[Dialogue] The Occupy Crowd Meets the ToP Crowd: a Short Video

[John Cock]

Super, Gordon and Marti, et al. Thanks for being there on our behalf.
 
John

  _____  

From: dialogue-bounces at lists.wedgeblade.net
[mailto:dialogue-bounces at lists.wedgeblade.net] On Behalf Of Gordon Harper
Sent: Thursday, May 17, 2012 3:45 AM
To: Colleague Dialogue
Subject: [Dialogue] The Occupy Crowd Meets the ToP Crowd: a Short Video


I know that many of us are engaged in some way with the Occupy movement, and
it's a subject worth talking about.  We've had Occupiers in our facilitation
training here in Seattle, and Molly Shaw and I have worked with several of
their projects.  

I caused something of a disturbance in the Force (who, me?) this January.  I
announced at the annual ToP conference in Sacramento that I thought we might
have some things to learn as well as to share about grassroots facilitation
through dialogue with the Occupy movement--and that I had therefore invited
about fifteen Occupiers from Seattle and UC Davis to our gathering for an
interchange session.  

This came about because I had mentioned to some of my troublesome friends
here in Seattle that I would be attending this conference and then learned
that a number of them would be on a trek visiting other Occupy groups along
the Pacific coast during that same time.  It became very clear to me that
God intended for our two groups to connect.

The ToP leadership team put this on the schedule as a small Open Space
option on the last afternoon of our conference.  It would be while most
attendees would be completing action planning in their task forces for the
year ahead.  

However, when I asked that morning for how many were interested in being
part of this Occupy encounter, over 90% of the hands in the plenary shot up.
The leadership team died: there went the prime working time for all that
planning.  (I may never be invited to another ToP conference.)

Nonetheless, despite shooting me looks that would have dropped a more
sensitive soul in his tracks, our leaders rebounded gracefully, declared it
a consensus that the whole conference would adjourn to the hotel veranda
outdoors for this event and that the scheduled planning would simply start
earlier, over lunch that day.

As you'll see from the video, I had a ball doing this.  This included
participating in a little direct action after the session, led by the
Occupiers, at the Capitol Mall a few blocks away (what's called a Guerrilla
Mic Check, to use the technical term--not something included in this clip.
The marching that opens the video is of us on our way to cause that
trouble).  No, no one got arrested doing it.

Joanna Kohler was our videographer, and Marti Roach and I worked with her on
the editing.  You'll recognize a number of Order colleagues in the group, as
well as interesting ritual activity, a great witness, clearly stated rubrics
for participation and team facilitation being created on the spot by people
who have just met one another.  

Enjoy--and, if you share my sense of its importance, let's talk more about
just what is going on with this movement and why we maybe should pay
attention to it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnjmWcJjET4

Gordon 
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