17 October 2008
Late to the Party, Again
Posted by admin under: Girl Scout Reorganization .
I keep finding things that are new to me about Girl Scouts all the time. Linked on the very first page of the national web site is the National Convention homepage. There you can find newsletters describing the event in Indianapolis. The very first issue brings up a really cool concept: Open Space. Basically, the hundreds of people there draw up a list of topics they want to contribute to or learn about and then bunch up in groups to discuss those topics. If you’re bored by a topic or you’re not getting anything out of it you’re encouraged to move on to another group. This is a large-scale emulation of the coffee break conversations that someone saw and realized that people were more interested in coffee time than listening to speakers.
In fact, this is exactly the concept my wife has parallel discovered. At trainings and meetings it always seems like the roundtable discussions or the breaks where you get into conversations with other leaders is the time when you learn and share more than in the regularly structured program.
So, Girl Scouts has made it a kick-off event as part of the convention. I hope that traditionalists are represented and one of the topics of conversation ends up being “How do we keep all these old, cranky people from being upset that everything seems to be changing?” Even if everything needs to change there should be a better answer than just shoving the decisions down our throats. I know I’m going to talk to a couple of delegates in my area and ask if they’ll be doing the Open Space conversations and if they care to discuss this topic.
There’s other nifty stuff in the newsletters and on the home page. The actress Geena Davis will be a keynote speaker. Even though she and I probably don’t see eye to eye on priorities for the GSUSA or nationally I still think it’s neat that she’s putting her reputation to work for Girl Scouts. And that artist Teresa I just discovered yesterday apparently is a long-time supporter of Girl Scouts and will be performing at the convention.
We’ll also be getting a new board, and I assume that means a new CEO. Will Kathy Cloninger extend her tenure as CEO? I don’t know. I didn’t even know she was the CEO. I guess I’m just small town minded. Come to think of it, I’m not sure who the head of our local organization is right now. It doesn’t impact our troop so I guess that’s why I’m so cavalier about it.
If you want to know more about the national convention that’s taking place in a couple of weeks you can go to the home page.
P.S.: I like the Open Space rules so I’m sharing them here.
There are four principles and one law in Open Space:
Four Principles
1. Whoever comes are the right people.
2. Whatever happens is the only thing that could have happened.
3. Whenever it starts is the right time.
4. When it’s over, it’s over!
Law of two Feet
If you are not learning or contributing, use your two feet to take you where you will
learn or contribute. While Open Space is known for its apparent lack of structure
and welcoming of surprises, the Open Space meeting or organization is actually a
perfect fit for the people and the work at hand. It supports, not blocks, best work.
- GSUSA: Service Unit Coup
- Odd Silence on Girl Scout Convention Proposals
- GSUSA: Los Angeles Girl Scouts Town Hall Meeting
- Any Questions, Girls?
- GSUSA: Weekly Troop Meeting
