Greetings! I'm SO excited to announce <https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7396260857430806528>enrollment is open for our next Village Growing Cohort, starting in January! I wanted to share this here in OS List because our Village project has been so immensely guided by the practice of Open Space. Our project is about helping neighbors learn to facilitate regular gatherings with a light version of open space - which (as you know!) allows for participants to bring up topics important to them, and creates space for deeper conversations. Folks are LOVING and needing these spaces!! We've already seen this model to be very impactful over the last year with our first cohort. I'm SO excited to see what emerges from our second cohort! *More details and to register on our website: https://www.villageco.org/village-growing <https://www.villageco.org/village-growing>* *(Please feel free to register and join us even if you're just curious about what we're up to!)* *Here's my ask of fellow Open Space practitioners*: perhaps in your work you have connected with folks who LOVE open space. Perhaps some of those folks would be up for bringing this practice into their neighborhood! If so, please connect those folks with us! I welcome an email intro (jason@VillageCo.org) - or pass along the info on our page above. *Going Deeper....* We are seeing our Village Model (shared roles, local events, regular gatherings using OS) as a new kind of platform - a platform that's not digital, but human. People with active Villages in their area have a space to bring things they want to talk with, ideas for getting involved or active, or more commonly, a place to meet others and build relationships. Unlike our digital platforms, this one connects folks locally - in line with our vision: a locally connected world. VillageCo is still in a startup phase - an all-volunteer, grass roots, sociocratically governed nonprofit. We've got a lot to learn, and this cohort is our next co-learning experience. Thanks for reading. Thanks for continuing to keep Open Space alive in our communities, our businesses, our civic spaces. It really makes a difference. Go OS World!!! For a locally connected world <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>

Hello Jason, Such a wave of excitement and inspired action coming from your message. I just went to your website, browsed the first page, and CONGRATULATE you on what you are all co-creating!! The vision of your Village Model, held together by shared roles, local events, regular gatherings using OS as a new kind of platform, is intriguing to me. And I do wanna share about it. As a practitioner and lover of OST the essential way, my curiosity is naturally sparked by what you call „a light version of open space“. Would you be up for sharing a bit more? What do you leave out? What is so essential, you definitely keep it? Go Village and OS world! :) Marai > Am 19.11.2025 um 21:49 schrieb Jason Sears via OSList <everyone@oslist.org>: > > Greetings! I'm SO excited to announce <https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7396260857430806528>enrollment is open for our next Village Growing Cohort, starting in January! > > I wanted to share this here in OS List because our Village project has been so immensely guided by the practice of Open Space. Our project is about helping neighbors learn to facilitate regular gatherings with a light version of open space - which (as you know!) allows for participants to bring up topics important to them, and creates space for deeper conversations. Folks are LOVING and needing these spaces!! > > We've already seen this model to be very impactful over the last year with our first cohort. I'm SO excited to see what emerges from our second cohort! > > More details and to register on our website: https://www.villageco.org/village-growing <https://www.villageco.org/village-growing> > (Please feel free to register and join us even if you're just curious about what we're up to!) > > Here's my ask of fellow Open Space practitioners: perhaps in your work you have connected with folks who LOVE open space. Perhaps some of those folks would be up for bringing this practice into their neighborhood! If so, please connect those folks with us! I welcome an email intro (jason@VillageCo.org) - or pass along the info on our page above. > > Going Deeper.... > We are seeing our Village Model (shared roles, local events, regular gatherings using OS) as a new kind of platform - a platform that's not digital, but human. People with active Villages in their area have a space to bring things they want to talk with, ideas for getting involved or active, or more commonly, a place to meet others and build relationships. Unlike our digital platforms, this one connects folks locally - in line with our vision: a locally connected world. > > VillageCo is still in a startup phase - an all-volunteer, grass roots, sociocratically governed nonprofit. We've got a lot to learn, and this cohort is our next co-learning experience. > > Thanks for reading. Thanks for continuing to keep Open Space alive in our communities, our businesses, our civic spaces. It really makes a difference. Go OS World!!! > > For a locally connected world <https://villageco.substack.com/p/the-3-levels-of-local>, > > Jason Sears, > Administrative Director > <http://www.villageco.org/> > www.VillageCo.org <http://www.villageco.org/> > https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonsears78/ > <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

Yay thank you for the encouragement!! I have to come clean here - I have never been to a full day or even half day open space. Only know through Peggy's sharings, her book, videos that have been shared, and what I've read here. So, I'm making some assumptions about what constitutes "light" :-) Our breakout times are about 20-30 minutes, with 5-10 minutes for sharebacks. It's wrapped in a 90 minute program that includes 1:1 connections, grounding, ect. The framing or opening is done as a role (acknowledgement lead) - so that can vary widely. We pretty much only surface "whoever shows up are the right people" and the law of two feet. And, we're not really trying to accomplish anything with our open space - it just unfolds as needed each week or month. Sometimes groups go for walks, play games, talk about shopping, lament the state of the world, while others plan world peace. It's always a mixed bag, which is needed for diverse community groups, there's something for everyone. You are welcome to attend one of our online gatherings - they follow the same format. Let me know and I can send an invite. *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> On Wed, Nov 19, 2025 at 3:58 PM Marai Kiele via OSList <everyone@oslist.org> wrote: > Hello Jason, > > Such a wave of excitement and inspired action coming from your message. > I just went to your website, browsed the first page, and CONGRATULATE you > on what you are all co-creating!! > > The vision of your Village Model, held together by shared roles, local > events, regular gatherings using OS as a new kind of platform, is > intriguing to me. > And I do wanna share about it. > > As a practitioner and lover of OST the essential way, my curiosity is > naturally sparked by what you call „a light version of open space“. > Would you be up for sharing a bit more? What do you leave out? What is so > essential, you definitely keep it? > > Go Village and OS world! :) > Marai > > > Am 19.11.2025 um 21:49 schrieb Jason Sears via OSList <everyone@oslist.org > >: > > Greetings! I'm SO excited to announce > <https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7396260857430806528>enrollment > is open for our next Village Growing Cohort, starting in January! > > I wanted to share this here in OS List because our Village project has > been so immensely guided by the practice of Open Space. Our project is > about helping neighbors learn to facilitate regular gatherings with a light > version of open space - which (as you know!) allows for participants to > bring up topics important to them, and creates space for deeper > conversations. Folks are LOVING and needing these spaces!! > > We've already seen this model to be very impactful over the last year with > our first cohort. I'm SO excited to see what emerges from our second > cohort! > > *More details and to register on our > website: https://www.villageco.org/village-growing > <https://www.villageco.org/village-growing>* > *(Please feel free to register and join us even if you're just curious > about what we're up to!)* > > *Here's my ask of fellow Open Space practitioners*: perhaps in your work > you have connected with folks who LOVE open space. Perhaps some of those > folks would be up for bringing this practice into their neighborhood! If > so, please connect those folks with us! I welcome an email intro ( > jason@VillageCo.org) - or pass along the info on our page above. > > *Going Deeper....* > We are seeing our Village Model (shared roles, local events, regular > gatherings using OS) as a new kind of platform - a platform that's not > digital, but human. People with active Villages in their area have a space > to bring things they want to talk with, ideas for getting involved or > active, or more commonly, a place to meet others and build relationships. > Unlike our digital platforms, this one connects folks locally - in line > with our vision: a locally connected world. > > VillageCo is still in a startup phase - an all-volunteer, grass roots, > sociocratically governed nonprofit. We've got a lot to learn, and this > cohort is our next co-learning experience. > > Thanks for reading. Thanks for continuing to keep Open Space alive in our > communities, our businesses, our civic spaces. It really makes a > difference. Go OS World!!! > > For a locally connected world > <https://villageco.substack.com/p/the-3-levels-of-local>, > > *Jason Sears,* > Administrative Director > <http://www.villageco.org/> > www.VillageCo.org <http://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

Thanks for this, At WOSONOS we saw a huge interest in developing OST practice in many sectors in Africa…. Starting with the smallest - self, family, community, work place .. In our first meeting we recognized that we need to urgently increase the number of practitioners to reach a critical mass. I’ve shared this announcement and hope we can get a good number from our network. I especially want to see my staff attend as we use OST with children and teachers Regards Paula Dr, Paula Kahumbu, O.G.W Chief Executive Officer WildlifeDirect <http://wildlifedirect.org> P.O. Box 24467 - 00502 Kenya About WildlifeDirect <https://wildlifedirect.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/wildlifedirect-catalogue-1.pdf> *Nat Geo Explorer* *Presenter, National Geographic *SECRETS OF THE ELEPHANTS 2023 *FT's 25 most Influential Women 2022* <https://www.ft.com/content/8428d275-a9ba-46e7-9c39-78b847c5cef7>. CNN Call to Earth *Voice of the Wild <https://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2022/12/22/paula-kahumbu-voice-of-the-wild-c2e-spc-intl.cnn> * Producer *WildlifeWarriors <https://vimeo.com/673887559>.* The New Yorker A Kenyan Ecologists Crusade to Save Her Country's Wildlife <https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/02/01/a-kenyan-ecologists-crusade-to-save-her-countrys-wildlife> *. * Board member and *WWF International. * Cell/WhatsApp + 254 722 685 106 <http://www.youtube.com/user/wildlifesentinels> On Wed, 19 Nov 2025 at 22:04, Jason Sears via OSList <everyone@oslist.org> wrote: > Yay thank you for the encouragement!! > > I have to come clean here - I have never been to a full day or even half > day open space. Only know through Peggy's sharings, her book, videos that > have been shared, and what I've read here. So, I'm making some assumptions > about what constitutes "light" :-) > > Our breakout times are about 20-30 minutes, with 5-10 minutes for > sharebacks. It's wrapped in a 90 minute program that includes 1:1 > connections, grounding, ect. The framing or opening is done as a role > (acknowledgement lead) - so that can vary widely. We pretty much only > surface "whoever shows up are the right people" and the law of two feet. > And, we're not really trying to accomplish anything with our open space - > it just unfolds as needed each week or month. Sometimes groups go for > walks, play games, talk about shopping, lament the state of the world, > while others plan world peace. It's always a mixed bag, which is needed > for diverse community groups, there's something for everyone. > > You are welcome to attend one of our online gatherings - they follow the > same format. Let me know and I can send an invite. > > *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> > > > > On Wed, Nov 19, 2025 at 3:58 PM Marai Kiele via OSList < > everyone@oslist.org> wrote: > >> Hello Jason, >> >> Such a wave of excitement and inspired action coming from your message. >> I just went to your website, browsed the first page, and CONGRATULATE you >> on what you are all co-creating!! >> >> The vision of your Village Model, held together by shared roles, local >> events, regular gatherings using OS as a new kind of platform, is >> intriguing to me. >> And I do wanna share about it. >> >> As a practitioner and lover of OST the essential way, my curiosity is >> naturally sparked by what you call „a light version of open space“. >> Would you be up for sharing a bit more? What do you leave out? What is so >> essential, you definitely keep it? >> >> Go Village and OS world! :) >> Marai >> >> >> Am 19.11.2025 um 21:49 schrieb Jason Sears via OSList < >> everyone@oslist.org>: >> >> Greetings! I'm SO excited to announce >> <https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7396260857430806528>enrollment >> is open for our next Village Growing Cohort, starting in January! >> >> I wanted to share this here in OS List because our Village project has >> been so immensely guided by the practice of Open Space. Our project is >> about helping neighbors learn to facilitate regular gatherings with a light >> version of open space - which (as you know!) allows for participants to >> bring up topics important to them, and creates space for deeper >> conversations. Folks are LOVING and needing these spaces!! >> >> We've already seen this model to be very impactful over the last year >> with our first cohort. I'm SO excited to see what emerges from our second >> cohort! >> >> *More details and to register on our >> website: https://www.villageco.org/village-growing >> <https://www.villageco.org/village-growing>* >> *(Please feel free to register and join us even if you're just curious >> about what we're up to!)* >> >> *Here's my ask of fellow Open Space practitioners*: perhaps in your work >> you have connected with folks who LOVE open space. Perhaps some of those >> folks would be up for bringing this practice into their neighborhood! If >> so, please connect those folks with us! I welcome an email intro ( >> jason@VillageCo.org) - or pass along the info on our page above. >> >> *Going Deeper....* >> We are seeing our Village Model (shared roles, local events, regular >> gatherings using OS) as a new kind of platform - a platform that's not >> digital, but human. People with active Villages in their area have a space >> to bring things they want to talk with, ideas for getting involved or >> active, or more commonly, a place to meet others and build relationships. >> Unlike our digital platforms, this one connects folks locally - in line >> with our vision: a locally connected world. >> >> VillageCo is still in a startup phase - an all-volunteer, grass roots, >> sociocratically governed nonprofit. We've got a lot to learn, and this >> cohort is our next co-learning experience. >> >> Thanks for reading. Thanks for continuing to keep Open Space alive in >> our communities, our businesses, our civic spaces. It really makes a >> difference. Go OS World!!! >> >> For a locally connected world >> <https://villageco.substack.com/p/the-3-levels-of-local>, >> >> *Jason Sears,* >> Administrative Director >> <http://www.villageco.org/> >> www.VillageCo.org <http://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 > > 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