Greetings, OST Practitioners! I've been on this list for years and have yet to post. Considering the recent conversations around tradition, I wanted to weigh in. 5 years ago, Peggy joined a Village Seattle online gathering and helped us solve our largest, unspoken problem: as a regularly gathering group, how should we organize our meetings? Open Space was the answer. I'll never forget the first time - we collected ideas for topics, broke into groups, then shared highlights when we reconvened 25 minutes later. Today, a nonprofit has emerged from this experiment, VillageCo <www.VillageCo.org>. Our vision is a locally connected world. Open Space forms the core of our Gathering Program. We are using this program, wrapped in a Village Gathering Model, to help neighborhoods co-create spaces that help them connect, talk about what's on their minds, and organize. While our version of Open Space will probably not rise to the standards of the classic model, we still use the four principles and one law. We've turned the framing into a participant role, shortened the timing, and wrapped the OS in a few other liberating structures that support relational development. We do it all within a 90 minute program, then run that program weekly or monthly, creating a consistent space for local connection. *All this to say, I'm so deeply, immensely, eternally grateful for Open Space. *We could not have accomplished what we are doing without it. That moment Peggy brought the practice into our group, I sensed instantly the gravity of the practice - a facilitation method that's easy, requiring minimal preparation, and allows to arise what's present with the group. It's just what we need for a scalable model for local connection. Thank you all for the work you've done, and continue to do. It's had an impact! Just the impact needed in this changing world. PS - our second global cohort is being planned for a January launch - I'll be sure to share again here with more information. For a locally connected word <https://villageco.substack.com/p/the-3-levels-of-local>, *Jason Sears,* Administrative Director <http://www.VillageCo.org> www.VillageCo.org https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonsears78/ *Schedule an appointment* with me here <https://calendar.app.google/vDbPQjRSYZfjm4kZ7>

Thank you for sharing Jason. Inspiring. On Thu, Oct 2, 2025, 9:41 PM Jason Sears via OSList <everyone@oslist.org> wrote: > Greetings, OST Practitioners! I've been on this list for years and have > yet to post. Considering the recent conversations around tradition, I > wanted to weigh in. > > 5 years ago, Peggy joined a Village Seattle online gathering and helped us > solve our largest, unspoken problem: as a regularly gathering group, how > should we organize our meetings? Open Space was the answer. I'll never > forget the first time - we collected ideas for topics, broke into groups, > then shared highlights when we reconvened 25 minutes later. > > Today, a nonprofit has emerged from this experiment, VillageCo > <http://www.VillageCo.org>. Our vision is a locally connected world. > Open Space forms the core of our Gathering Program. We are using this > program, wrapped in a Village Gathering Model, to help neighborhoods > co-create spaces that help them connect, talk about what's on their minds, > and organize. > > While our version of Open Space will probably not rise to the standards of > the classic model, we still use the four principles and one law. We've > turned the framing into a participant role, shortened the timing, and > wrapped the OS in a few other liberating structures that support relational > development. We do it all within a 90 minute program, then run that program > weekly or monthly, creating a consistent space for local connection. > > *All this to say, I'm so deeply, immensely, eternally grateful for Open > Space. *We could not have accomplished what we are doing without it. > That moment Peggy brought the practice into our group, I sensed instantly > the gravity of the practice - a facilitation method that's easy, requiring > minimal preparation, and allows to arise what's present with the group. > It's just what we need for a scalable model for local connection. > > Thank you all for the work you've done, and continue to do. It's had an > impact! Just the impact needed in this changing world. > > PS - our second global cohort is being planned for a January launch - I'll > be sure to share again here with more information. > > For a locally connected word > <https://villageco.substack.com/p/the-3-levels-of-local>, > > *Jason Sears,* > Administrative Director > <http://www.VillageCo.org> > www.VillageCo.org > https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonsears78/ > *Schedule an appointment* with me here > <https://calendar.app.google/vDbPQjRSYZfjm4kZ7> > > OSList mailing list -- everyone@oslist.org > To unsubscribe send an email to everyone-leave@oslist.org > See the archives here: https://oslist.org/empathy/list/everyone.oslist.org

Thanks for sharing Jason. Your experience gives me much hope. Funda Oral Le ven. 3 oct. 2025 à 03:48, Rain Warren via OSList <everyone@oslist.org> a écrit : > Thank you for sharing Jason. Inspiring. > > On Thu, Oct 2, 2025, 9:41 PM Jason Sears via OSList <everyone@oslist.org> > wrote: > >> Greetings, OST Practitioners! I've been on this list for years and have >> yet to post. Considering the recent conversations around tradition, I >> wanted to weigh in. >> >> 5 years ago, Peggy joined a Village Seattle online gathering and helped >> us solve our largest, unspoken problem: as a regularly gathering group, how >> should we organize our meetings? Open Space was the answer. I'll never >> forget the first time - we collected ideas for topics, broke into groups, >> then shared highlights when we reconvened 25 minutes later. >> >> Today, a nonprofit has emerged from this experiment, VillageCo >> <http://www.VillageCo.org>. Our vision is a locally connected world. >> Open Space forms the core of our Gathering Program. We are using this >> program, wrapped in a Village Gathering Model, to help neighborhoods >> co-create spaces that help them connect, talk about what's on their minds, >> and organize. >> >> While our version of Open Space will probably not rise to the standards >> of the classic model, we still use the four principles and one law. We've >> turned the framing into a participant role, shortened the timing, and >> wrapped the OS in a few other liberating structures that support relational >> development. We do it all within a 90 minute program, then run that program >> weekly or monthly, creating a consistent space for local connection. >> >> *All this to say, I'm so deeply, immensely, eternally grateful for Open >> Space. *We could not have accomplished what we are doing without it. >> That moment Peggy brought the practice into our group, I sensed instantly >> the gravity of the practice - a facilitation method that's easy, requiring >> minimal preparation, and allows to arise what's present with the group. >> It's just what we need for a scalable model for local connection. >> >> Thank you all for the work you've done, and continue to do. It's had an >> impact! Just the impact needed in this changing world. >> >> PS - our second global cohort is being planned for a January launch - >> I'll be sure to share again here with more information. >> >> For a locally connected word >> <https://villageco.substack.com/p/the-3-levels-of-local>, >> >> *Jason Sears,* >> Administrative Director >> <http://www.VillageCo.org> >> www.VillageCo.org >> https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonsears78/ >> *Schedule an appointment* with me here >> <https://calendar.app.google/vDbPQjRSYZfjm4kZ7> >> >> OSList mailing list -- everyone@oslist.org >> To unsubscribe send an email to everyone-leave@oslist.org >> See the archives here: >> https://oslist.org/empathy/list/everyone.oslist.org > > OSList mailing list -- everyone@oslist.org > To unsubscribe send an email to everyone-leave@oslist.org > See the archives here: https://oslist.org/empathy/list/everyone.oslist.org