[Oe List ...] Health Care - ENGAGEMENT

[Jean Watts]

I found when facilitating groups focused on "health care" or "healthy
communities" that it was necessary to begin with a workshop that uncovered
the group's underlying assumptions and beliefs rather than their practical
vision.  It appeared that it was at this level where the "real" conflict of
perspective on the particular subject or content being discussed was rooted.


JWM use to say frequently that "We are always in the process of acting out
our self understanding."  Our "self understanding" is, in reality, these
underlying assumptions, beliefs, and values.  One of the ways these are
"acted out' is in the particular way we articulate our vision and solutions
to the issues within the content being discussed. 

These underlying beliefs, assumptions, and values are always in a state of
movement or evolution.  So, by beginning at this point, it enabled the group
to begin with the present moment or situation rather than focusing on the
past stuff that has brought them to this present situation. 

So, I think that this is where we as a group of caring individuals might
focus our discussion prior to answering the vision question.  

Namaste,
Jean

Message: 1
Date: Sat, 05 Sep 2009 11:17:36 +0800
From: "jlepps at pc.jaring.my" <jlepps at pc.jaring.my>
Subject: Re: [Oe List ...] Health Care--ENGAGEMENT!
To: Order Ecumenical Community  <oe at wedgeblade.net>
Message-ID: <5.2.0.5.0.20090905110415.029c08f0 at mbox.jaring.my>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; Format="flowed"

Thanks, David.

I believe this can be facilitated over the listserve, though the gestalting 
might be less participative than usual. Is there someone(s) who would be 
willing to take on this task? I'm up to here right now, but would be happy 
to play a second role. Seems to me the job will be:
         1. solicit responses to the question of vision: What would a 
desirable health care system look like? What are components of the desired 
system?
         2. Group the ideas into columns according to similarity.
         3. Post the columns on the listserve, and invite the group to 
provide 3-4-word names (We want to see _____)
         4. Invite a discussion of the names (perhaps for a week) and then 
settle on the ones with greatest consensus.

Move on to the contradictions and follow the same process; then to the 
strategy.

The ToP network has a task force working on ways to facilitate virtual 
meetings, and there are multiple software and web-based programmes that can 
be used. Unfortunately most charge a fee and are complicated to learn, so 
while we probably can't use them here, maybe someone from that group would 
like to play a role in this on the listserve.

While this may be a tedious process for us, it may just possibly generate 
some innovative ideas that are not yet in the national discussion. Who
knows?

John

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