Future Search Conference takes an unexpected
turn
by BERT WILLIAMS, News Editor
Some participants were thrilled, others were disheartened, but
no one could have predicted the conclusion to last weekend’s Future
Search Conference.
On Friday, Oct. 3, at 2:30 p.m. more than 60 participants
converged on a conference room at the Sonoma County Office of
Education to begin the three-day conference. Participants included
members of the Windsor business community, political leaders,
public safety officials, school administrators and board members,
religious leaders and, oh yes, youth.
The goal was to envision a a positive future for the town’s
youth, and to create a plan to turn the dreams into reality.
The conference was led by Dr. Saul Eisen, Ph.D., professor of
organizational development at Sonoma State University. Eisen
explained that the goal was to achieve “breakthrough thinking”
followed up with “concrete action possibilities and plans.”
Eisen said that such a process often involves a cycle in which
participants progress from contentment to denial to confusion to
renewal. Renewal may, in turn, lead to contentment, and the
repetition of the cycle. By the conclusion of the conference on
Sunday afternoon, many participants had encountered all four
responses.
But there was a clean slate Friday afternoon, and the group was
asked to begin by considering the past 15 years. After a time of
personal reflection, participants were instructed to record, with
felt markers on large paper wall panels, key milestones in their
own lives, in the history of Windsor and in the world at large.
They were then given the opportunity to walk from panel to panel
and take in the scope of their shared perceptions.
Participants then moved to a consideration of the present. Eisen
encouraged the group to consider emerging trends and forces
affecting the community of Windsor and its youth.
The process resulted in a wall-sized “environment map”
describing the pressures bearing upon the lives of youth today. The
map looked to some like a bloodshot eyeball, to others like a
sentence-diagramming assignment from hell, but the message was
clear: the trends and forces affecting the community’s youth are
complex and can seem overwhelming both to youth and adults.
Saturday morning at 9 a.m., following a continental breakfast,
the conference reconvened. The first session brought the seven
youth participants to the front of the room. Mostly high school
students, along with one eighth grader and one junior college
student, they shared their own perceptions of life.
For the most part, the students expressed satisfaction with
school, but were less positive about their interactions with adults
generally.
“It’s almost like a religious conversion,” said SRJC student
Jessica Birrer about adult expectations. “They want you to convert
to them. But we don’t share the same values.”
Windsor High School senior Billy Wallace gave an example,
describing the conflict in his family between country music and
rock music. WHS junior Sami Reyna followed with a description of a
conflict over wanting to get her lips and tongue pierced.
Some of the WHS students described their experiences with gangs
and violence, and the spectre of racism surfaced.
“There’s a lot of racism,” said Birrer. “There are a lot of
assumptions. It’s not said. It’s almost worse than when it is
said.” WHS senior Greg Simson noted that caucasian students often
assume that all Latinos are members of gangs.
After a break, Eisen led participants to consider their “prouds”
and “sorries” – things the community is doing for youth of which
they can be justifiably proud, and things for which they feel
sorrow. This was not a time for “blaming and complaining,” said
Eisen, but rather “for honest self-assessment in light of valued
goals.”
As the morning concluded the west wall of the room was filled
with note cards describing perceptions of how the community had
succeeded and failed in meeting the needs of its youth.
Following lunch, prepared by the WHS culinary arts class,
participants began a consideration of the future. They were
encouraged to envision what Windsor might do in the next five years
to nurture and empower young people.
In a bit of comic relief, eight small groups that had interacted
throughout the conference were assigned the task of creating skits,
to be shared with the large group, that would portray the
fulfillment of the five-year vision.
Following the skits, participants began to share their
individual visions of the future. As discussion continued,
recurring themes were organized under three headings: What we want,
How we may do it and Unresolved differences.
By the end of the afternoon the room’s west wall was again
festooned with hundreds of note cards arranged under topics such as
facilities, safety, family, traffic, communication and
collaboration. At one point a mini-demonstration broke out
championing the need for a public swimming pool.
It was to be the final task of the conference to create a plan
of action for accomplishing the shared vision.
On Sunday morning, Eisen introduced the task with a reference to
the movie “Field of Dreams.” The plan was that, after a short
break, participants were to get down to business on formulating the
plan of action.
But the break involved more than coffee. The youth were gathered
in a tight knot in a corner of the room and it became clear to some
nearby that they were not satisfied with plans for the morning.
When the conference reconvened, the youth were again seated
together in front of the conference room.
“We feel like we’re being used to build a swimming pool,” Reyna
began. “They’re using us to get what they want … We never said we
wanted a pool.” There was more than a little emotion in her voice.
“The priority for me is getting families together. What we care
about is getting kids OK on the inside.”
“All they’re thinking about is that they want to build stuff,”
said eighth grader Mary Pabros.
“Building things is not a solution to the root problem,” said
Birrer. “The root problem is not listening to us.”
“What we need is time for you to understand us,” said WHS junior
Danira Vielma.
“Self-confidence, depression, anxiety, suicide – these issues
won’t be solved by a pool or more bike lanes,” insisted Birrer.
“If people are not OK at home, what makes you think they’re
going to want to go swimming?” asked Reyna.
As adults asked questions and probed for understanding, it
became clear that the agenda was changing. It was agreed that
another break was needed, during which the youth would caucus, and
formulate a plan to be presented to the large group.
The proposal they returned with was a plan, in embryonic form,
for a process of gathering information from Windsor’s youth – from
grade two through high school. “The action planning that we need to
do now is figuring out how to listen,” insisted Birrer.
As discussion unfolded, an increasing number of adult
participants expressed their support and offered concrete help and
expertise.
County Probation Officer Tom Gordon said, “I’m glad you guys
found your voices. We have made progress. This is good stuff, but
it’s not the whole picture … I don’t want to give up all of my
power either. My picture is that with listening and collaboration,”
adults and youth can make a difference together.
“I see something coming from this meeting that’s worth my time,
and it’s coming from where we want it to come from,” said
Councilmember Sam Salmon.
The youth appeared to be feeling empowered. “We’ve been teaching
old dogs new tricks,” WHS senior Greg Simson said at one point.
But Birrer tempered the enthusiasm. “We have this idea,” she
said, “but we know that we don’t have the experience or the
knowledge to do it ourselves. We need your help. We know we can’t
do this without the adults’ expertise.”
The new direction had consumed more than two hours, and the 1
p.m. conclusion to the conference was approaching. Earlier in the
day Eisen had observed, “God invented time so that everything
wouldn’t happen all at once.” It had now become clear that not
everything that had been anticipated was going to happen at all –
at least not before the conference concluded.
During another break, a variety of viewpoints were circulating
among adults. Sheryl Feldman, from the school district office,
reported that several at her table were disheartened, feeling badly
that there had not been time to seriously tackle the specifics of
an action plan. Others, however, expressed exhilaration at the
unexpected turn the process had taken.
“There’s a lot of excitement and frustration in this room at the
same time,” said Eisen. “There is an emerging clarity about areas
that are important, and ways of being together.”
In the remaining minutes of the conference, ideas were discussed
about how the group could continue communicating and working
together for a shared vision.
In his concluding remarks Eisen noted, “Today was surprising and
challenging … Some are probably wishing there was a little more
clarity, but we don’t have it … Still, we have a commitment to
communicate.”
For many, the unexpected outcome did not diminish the importance
of the Future Search Conference.
“I don’t believe in the history of Windsor there’s ever been a
time when this kind of group has come together,” said Boys &
Girls Club Director Doug Caldwell. “Having the schools, the town,
the businesses together in the room at the same time has been
vital.”
“I love the example of the town council and the school board
working together,” said Jeanne Shaw, a member of Windsor’s clergy
(councilmember Debora Fudge and school board trustee Sheryl Scholar
co-chaired the conference). “I think this is the best thing I have
ever seen them do.”
As participants were departing, Eisen reflected on the
unexpected outcome. “The secret surprise in this,” he said, “is
that in giving away the power, we all gain more power.”
