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A Moving - "Future" Space & "Open" Search

Wondering why the title has been named this way? Hold on to your thoughts ...

First, let me give you a brief on Future Search...

At different walks of life, we experience high walls between haves and have-nots, experts and amateurs, leaders and followers. The ultimate aim of Future Search meetings is to take down these walls. We take control of our own future and take responsibility. In a Future Search, we become more secure knowing firsthand where other people stand. We discover resources in ourselves and others that we didn’t know were there. We start to acknowledge our disparities—out of sight, perspectives, and qualities—as substances to be lived with, not issues to be explained. We are bound to relinquish generalizations. New connections rise. Astounding ventures become conceivable. Future Search is a simple way of meeting with profound implications for organizations and communities everywhere. Future Search brings systems thinking to life. The method provides people a way of acting systemically. By joining differing parties who  are each other's  "condition," we empower individuals to encounter themselves associated with a bigger entire as opposed to discussing it as something  "out there." When individuals all discussion about the same  "elephant," assembling their view of the head, tail, trunk, legs, and tusks, they empower activities none idea conceivable going in.

Future Search Principles
• Have the right people in the room—that is, a cross-section of the whole, including those with authority, resources, information expertise, and need;
• Create conditions where participants experience the whole “elephant” before acting on any part of it;
• Focus on the future and seek common ground;
• Enable people to take responsibility for their own learning and action plans.
(Weisbord & Janoff, 2000)

Now, let's look at Open Space ...
Open Space is a fast, cheap, and simple way to better, more productive meetings. At a more profound level, it empowers individuals to experience an altogether different nature of association where self-guided work gatherings are the standard, in the nick of time administration is a continually shared marvel, assorted variety turns into a resource to be utilized rather than an issue to be survived, and individual strengthening is a mutual encounter.

Open Space runs on two fundamentals: passion and responsibility. Passion engages the people in the room. Responsibility ensures that things get done. A pressing topic or question gives the concentration to the occasion. The specialty of the question lies in saying only enough to inspire consideration while leaving adequate open space for the creative mind to run wild.

Principles of Open space
- Whoever comes are the right people
- Whatever happens, is the only thing that could have
- Whenever it starts, it's the right time
- When it's over, it's over. 
(Owen, 1993)

If you're an entrepreneur based out of India, it is very likely that you would be aware of the Jagriti Yatra. This Yatra is specially designed for budding entrepreneurs and change agents en route on 15 days train journey that takes them to some of the amazing work done by role models building India through their enterprise. Seeds of innovation get sowed during this journey. A flurry of ideas and thought triggering questions becomes the staple diet.

More than 400 individuals guided by 70+ facilitators get to meet social entrepreneurs who have made it big and are successfully running their ventures. These enthusiasts travel to 12 different locations by train. The train starts from Mumbai, goes down to South, then heads North and comes back to Mumbai after spending some time in the states of Rajasthan and Gujarat. During the course of the journey, participants are also known as "Yatri" interact with people from a diverse background. Every Yatri is a part of a cohort that consists of 6 people. The facilitator also plays the role of a coordinator for his/her team. The Team of Jagriti Yatra does the job of getting the right set of people for the voyage. In true sense, the train gets the people along, break the barriers of communication. Ideas evolve and are presented to the team in a special train bogie equipped with necessary infrastructure. Best ones are implemented at the Deoria, Uttar Pradesh where the office of Jagriti Yatra is located.

The title, fortunately, or unfortunately, perfectly fits into this case as everyone wears a thinking hat, moves into a future space while the zeal for new ideas continues. Jagriti Yatra helps individuals learn from and work with people from many walks of life. The spices of passion and responsibility add a flavor to their staple diet.

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