 8:07 pm
That’s a really interesting question about whether a blog like this one should be an “open space” with no content input from the “holder of the space” or not. I read a lot of blogs about sustainability, and the norm is for the author to put up some content and then open space for comment. Some blogs have people that comment every day. The Oil Drum http://www.theoildrum.com/ might be a good model because it has multiple contributors and a very active readership that posts hundreds of replies every day.
Here are a few relocalization resources: “Relocalize Now” is a book by Darley, Room, Rich, Heinberg that is soon to be released. The Relocalization Network http://www.relocalize.net/ offers support for groups that want to commit to promoting relocalization. They have a blog that updates you on what the various groups are doing. It is very inspiring.
Okay now if I could only figure out how to sign in and embed links in my comments!