Haiti Salon

2009-07-23T10:16:00.001-04:00

We invite you to visit www.haitipartners.org

2007-12-28T17:50:00.000-05:00

BEYOND BORDERS 9TH ANNUAL OPEN MEETING
...an opportunity to continue Haiti Salon conversations and collaboration

It's less than one month away. We'll have more than 20 people coming from Haiti and Dominican Republic. Beyond Borders annual meetings of the past have convened people from Canada, France, Germany and Mexico and from states throughout the US.

We'll convene in Vero Beach, Florida January 25-27, 2008. It will be a great opportunity to continue the Haiti Salon conversations and collaborations. To learn more about Beyond Borders annual meeting and to reserve your place go to www.beyondborders.net.

This year we've created a website called Beyond Borders Network to help people who are coming to the annual meeting and others who are interested in this work to communicate. We invite you to join! Here's the link: beyond borders network

2007-05-13T19:51:00.000-04:00

Click Here For Notes and Participant List of Haiti Salon 2007.

2007-01-21T10:37:00.001-05:00

May 5 - 6
SOUTH SHORE HIGH SCHOOL, BROOKLYN, NY

Program and letter for people who have registered and those considering registering.

Visit Guestbook to see who's coming and to add your name

click here for directions

click here for list of hotels and bed and breakfasts

2006-02-03T20:24:00.000-05:00

PLEASE HELP US BY
REGISTERING ON-LINE
Do you plan to come?
Haiti Salon caterer needs to know by May 2nd.

How can we strengthen our support for justice, peace and democracy in Haiti?

Haiti Salon is founded on the value of open, inclusive and respectful participation. Its purpose is to strengthen support for justice, peace, and democracy in Haiti by playing the role of facilitator in creating conditions that foster:

Understanding, tolerance and trust
Dialogue, learning and networking
Democratic practices
More informed decision-making and improved collaboration
Information sharing

This gathering is an opportunity to:

Explore ideas, share insights, and create new projects, partnerships and networks.
Inform others about your organization/initiative/company.
Unleash creative thinking, passion and commitment and locate other members in the community who share your interests.
Experience Open Space, a method that you can use in your organizations

When: May 5 - 6, 2007

Where: South Shore High School, Brooklyn NY

(click here for directions)

Who should come?

Everyone who is interested in the future of Haiti:

Students
Workers
Parents
Youth
Church Mission Committees
Business and Organization Leaders
Teachers and Professors
Non-Profits Involved in Haiti

The Haiti Salon experience will impact actions, decisions and initiatives of people coming from a plethora of diverse views and backgrounds.

Haiti Salon uses the Open Space approach, which was devised more than 20 years ago and is being used in over 100 countries. Open Space creates conditions that help people to fully and productively engage in the important issues at hand. Everyone present will determine topics for our two-day agenda. All issues proposed will become a part of the meeting’s offering of discussion topics. Open Space is a method that assumes that positive things happen when people who feel strongly about something are given the opportunity to take responsibility for it.

Together, we’ll identify the subjects, issues, questions, and/or opportunities that we feel are important for the group to talk about. In self-selected small groups, these subjects will be discussed and the notes taken will be assembled into a book of proceedings and available to anyone interested. Open Space creates an environment where meaningful dialogue and creativity can flourish. Learn more about how Open Space is being used around the world www.openspaceworld.org, and in Haiti www.circlesofchange.com.

“We use Open Space to begin to break down barriers that exists between people. In Open Space, people who are invited to propose their ideas and to lead discussions feel empowered.…This practice unleashes in them energy that turns into self-determination. We have had meetings with 100-200 participants and the results are extraordinary. Unless Haiti develops practices that are essential in Open Space, we are not going to be able to solve our many social problems.”
Pierre Richard Pierre, Productive Cooperatives of Haiti, Port-au-Prince, Haiti

“An experience like we’ve lived today in Open Space helps us to think better, to better understand others as well as ourselves. These are the types of activities we need to turn our ideas into concrete actions.”
Edwidge Marcelin, 9th grade student, The Louverture Cleary School, Santo, Haiti

“The human and intellectual openness of the Open Space promoted attentiveness and helped the two sides abandon the positions in which they were respectively entrenched. We discovered an effort to connect one with the other and to develop an awareness of the individual hardships perpetrated by the conflict.”
Peera Chodorov, Senior Advisor to former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres

>CLICK HERE TO REGISTER ON-LINE

Questions? Ideas? Wish to volunteer?

Email us at: john@johnengle.net or call: 202-236-6532

2005-11-16T13:49:00.000-05:00

Haiti Salon Organizing

The planning committee convenes monthly or as needed via teleconference calls. Notes from meetings are posted to Haiti Salon Listserv. A workspace to view all working documents is coming soon.

The Informal Advisors are people who plan to come to Haiti Salon 2007 and who will help promote it. They don't participate in the teleconference calls but want to stay abreast of planning process and have the opportunity to shape decisions. They stay in the loop by joining Haiti Salon Listserv.

2005-11-05T18:51:00.000-05:00

Haiti Salon Proposal
2nd draft
seeking people & organizations to engage with us

HAITI SALON
A gathering in U.S. to support justice, peace and democracy in Haiti

WHY: We must walk our talk, seek common ground, and strive to continually improve results through shared learning and collaboration.

Haiti Salon assumes that efforts to improve Haiti by US-based people and organizations will benefit from face to face meetings designed for optimum exchange and mutual learning. Dialogue and deliberation will help us to seize opportunities in the short term, and, they will nurture democratic practices that are so desperately needed for the long-term. Haiti Salon uses the Open Space method, which contributes to creating a culture of democracy, openness, horizontal learning and collaboration. This experience, which we hope will become habit, will impact initiatives and actions of people coming from a plethora of diverse views and backgrounds.

WHAT: First step: A two and a half day Open Space Haiti Salon. Future Haiti Salon’s will follow.

With Open Space, the theme, intentions, venue etc. is determined in advance by planning committee. The planning committee will consist of 6-10 people who are representative of the various types of people, groups, and organizations who we wish to attract. The actual agenda will be created by all participants during the Haiti Salon. The theme will be something related to “A Just & Democratic Haiti: What’s our part?” or “Supporting Democracy and Justice in Haiti: How can we do our work better?” 5-8 well-known people will be recruited to participate and we will publicize their presence. They will understand that the format is Open Space, which provides ALL participants equal opportunity to propose subjects and invite people to join them.

WHO: People and organizations who are committed to justice and democracy in Haiti.

WHEN: Winter or spring of 2007

WHERE: Philadelphia? NY? Miami?

A place where a university will host us and help us.

HOW: Form a planning committee by January 2006 made up of people who represent organizations that are behind this initiative and others who represent people we wish to attract.

The primary costs will be the time of planning committee members. It will be important for them to have the blessing of their organizations to do the work. Upfront expenditures will be less than $2,000 and will include fees for editing, graphic design, and postage. Once the planning committee is established, first priority will be determining necessary details so that we can create a letter of invitation. This will likely require up to four to six months (April-June). Subsequent mailings and emails will follow. A website will be created to pro-mote the event and engage people. Fees for the conference will pay for all expenses involved. We will seek donations from individuals and foundations to help cover conference fees of eligible people unable to pay.

If you would like to endorse this initiative, which means having your link added, or participate in planning or advisory committee, or offer comments contact us at john@johnengle.net or call: 202-236-6532. Or, simply click on the comment link below.
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Comments from people responding to first draft:

“I think it is a wonderful great idea. I will bring it to a number of groups in the next month and see what I can generate in the way of support. Will be in touch!”

“Good to see the conference idea starting to take shape…Perhaps it would be helpful to have some specific sessions planned to ensure that certain things get covered: networking sessions; ‘how to’ classes (how to fund raise or recruit volunteers, how to make your program effective in Haiti; how to work with large NGO’s, or ???). A presentation or two, a ‘name’ speaker to draw people, perhaps for an evening program, would help, too.”

“I think this is a really important initiative that you are undertaking, and a hard one! I'm happy to see that you are planning it and I think Open Space is definitely the way to go. … I'm happy to help you out with this initiative in any way I can. I feel a great pit in my stomach when I remember trying to get people to work together, but I also feel inspiration when I read your plan.”

“I think the possibilities of something like this are so exciting. Keep going for it!”

“Rec'd your thoughts about having a conference of those of us working in Haiti - grassroots orgs. I would definitely be interested. Please keep me in the loop.”

“Excellent idea! I'd certainly be willing to do my share down the road.”