Learnings

Being in a hosting team there is always some learning that happens afterwards. We used our hosting team debrief to share these.

* First of all we declared the gathering to be a success. Even though many of us hadn't met eachother before, and the purpose of the gathering wasn't always crystal clear - was it a Pioneers of Change gathering? was it about multigenerational? was it about pioneering? - all participants had a learningful, inspirational and sometimes transformational time.

* During the time prior to the gathering we learned that above all the clarity of 'ownership' is crucial in making an event like this manifest.

* We experience a fluent way of working in the hosting team, given the circumstances of not knowing and not having worked together before. Most of the time we worked in circle - about 10 of us - and some times we broke up in little 'triangles' or subgroups to prepare a specific topic of the design. I was wondering myself, if we couldn't achieve more when levels in hosting experience - elders and apprentices - would be more explicit...

* The concept of eldership seemed somehow crucial in our gathering. Can we grow eldership in our communities? In some conversations we named eldership as being present to the context and history; the one who can shine light on the web that is spun in conversations; the one who knows about right timing. 

* The notion of eldership was related to companionship, introduced on the last day through a text brought in by one of the participants. 

* We realised once more that hosting a gathering in a place that is the home of some people, is different than hosting an event in a seminar centre. Much more levels and areas of hosting need attention, but it makes the community that gathers stronger. 

My comment afterwards: I had expected this gathering to be much more about the conflicts/differences between the generations. This wasn't the case at all! Instead the focus became more on becoming elders, regardless of age! In that way we can become companions to each other. The intergenerational got a more expanded meaning for myself: including the gifts and wounds of the history before us, and including the generations to come.