Das Modell einer Akademie

„IFF Akademie für Practitioner“

Assembly update IFF Academy committee
2001 Kassel report short version to IFF Academy

Auszüge aus dem vom IFF-Vorstand verfassten Bericht über die Jahresversammlung 2001 der Internationalen Feldenkrais Federation (IFF) in Kassel
Prepared by the IFF Board of Directors

Vom 24. bis zum 27. Mai dieses Jahres fand in Kassel, Deutschland, die 10. IFF Jahresversammlung statt. Das Hauptthema dieser Versammlung war „ Eintritt in ein professionelles Feld“. Die Versammlung wurde durch einige Worte des Präsidenten Cliff Smyth eröffnet.: „(...) Aus Diskussionen in der IFF kennen wir bereits einige Elemente, die wir in einem professionellen Feld finden: Ethik; Standards of Practice; wirksame und koordinierte Berufsorganisationen; Forschung, die unsere Praxis unterstützt, unsere Theorie reflektiert und einen Beitrag zu unserer Glaubwürdigkeit in der Welt leistet. Wir wissen auch, dass es einen fortlaufenden Lernprozess innerhalb unserer professionellen Tätigkeit umfasst. (... . Möglich ist auch, dass wir..) mit dem Eintritt in ein professionelles Feld Elemente in den Blick gelangen, an die wir noch gar nicht gedacht haben. (....)

Auf einer Schwelle (der Entwicklung unserer Methode) stehend, wissen wir, dass wir nach innen schauen, aber auch in die Welt schreiten müssen. Wir wissen von Moshé Feldenkrais dass es bei „Bewusstheit durch Bewegung“ und „Funktionaler Integration“ nicht nur darum geht, sich besser zu spüren und angenehme innere Gefühle zu haben. Es bedeutet auch, mit Aufmerksamkeit handelnd tätig zu werden. Von diesen Prinzipien der Feldenkrais Methode ausgehend müssen wir die Methode auf eine Weise in die Welt integrieren, die mit unserem Selbstbild und unseren Absichten übereinstimmt“.

An der IFF Hauptversammlung 2001 in Kassel wurde nahezu einstimmig beschlossen, eine IFF Akademie zu gründen. Ihr Ziel ist die Weiterentwicklung und Erforschung von Qualität und Kompetenz im professionellen Feld der Feldenkrais Methode. Mit dieser Entscheidung folgte die Versammlung dem Vorschlag der „IFF Kommission für Qualität und Kompetenz“, die die IFF Jahresversammlung 2000 in Neuburg/Donau gegründet hatte (Mitglieder der “Special Commission“: Barbara Pieper, Rob Black, Daniel Clénin, sowie intensive Mitarbeit von Markus Riesen). Der Bericht dieser Kommission an die Versammlung 2001 beinhaltete:

• a summary of how a competency profile could be developed (see Competency Profile Report enclosed)
• a set of principles of how quality and competency processes in the community could be developed “in a Feldenkrais way”
• workshops where representatives could experience some of the ideas of quality and competence in practice
• a new “tool” for developing quality and competence on an ongoing basis and bringing together all our work on that theme: the idea of an IFF practitioner “Academy”

With the Assembly’s decision to develop the Academy Model, the Committee has finished its task, handing its work over to the IFF Academy.

The idea of an Academy

The IFF practitioner Academy is not a bricks and mortar academic institution but is an old idea: the Academy as a place for a continuing dialogue between professionals, thinkers and artists. And this idea looks forward to new ideas of a virtual, international community – were we can think globally and act locally. If we can use the body as a metaphor, the body of Academy is you, the body of practitioners. Groups of practitioners will form "local feet" to this body by sharing ideas and information with the help of a "content group". Specialist “hands” – groups organized nationally and internationally-working on particular aspects of quality and competence, for example, research into the application of the Feldenkrais Method, supervision, further research toward developing a competency profile for practitioners. Communication will be at the heart of the Academy.

The IFF Academy will be run under the umbrella of the IFF. Formally there exists a committee of the Board of Directors, called the IFF Academy Committee. This Committee consists of Board members, including the Academy portfolio holder and experts from our community,  at the moment including Francesca White, Barbara Pieper, Cliff Smyth and Daniel Clénin (IFF Academy Portfolio Holder). This committee is in charge of the connections between the IFF Academy, the BOD and the IFF community in general. Linked to this committee shall be established a bigger group of practitioners, called “content group”, that is dealing mainly with aspects of contents of the Feldenkrais Method: developing further visionary ideas, discussing and evaluating projects etc.. Establishing the function of a Co-ordinator mainly for the logistics is planned for the near future.

Some purposes of the Academy are:

• Support and guide the development of the Feldenkrais Method towards a professional field.
• Co-ordinate the exchange of skills, knowledge and abilities amongst the Feldenkrais practitioners world wide. This allows more clearly develop the potential for both the single Feldenkrais practitioner and the community.
• Establish an ongoing process of further education and reflection based on the principles of the Feldenkrais Method.
• Continue the research about a Competency profile development and initiate it.
• Co-ordinate and support different forms of supervision
• Build up new tools for the transition of recently graduated practitioners into their professional life.
• Collect and support research about the Feldenkrais Method.(…)

Some of the benefits of the IFF Academy are:

a)     For practitioners:

• Get support and opportunities for further education and deepening the understanding of the professional use of the Method including practitioners’ specific wishes, demands and needs.
• Get a strong background in the Method through information, ideas and research.
• Participate in an ongoing dialogue about core questions of the Method.
• Work and develop in a more clearly defined and growing professional field.

b)     For Guilds/Associations:

• Gain results from a complex process focused on the content of the Method – thus helping to balance the often more organisational and political tasks, that guilds/associations have to manage and that in many cases would overtax the means of a national organisation. Therefore providing support for the guilds/associations to fulfil their roles in relation to their members and the public.

c)      For the IFF:

• Create a concrete tool to fulfil the IFF’s purpose of visionary leadership in emerging into a professional field.

The next steps

This is a list of next steps to further the development of the IFF Academy model. The model is still in formation and may change due to functional needs.

• The IFF Academy Committee will develop role descriptions for Local Academy Feet, task groups (“Hands”) and specific tools (including rights and responsibilities to Academy and responsibility to be in contact with local associations/guilds/practitioners).
• Develop a networking concept in co-ordination with the new IFF Information Bureau.
• Identify Local Academy Feet interested in participation in pilot projects.(…)
• Continue the research and elaborate processes for competency profile development, including publishing existing material on practitioner website.
• Continue the IFF research list and publish a journal on research.(…)

We believe this is a useful model that 1) draws on local initiative and interest, 2) draws on existing groups of practitioners and supports the creation of new ones, 3) attracts resources to the base among practitioners, while providing  4) the coordination and development of ideas and processes.

The 2001 IFF Assembly was one of the most successful in the history of the IFF. It provided the IFF with the tools to continue its role in visionary leadership in the community and supporting the development of the professional field of the application of the Feldenkrais Method.

For more information about the IFF Academy, visit the IFF website http://www.feldenkrais-method.org/iff/static-academy.html, where we will provide the latest available information about the project.

If you have further specific questions and/or interest in participation in pilot projects please send an e-mail to academy@feldenkrais-method.org, or a fax (+1-503-221-6616) or a letter to the IFF office, 3611 SW Hood Ave, Suite 102, Portland, OR 97201, USA, You can also contact a member of the Academy Committee: Barbara Pieper (BarbPieper@gmx.de), Cliff Smyth (iffpres@qwest.net), Daniel Clénin (danielclenin@access.ch).