Full Circle Associates

Set up day is winding to a close. I have been trying to capture the stories of people setting up the conference. Here are a few of the stories. If you are engaged, join the online conference! Yes, it has a fee, but I think it is going to be worth it. I would not be spending a week here volunteering otherwise!

Our online kiosk is in the lobby, just outside of the conference organizers’ space. I wandered over to talk with volunteers Anna from Venezuela, Shirantha from Sri Lanka, and Christina from Grand Rapids, MI, along with staffer Elayne from Pegasus. They are diligently putting together the conference bags. Without the conference assistants, there would be no conference. They are stuffing the program, green mountain coffee and coffee cups (they are a sponsor - ­ decaf and regular!), participant list, feedback form and a brochure from Roadway express into bags. 500 of these babies. They are working hard.

Anna’s Story
I was working in Caracas, in the barrio. I wanted to work with conflict resolution with social construction. I wrote to Professor Kenneth Gergen, and he recommended I visit the AI website. I read it -- all the articles, then I saw the conference announcement. My aunt lives near here. Thought this is a big chance. I’m volunteering as a conference assistant.

Shiantha’s Story
It began in 2000 when I was working with Habitat for Humanity. Mac Audell became the technical advisor. He introduced me to AI as a planning, monitoring and evaluation tool. I continued online, only in the sense of study, reading and trying to also make some models of my own. Getting data from others. I was a regular customer of the AI list serv. I have written to the list. Mac wanted me to apply for assistantship and I got it. It is going to be a learning process. I want to take that knowledge back to Sri Lanka as a model for peace and development.

Shiantha is now the Deputy Director of the Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies, 65 members, local and international NGOm involved in peace activities. He is also finishing his masters in Org Management, Thesis on AI.

Christina’s Story
My dad is Jim Ludema. He was kind of in at the beginnings of AI. I did such things as play in Dave Cooperider’s back yard. I grew up around AI. I am a biology major at Calvin College in Grand Rapids. I’m here because I think AI is great and I can apply it even in biology or whatever I do. Interested in public health and epidemeology.

Elayne’s Story
I started with Pegasus as a volunteer, 13 years ago. (She is now a staff member). In my real job, I work for the Innovation Center for Community and Youth Development, out of Takoma Park MD. I train ­ OD, youth development and community building training. Positive youth development organization. We use AI in our work. Nice circles of intersection.

When I asked what they were feeling about the upcoming conference, Shiantha chimed in: “This will be a dream for everyone involved in AI. A dream seeing Cooperrider, working with him for a few days. He being the kind of person who began the movement. Dream of everybody involved in AI to be involved here." Christina picked up on the people vibes, saying “I really enjoyed periodically in the front entry, exclamations of people who had not seen each other in a long time. Happy to be here and get started.”

That is the vibe here ­ excited to see each other, ready to get started!