On Monday I was up in Kamloops taking part in an annual gathering called the “Stop Sexual Exploitation of Children and Youth” Conference. That’s a mouthful but it’s a truly wonderful annual gathering hosted by The Justice Institute of British Columbia (itself a great thing we have here in BC). I was asked to come and deliever a workshop on dialogue and deliberation methods with youth, and so I showed up to do that. In my design I though it would be cool to see if I could give people a tast of what it feels like to be engaged …
As I have been updating my website and moving things around I have finally gotten to re-organizing the Open Space Resources page. The page now contains resources on the nuts and bolts of of Open Space and deeper learning organized by practice area. There are also links to articles, books, stories and internet resources to support practice and learning about Open Space. I’ll continue to update the page (having it in a wiki makes that a LOT easier) and I’ll be adding a lot more stories of my own. I’m also looking at giving that page it’s …
Ali Farka Toure has died. I missed seeing him play, but have loved his music since first hearing it. He was a blues player and a griot and a link to a deep source. mp3: Ali Farka Toure – Allah Uya
My buddy Jon Husband today blogged a fascinating piece by danah boyd on why and how youth are using MySpace. Her conclusion… Youth are not creating digital publics to scare parents – they are doing so because they need youth space, a place to gather and see and be seen by peers. Publics are critical to the coming-of-age narrative because they provide the framework for building cultural knowledge. Restricting youth to controlled spaces typically results in rebellion and the destruction of trust. Of course, for a parent, letting go and allowing youth to navigate risks is terrifying. Unfortunately, it’s necessary …
Sitting in Books and Company in Prince George. An older man is sitting in the window seat drinking tea and reading. Another comes up to him with a cup of coffee and points at the chessboard. “Hello Joe,” he says. “Want a game?” “Oh hello,” says Joe, looking up. “I’d love a game.” There is warmth in the rhythm and cadence of the exchange, these two men at 5:00 in the afternoon, wanting to pass the time of day in each other’s company. Such an affectionate exchange, from two men who clearly have the hardest days of their lives behind …