When I walked in to the Core Change Open Space session, the room was searching for common purpose. People showed up with the desire to connect to the work in Cincinnati, but were struggling for a sense of where to plug in, how to unite in service of the project, where to pick up a thread that would connect the seemingly unrelated collection of desires in the circle.
Following the emerging need to make meaning of the relationships in the room, Barry Johnson suggested that participants stand up and create a visual map of their relationship to the core of the Cincinnati project.
In a second, the energy in the room shifted. People began to check in with their bodies and organize themselves in space. Dr. Victor Garcia, the holder of the Core Change vision, stepped into the center of the room, with others circling at various levels. What had been a disparate collection of individuals became visible as a system of people connected in some way to the social justice work in Cincinnati. As people shared from their heart their connection and commitment to the work, it was clear the vision for Cincinnati is abundantly supported and held by systems thinkers from all over the country.
