EGA 2006 2nd april day 0
From SI Exco News
Buon giorno Latina 2006! It’s another wonderful day! Issue: Monday 3 rd April 2006
WELCOME TO SERVAS EGA 2006! Sunday 2nd April 2006
This bulletin is put together by Alex Dali (France) & Demelza Benbow (+Baby Sichella) (Malawi) and the daily
summariser is Mullai Pathy (Singapore). Why are we doing it? ☺Because we want to contribute practically ☺Give Servas
website readers and conference delegates a reminder of conference deliberations. ☺We do it after dinner 10–12pm. ☺
Make our life easier & our bedtime earlier by sending us your contributions NOW ! The Bulletin is put on the SI website
with the digital photos of that day – so everyone knows what they are missing! Editors.
What would have happened if it had been three wise women instead of 3 wise men? They would have asked directions, arrived on time, helped deliver the a baby, made a casserole, bought practical gifts and there would have been peace on earth. But maybe they would have misunderstood the directions been afraid to ride the camels, argued over what to wear, fought over the baby, decorated the stable, gone shopping and there would be no peace anywhere.
CONFLICT RESOLUTION
- An objective right solution exists = Nobody has a monopoly on the truth.
- Individual opponents = Parties in mutual conflict.
- Product = Process
- Win-loose = Win-win
- Conflicts are disturbing and must be removed = Conflicts are a reality we must deal with.
- The opponents may put the blame to others = The parties are active, sharing the responsibility.
- Open and covert use of power = Power is not the issue
- Subject-object = Subject-subject
‘A Man is an island’ = ‘and all islands meet under the ocean!’ Danish Centre for Conflict Resolution – Copenhagen.
DAILY SUMMARY Despite ominous echoes of ‘ground zero’ – Day Zero began & ended very positively. Geoff Maltby & Mario Burlando welcomed all conference participants with brief & warm speeches and introduced the moderators & the facilitators of the Askov Project.
Siri Simonsen & Dag Eirik Eikeland (Norway) then poetically laid out a story of a landscape (to which Maj-len Sundin has made invaluable contribution – Thanks Maj!). It was a multifaceted, variable & fascinating landscape - of identities , aspirations & goals - yet to be explored & one which may never be fully ‘captured’ in a single snapshot or viewpoint. The conference participants were then sent on a journey of exploration for the rest of the day. In small group they discussed Servas Core Values & Lessons in Conflict Resolution. This encouraged participants to reach out to & listen to one another & on the whole went very smoothly!
Later sessions of Day Zero dealt with the practicalities (not to mention the difficulties & confusions!); of a General Assembly (GA). Training sessions were offered for delegates by the moderators and the United States’ Mary Jane Mikuriya in which we were showed a role play on the rules of procedures much enlivened by a cast whose key approach was one of ‘adlibing while educating the masses’. At the end of a long day, ‘home group’ sessions provided delegates with an opportunity to meet & get to know each other on a more personal basis. Dinner was in the posh dining room on level 4 – eventually!
Servas launched itself into the world of choir competitions with four outstanding choirs on Sunday the 2nd of April at the EGA at Latina, Italy.
They are known as: “Happy”, “Sad”, “Angry” and “Surprised”.
The outcome is open. Who are you voting for?
