Toluu

worldcafe_europe

This blog is about World Café Europe events and the developing pan-European community.

The Conversation Continues in BilbaoJuly 9

Inspired by the achievements of the Basque government and a number of the world’s renowned architects,  World Café Europe held its second European Gathering in Bilbao, Spain from June 5 – 7th. The Gathering’s theme “Looking at Renewal with New Eyes: The Bilbao Experience” attracted participants from as far away as Australia, Bolivia and the United States to join in the conversation with citizens from all over Europe.

This year 11 local World Café conversations with representatives from a broad spectrum of sectors from society were held: education, health, business, R&D, business, city and regional development, youth, social services and the arts. Over 770 people from Bilbao and the Basque country participated in these local World Cafés.

Two local World Cafés offer a special insight to the spirit of these conversations with the citizens of the Bilbao and the Basque country: a World Café with the Basque television (EiTB) and another in the Prision Nanclares de Oca.

The topic of corporate social responsibility was the topic for the Basque television’s World Café conversation.  This tri-lingual World Café – Spanish, Basque and English – engaged 120 individuals to reflect upon how the television station could more effectively fulfill its purpose as a supporter of the Basque culture and community. Results of these conversations will serve to inform the EiTB’s strategy for the up-coming years.

Bilbao Through Ana Cristina's EyesJuly 8

Palomilla Ana Cristina Maldonado sent this story about her experiences right after she returned from the 2nd World Café Europe event in Bilbao:

Bilbao was different from Dresden's *POW* of seeing café writ large for the first time, and I have a deeper reflection after having been working on this (the World Café) for a year now - and then renewal in Bilbao. 

The community cafes reached 12,000 people again.  I went to a cafe on gender hosted by an NGO and a cafe at the Universidad de Deusto with 4th year business students (~85 of them, plus ~25 faculty/staff). The conference cafe had about 100 from 15 different countries, many new faces and many returning ones - there was a 10 person crew from Brazil (from a German auto parts factory with factories in Brazil).  The theme was 'renewal' and Bilbao was the perfect space for it.  Highlights include playing in the Guggenheim sculptures with some fellow cafeistas, dinner with Pat and Jeff about their corporate work and perspective on cafe, and talking to Andri and Thomas about the cafe in the prison and especially meeting Donatella and (briefly!) Edgar Gouveia live and in person -- Edgar jumped in and did a closing piece/movement which everyone loved. 

Perhaps my biggest insights/reminders came at the end from my conversations with Tom Hurley and the subsequent Harvesting cafe-- that TWC is a fermenting process, not about instant outputs,with results (many unexpected) that emerge over time a

Radio EuskadiMay 29

by Jeffrey Beeson

This year was the 25th anniversary of Radio Euskadi – one of the largest radio stations in the Basque country.  They had been wondering how they were going to celebrate such an important anniversary.  The company EiTB – which not only owns Radio Euskadi but also owns 2 Basque television channels - was approached by World Café Europe in November of last year and asked whether they might want to be part of the 2nd World Café Europe Gathering taking place in Bilbao on June 5-7.  EiTB agreed and came to the kick off World Café event in January of this year which included another 12 other local organizations.  They were very favourably impressed by the experience and realized that this could be the type of format to invite the listeners of Radio Euskadi to a celebration of its 25th anniversary.  So the beginnings of the 1000 person Café in front of the Guggenheim were born…

On May 18th, 1000 people sat down at 200 tables to talk about the past, present and future of the Basque country.  Coffee was of course served directly at the tables.  There were 3 rounds of conversation of 30 minutes a piece.  The whole event was televised as well as broadcast live on the radio.  World Café seems to be on the lips of all the citizerns of Bilbao as

Planning Team invites you personally to come to Bilbao in June 2008April 30

See the World Café  in a New Light

You still have the opportunity to join three days of eye-opening World Café conversations during the 2nd World Café European Gathering from June 5-7, 2008 in Bilbao, Spain!

These World Café conversations will be unlike any you have ever experienced.

Juanita Brown, one of the founders of the World Café, considers World Café Europe’s engagement with an entire city such as Bilbao a significant step in the on-going development of the World Café. 

Both small and large scale World Cafés will inspire you through their creative  approaches to the design and hosting of conversations that matter in all sectors of today’s society.

We would like to extend a very personal invitation to you:

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=The+World+Cafe+Europe&search_type=

Take advantage of this unique opportunity to join the dialogue in a city full of world class architecture and Latin joie-de-vivr