[Dialogue] Majic in the Ukraine

[George Packard via Dialogue]

The following is a report from ToP network colleague and current president,
Irina Fursman about her work with the network  of facilitators she developed
in the Ukraine.

Summer 2014

Dear OE Colleagues,

As we hear the distressing news from Ukraine about continued fighting and
hardship, I am eager to share some very good news with you, hoping that you
might consider joining George and me in financially supporting the peace
conference initiative organized by  Irina Fursman, (who is from Ukraine and
now living in MN) and an accomplished facilitator who uses ICA ToP methods.
I think that you will find the report below to be heartening, and if you
want to be a part of this effort, please se the donation information at the
end of the report.

 

Richard and I are writing this letter to thank you for your generous support
of our efforts to promote peace at the grassroots in Ukraine. We wanted to
share with you a few of the highlights that give us hope for the people even
as the fighting continues.

The Summit was held on July 4 and 5. The Hilton facility (donated by Hilton)
reached capacity quickly at 250 participants who came from many different
parts of Ukraine, including areas where there is intense fighting. The
participants included local government, business people, students,
professors, NGO's, and others from various walks of life. To help with the
large number of participants, 20 volunteer facilitators from Ukraine,
Germany, England, France , The Netherlands, and Taiwan gathered with us.
After a few introductory remarks, the team split up to facilitate small
groups of about 12 with the assignment of discovering common values of the
"whole." After an hour, a beautiful Word Cloud of the groups' values was
created. The values were then used throughout the summit to guide outcomes.

The next exercise focused on decentralization of the government. This was a
vital part of the process as citizens discussed individual responsibility
for their own communities, and their role in establishing lasting peace. The
assignment (for small groups again) was to come up with a definition of
decentralization that could be understood by a 12 year old student. Once the
assignment was completed, the 250 participants were divided into groups by
association. Government, business people, professors, NGO's, and other
groups identified their "Principles of Decentralization" which would be
shared with the regional and central government to guide law making and
decision making. When it came time to share the "principles", it became
apparent to the participants, that they all wanted the same thing!

 The next day, participants from the same regions were grouped together to
work on action plans to take back to their communities. They worked in their
groups from 9AM - 1PM. At the closing, teams shared the beginnings of their
plans and impressions on the event. Much to our surprise, the participants
did not want to leave. Following the closing event, most of the participants
went back to their groups to finish their action plans and assign roles and
responsibilities for each action.

Results: The citizens found their voice in the future of Ukraine and for the
first time felt connected and appreciated. They wanted in the most sincere
way, to make a difference and help build a peaceful future. Several regions
are now planning their own summits (some have actually held them already!).
Some participants have decided to run for local office, others have
volunteered for local charity efforts. Groups have been formed to support
each other, to fight corruption, and to recognize efforts of those who are
helping build community.

Our group has been invited back to many regions. While it is not possible
for Richard and I to participate in all of these events, our team in Ukraine
is now ready and prepared to take this responsibility and challenge on.

A bit on contributions: Donations were used to help fund the travel and
lodging of the volunteers, and conference supplies. Hilton provided their
hotel for the conference space, while local organizations helped reduce
costs of travel, supported web messaging, helped with student participation
and others who had no means to travel to the event. 

It's been truly remarkable experience , thank you for your generous
donation!

Irina Fursman 

To join this hope-filled effort:

Write check to:  Global Synergy Group ,  with the memo "PEACE SUMMIT"
Address: Eileen Maxwell (GSG Treasurer) 337 21st Avenue North, Hopkins MN
55343

 

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