OPEN SPACE REPORT FORM
Topic Name How to empower people by OST
Topic Number
Convenor Aquia Tsay, Steve Chen
Participants (including Bumble Bees) Amy Chang, Yung-Hsin Hu, Dick West (ICA), Teresa Chang, Allan, Janet Fang, Jessie
Insights, Questions Raised, Possible Actions, Recommendations, etc:
1. OST will be much open up for future after the economic crisis, more walls to be broken (more chanllenges).
2. Definition of “empowerment”: 3 conotations: a. power inbalance, b. willing to learn to increase power, and eventually to take over, c.someone are willing to share with underprevillaged.
3. loking for tools and means to empowr people to prevent Ma’s seeling Taiwan to China. People are angry , but not willing to come out to join the group action initiated by people (those who are worried about Taiwan will disappear).
4. Empowerment is not just to give power away, this may not work. We need to give them skills.
5 People are afraid of something because of hegemonic structure in the government system intiminating people with fears. We need true democracy.
6. OST puts the power in the circle. We can not empower people, but we can give power away.
7. Real power, 3rd ed. by Janet O. Hagberg, 2003 is suggested to be a good reading material. Pay attention to the 6 stages of personal power., namely, powerlessness, association, achievement, reflection, purpose and wisdom.
8. There is a wall between stages of reflection and purpose.
9. Stages 1 to 3 are called external powers and stage 4 to 6 are call internal powers.
Recommendations:
1. Go to people and talk to them.
2. Find a sponsor to accept the challenges.
3. Awarenes of a facilitator.
4. Give other the power.
5. Profound respect.
6. To transform hegemonic structure to true participatory demoncracy.
7. In addition to share knowledge of empowerment, to foster and build the ability and skills of this disadvantaged group.
