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I've been leading a process like this for the past 12 years. It's the Tutor/Mentor? Connection. We started with 300 on our database in 1993 and now have over 15,000. We use the internet as a meeting place, and information exchange, and as an interchange that connects others with each other. I encourage the group to think of facilitation as part of an on-going process where each action leads to further actions toward a common goal (or goals). I've been trying to enlist professional facilitators to help in this process. At http://jordan-webb.net/tmc you can see surveys organized by a volunteer who also leads the Midwest Facilitators Network (MFN). My hope from a meeting such as the Common Good Gathering is that at many web sites around the world there will be a section with links, or "meeting places" which have links to the web sites/meeting places of everyone else who is hosting this type of process, all organized by category (health, youth, environment, economic development) and sub category (geographic, national, etc.) |
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I've been leading a process like this for the past 12 years. It's the Tutor/Mentor? Connection. We started with 300 on our database in 1993 and now have over 15,000. We use the internet as a meeting place, and information exchange, and as an interchange that connects others with each other. I encourage the group to think of facilitation as part of an on-going process where each action leads to further actions toward a common goal (or goals). I've been trying to enlist professional facilitators to help in this process. At http://jordan-webb.net/tmc you can see surveys organized by a volunteer who also leads the Midwest Facilitators Network (MFN). My hope from a meeting such as the Common Good Gathering is that at many web sites around the world there will be a section with links, or "meeting places" which have links to the web sites/meeting places of everyone else who is hosting this type of process, all organized by category (health, youth, environment, economic development) and sub category (geographic, national, etc.) Dan Bassill, www.tutormentorconneciton.org. |
CONVENER(S): RuthannPrange
PARTICIPANTS: ChrisCorrigan SallyDuros DougGermann JeffWeissglass JillPerkins SallyProuty
SUMMARY OF DISCUSSION, KEY POINTS, CONCLUSIONS, ACTIONS:
Ruthann described her feeling of both opportuniity and obligation to try to convene a gathering of facilitators who do or wish to use their skills in service of the common good. Her intention to explore such a possibility grew from her 2002 experience working with AmericaSpeaks? in NYC. Led by Carolyn Lukensmeyer,founder and president, the organization designed and conducted a large scale citizen engagement process around redevelopment of lower Manhatten post-9/11. Ruthann's role with the team was to recruit and coordinate over 500 volunteer facilitators from around the USA - and beyond. Though the "skill bar" was set high and everyone had to fund their own travel and expenses, over 1000 people volunteered and over 500 actually worked together.
They overwhelming expressed the appreciation they had felt for the opportunity to use what they knew were their real talents in service of something greater. They loved being around the skills and spirit of so many other bright, committed, skillful professionals. Conversations with many following the NY events convinced Ruthann that an intentional gathering of such people would be welcome and could be very important. Given her role in the NY work, she feels she has some "credibility capital", that she should invest in helping people connect. This conversation was one of her early attempts to articulate and test the idea. She requested thinking partners when she announced the session.
In no order of importance or conversational chronology, the following ideas and/or themes were expressed:
-Overall, very strong support for such a gathering as an exciting idea and possibility that not only could but should happen.
-Facilitation, especially as practiced by skilled "neutral" practitioners is in itself leadership - and a form of leadership needed in many realms
-Facilitators of this ilk may carry other titles but do their work in a facilitative fashion, though not necessarily one that is the norm in their profession (lawyer, teacher, mediator, manager, etc)
-Importance of linking facilitated "events" with the larger system/power/decision making (something Ruthann reported AmericaSpeaks? is particularly clear about and skilled in) Chris talked about the importance of "Rocking with Power"
-How to convene such a gathering that isn't just part of the "conferenceing of America"
-An opportunity for folks to know they aren't alone, the only ones out there
-Possibly a profoundly transformative gathering
-Enacting of passion
-Gifting of time
-Telling/sharing stories - creating new stories. A campfire image/intention
-Great longing to connect
-Acknowledgment of a community that already exists and might be invisible
-A web of learning becoming aware of itself
-Practice, practitioners, practice fields, creation of new practice(s)
-Honing our practice, ourselves .......explore more the meaning and implications of honing.
-Maybe honing purpose
-Energizing, transcendent
-Gratitude
-Unabashed idealism is OK
-Recognizing how we fit together
-See connections that are already there
-Spawning new work, connecting existing work
-Creation of a new discourse
-Shake the telescope a little to bring things into focus
-In-person or virtual - or both and how, simultaneous or sequential? Strong interest on Ruthann's part and gen'l, though not unanymous, agreement that in-person first is important but pre and post virtual connection critical
-Ruthann's awareness from other experiences that planning for "holding and supporting" what emerges is critical to get past event-only opportunity and impact
-Various skills and perspectives critical to scope, imagine, bring into being, including funding to support core creation staff and help low-income practitioners participate.
-Many ideas and questions about the "invitation" - who, what, why, where, when, how. Enabling and encouraging the presence of diversity, etc
Acknowledgment of invitation to this giving event as model with elements that might be applicable.
-Learning from and with one another
And much more - humble and appreicative thanks to all participants from convener. Welcome to one and all who weren't in the conversation but might want to join/contribute/inquire.