An OP Update

Hey folks,

It’s high time we kept you updated about what’s happening with OP at the moment.

Firstly, for those who haven’t yet heard, we’ve taken on a large room in the Old College on Marksbury Road. These buildings are leased to Artspace Lifespace (http://www NULL.artspacelifespace NULL.com/) who are creating a space for community projects to set up and start creating a better society right here, right now.

The purpose of this is to have a permanent OP space where we can run workshops, have mentoring sessions and work on our projects in a collaborative and supportive atmosphere. Have a look at The Space Project page for more details.

This effort has meant that the old Tuesday format isn’t as relevant as it once was… why try and fit all of OP into 2 hours as guests in a building when we have our own space 7 days a week? In short, Tuesday sessions at Bush House are not being run any more .

OP is run by a volunteer effort. At the moment the focus of everyone involved is very much on getting the Space set up and running. We are always happy and grateful when new volunteers turn up to get involved with the project. Both hands and ideas are welcome. At the moment though, I would stress that we are very much in a practical, let’s-get-stuff-happening-on-the-ground mode, as opposed to a visioning mode for example. Although there are always issues and problems which need a bit of vision to solve.

Among the things on the todo list, which various OP members will hopefully be picking up soon:

• we need to finish setting up the space with desks and chairs etc, so that our members can actually get on with working on their projects.
• we are actively looking for people who are interested in putting on workshops or offering regular evening sessions.
• we are also very interested in finding volunteers who would benefit from running or organising a community group like OP, as there’s plenty of work to be done, skills to be learnt and experience to be had. It’s a great opportunity we have here at the moment.
• we will need to update the website shortly and reinstate our events page.
• we are always looking for people to come and support each other by offering time and energy to actively support each other and the ongoing OP project(s).

We are fundamentally a community group and there is no clear ‘We’ and ‘You’. What is offered at the Space is, was and will likely always be simply what is offered by those who are willing to offer time and energy to help other OPers. Now that we have our own space with 7 evenings free there are plenty of opportunities for you to actively create one piece of the puzzle needed for your vision of a good and just society.

If you are interested in getting involved in the Space project get in touch at space@openplatform.org.uk.

The next official event we have is on Monday 7th at 6:30pm at the Space. This is a peer-mentoring session, open to anyone who is in career transition, working on a project or starting a venture. The session will cost £2 and is free to paid-up Space members. It is also free for first time participants, who are welcome to join us and get a feel for what is happening. Sign up to our newsletter (google groups link on the right of this page) to stay informed. Or email us at space@openplatform.org.uk if you have questions about the space, or info@openplatform.org.uk if you have general questions about OP.

Hopefully, we will see you soon.

Alastair