Access matters
Becoming a Feldenkrais teacher requires time, commitment, and means. These conditions have limited who learns about, practices, and teaches Moshe’s method.
Less than two years ago, after George Floyd’s murder, questions of diversity, equality, and inclusion came to the fore in the Feldenkrais community. Many well-intentioned things were said but remarkably little changed community-wide. That’s why I was heartened to receive an email announcing the formation of an international effort to address these issues by proactively making teacher training more accessible.
Rather than tell you what’s going on, I invite you to read what this international group of young Feldenkrais teachers propose. Afterward, I hope you’ll click on the link, which you’ll find at the end of their announcement, and lend your name to their crucial efforts.
IFF YOUNG PRACTITIONERS GROUP
PROPOSAL | ACCESS FUND
INCREASING ACCESS
TO THE FELDENKRAIS
METHOD WORLDWIDE
WHO ARE WE? Our group is made up of younger trainees & practitioners (under 40 years old) from the many different countries of the International Feldenkrais Federation. As an inter-cultural group, we are passionate about helping to build & develop the future life of our global Feldenkrais community. We are keen to create ways for more people from all backgrounds to experience, train in, & teach the work from which we have all benefited. We aim to be promoting & leading on actions that cultivate a radical & intersectional approach to access, diversity, equality, & inclusion in the Feldenkrais community at an international level.
OUR BELIEFS
The Feldenkrais Method affirms the validity & potential in all human beings without distinction. We meet & welcome the whole person where they are. We work with sensitivity to similarity & difference. Working with ourselves & others through the Feldenkrais Method impacts the world around us. The life-altering revelations that can occur through practicing ATM/FI can (in theory) be accessed by anyone & should be shared as widely as possible.
Organizations – including our own – reflect the structural inequality of society at large. Overlapping elements of identity & background (including class, disability, gender, income, level of prior education, race, religion, nationality, sexuality, & others) create inequalities in who has (easier) access to the Feldenkrais Method.
Our collective responsibility is actively working towards removing barriers to access, cultivating a worldwide Feldenkrais community that prioritizes inclusion, diversity, & equality.
WHAT I’M AFTER ISN’T FLEXIBLE BODIES
BUT FLEXIBLE MINDS
& TO RESTORE EACH PERSON TO THEIR HUMAN DIGNITY
– Moshe Feldenkrais
WHAT? A centralized fund that helps people access professional Feldenkrais training via targeted financial support with mentoring. Potential students apply to a recognized Feldenkrais training in any country worldwide. Once they have a confirmed place, they can apply to the Access Fund with the endorsement of the leader(s) of their chosen training. The applicant self-selects the level of support for which they wish to apply:
- Scholarship plus (all fees for complete training + living costs).
- Scholarship (all fees for complete training).
- Part-scholarship (assistance with fees or living costs).
WHY? Many people find the costs of training (including fees, lost earnings, & travel/living costs) to be beyond their means.
This disproportionately affects people from particular backgrounds who are already under-represented in our community. Removing financial barriers will provide access to training for a more diverse demographic who cannot currently afford to train as practitioners. Supporting student practitioners from a wider variety of backgrounds through the Access Fund will begin decisively to shift the demographic of qualified Feldenkrais practitioners across the world. This, in turn, will increase the likelihood of Feldenkrais being taught in a much wider range of contexts & communities. By asking the worldwide Feldenkrais community to support the Access Fund, we are deliberately aiming to raise consciousness about the necessity & possibility for change in the face of current inequalities, whilst also suggesting one pathway for straightforward action.
LEARNING IS TURNING DARKNESS,
WHICH IS ABSENCE OF LIGHT, INTO LIGHT.
LEARNING IS CREATION.
– Moshe Feldenkrais
HOW? Phase One 2022-23
- Appoint a paid Project Manager with the necessary experience to oversee this initial phase of development, including leading & coordinating an international team of Access Fund representatives (volunteers).
- Carry out an in-depth, public consultation via an online questionnaire to gather data which allows us to refine the remit and working structure of the Access Fund so that it accurately meets the needs of our global Feldenkrais community as we work towards structural equality.
- Build collaborative working partnerships with our existing organizational structures (Guilds; trainings; etc).
- Create & launch the Access Fund’s outward-facing media (website; socials) utilizing a coherent visual identity & branding strategy; & giving public access to our materials in a range of languages & accessible formats.
- Begin to grow available funds through grassroots fundraising within the Feldenkrais community worldwide; applications to grant-making organizations; attaining match-funding from private donors.
- Form a centralized committee responsible for receiving, assessing, & awarding scholarships.
- Finalize the application process & begin advertising, assessing, & awarding the first round of scholarships.
MOVEMENT IS LIFE;
WITHOUT MOVEMENT LIFE IS UNTHINKABLE
– Moshe Feldenkrais
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
We are currently applying to the IFF for seed funding to help us achieve Phase 1 as outlined above. To strengthen our application, we are gathering expressions of support from members of the worldwide Feldenkrais community.
At this stage, we simply ask: if you like this idea & would be interested in seeing it developed further, please click here to add your name to our list of supporters.
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Wow wow! Fucking! Wow wow!
My thoughts, exactly, dear friend.
This is fantastic, Larry! Thank you for letting us know about this.
I’m with you, Cheryl: It is fantastic. I’m grateful that I can use my blog to help spread the word.
Larry,I am VERY grateful for this initiative and truly regret that I could not go through training until 2010, age 59. This work has changed my life and the lives of countless others. Thanks for your devotion to this Method and all you have been doing to advance it. Blessings as you continue.
Hello Becky –
Thank you for your enthusiastic response to Access Fund Initiative. It is truly heartening to know that these colleagues are committed to making our work more available.
And thank you for your support and kind words.