We are finding ourselves in times of multiple overlapping crises, huge amounts of power being accrued by private businesses and nation states and rampant political and social polarisation. At the same time we are also seeing a great amount of individuals and groups with a wish to contribute to regenerating the social, political, economic and ecological systems on this planet. People are getting engaged, some very intensely, others just a bit. With a diversity of topics being brought to the collective attention, it can seem as though there is too much that needs to change in too short of a time. We can feel as though we need to be part of 5 different groups to satisfy our own need for making a contribution and feel in integrity with our values. We also notice that this way of doing things doesn’t check out. People get overwhelmed, exhausted and drop out of political engagement just as regularly as new members join. Civil society is stagnating in a time where we desperately need it to thrive.
“Wherever there is uncertainty, there is a possibility”
Joanna Macy
At CAN we believe there is a possibility to be realised in this turbulent moment: by working together across causes civic initiatives can benefit from each other’s efforts. This does not mean agreeing on one goal across all initiatives. However it does mean being strategic with resources and having a clear plan for turning the resources one has into the power they need in order to make the change they want to see – each group for itself, so that they can ask for what they need when they meet the others. This collaborative thinking (taking resources from outside one’s own group into account when planning activities) might be new for and require some practice.
In this vision of the present the Cross Movement Open Space is a multi purpose tool:
- It is a space for those who are committed to work for a better life on earth to meet others in the field and exchange about their current missions and challenges.
- It is a space to surface needs and resources.
- It is a space to weave different groups’ visions and goals together into a collective image of the future they are working towards while not falling into the trap of collapsing the complexity of the work by wanting to agree on “the right way”. This means it’s a space to practise working in ambiguity and uncertainty, designing parallel experiments and coming back together to compare notes on how it went.
- It is a space to practise working at the pace of regeneration, rather than sacrificing people’s well being for the sake of short term impact.
Through the regularity of the Open Space, groups can keep in touch and stay informed about what is happening in the wider field. This helps to surface collaboration potentials that would otherwise remain unseen. The supportive nature of the event provides good practice ground for cross-group organising.
Additionally, CAN envisions this space as a catalyst for self-organised collaborations, where people from different organisations discover synergies and concrete ways to work together or share resources, even outside the Open Space sessions. Beyond this event, CAN offers various forms of support to help groups or collaborations in their engagement. Whether you’re stuck or have an idea you want to bring to life, we may be able to provide assistance or guide you in the right direction. Through these efforts, we aim to foster the flourishing of a vast network of active groups and individuals, contributing to the unification of civil society’s strengths.
Hard Facts
Frequency: Every 3 months
Duration: 2 days on a weekend, usually from 10am to 6pm with a long lunch break
Content: The agenda is co-created via Open Space Technology
Group Size: so far we had groups between 40 and 80 participants
This cycle of events started last November. Overall 3 Cross Movement Open Spaces took place since then and we’re in the process of planning the next one (09.&10.11.24). We are establishing this space as a long term presence in Austrian Civil Society, because we believe that structure can liberate dormant potential. If you want to support our effort, come to the next open space as a participant or helping hand!
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