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<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=765383318-17052012><FONT
color=#0000ff>Super, Gordon and Marti, et al. Thanks for being there on our
behalf.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=765383318-17052012><FONT
color=#0000ff></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=765383318-17052012><FONT
color=#0000ff>John</FONT></SPAN></DIV><BR>
<DIV dir=ltr lang=en-us class=OutlookMessageHeader align=left>
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<FONT size=2 face=Tahoma><B>From:</B> dialogue-bounces@lists.wedgeblade.net
[mailto:dialogue-bounces@lists.wedgeblade.net] <B>On Behalf Of </B>Gordon
Harper<BR><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, May 17, 2012 3:45 AM<BR><B>To:</B> Colleague
Dialogue<BR><B>Subject:</B> [Dialogue] The Occupy Crowd Meets the ToP Crowd: a
Short Video<BR></FONT><BR></DIV>
<DIV></DIV><BIG><FONT face="Comic Sans MS">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. <BR><BR>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. <BR><BR>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.<BR><BR>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 </FONT></BIG><BIG><FONT
face="Comic Sans MS">action planning in </FONT></BIG><BIG><FONT
face="Comic Sans MS">their task forces for the year ahead.
<BR><BR>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.)<BR><BR>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.<BR><BR>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.<BR><BR>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. <BR><BR>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.<BR><BR></FONT><FONT
face="Comic Sans MS"><A class=moz-txt-link-freetext
href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnjmWcJjET4">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnjmWcJjET4</A><BR><BR>Gordon</FONT></BIG>
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