What is Open Space?

Open Space is a conference style that is designed to mimic the natural way people come together and begin to build networks and share ideas. It accesses the knowledge and wisdom found in any group of people and encourages the contribution of any and all “experts” in the room.

There is no pre-set agenda. All that is known is the start and end times and the general theme (in our case, the theme is recreational gymnastics).

Participants themselves identify the issues and topics that are important to them, that they feel passionate about and interested in.

Small discussion groups evolve and participants can move from group to group whenever they feel that they are no longer learning or contributing, or even when they feel more interested in another topic. 

How Do We Do This online?

The event itself will be hosted on Zoom. 

Two days before the Mastermind, participants will submit one question/topics to explore with like-minded folks.  Based on these submissions, Ali (your facilitator) will make a draft agenda, combining any duplicate topics, and then it will be sent back out to the group for feedback and suggestions to fine tune the outline.

We'll have breakout spaces assigned for each topic (at specific times) and participants will be able to select the "room" of their choice (and exercise the "law of two feet" and move freely between the rooms as they see fit).  

Each room will have a notetaker who will record the key points discussed, then submit them to Ali.  These will be compiled and emailed out to the group afterwards.

At the end of the event, we'll have a "community harvest" where we gather together in the main room and share our main takeaways before we head out.

What kind of topics will be covered?

This depends entirely on the group!   :)

This is a collaborative event, so the whole point is to ask for input (or help, or clarity, or a sounding board, etc) on a topic or question that matters most to you -- then when that topic comes up on the agenda, people will join you to swap cool ideas, best practices and/or brainstorm solutions as a group.

The Mastermind on April 26th is specifically about SUMMER CAMPS.   Here are a few topics/questions we brainstormed here at RGP.  Feel free to submit any of these (or come up with you own):

• How to make camp more... campy?
• What does a typical camp day look like at other gyms?
• Best ways to train camp staff?
• Idea swap for fun non-gymnastics programming?
• To theme or not to theme?
• Managing staff burnout over a loooong summer?
• Systems to help camps run smoothly?
• Making camper sign in/out more efficient!
• Helping staff understand the differences between camp vs classes
• Navigating the challenges that only happen during summer camps!
• Marketing your summer camp?
• Recommendations for tools/resources/programs/etc to help with camp prep!
• ... or whatever question/topic is on your mind!