An alternative perspective on the facilitation of gatherings without credentials

The facilitation of gatherings (FoG) without credentials is a societal taboo. It is important to discuss in the context of UO because credentials generally require significant financial investment which is a substantial barrier towards organizing non-commercially.

Most people will not be able to invest thousands in education without requiring some kind of financial gain from the fruits of that education.

We will explore why this taboo exists and suggest an alternative perspective on the matter.

Different kinds of facilitators.

There is the teacher, the facilitator and the spaceholder. These different roles are important to consider, because of power dynamics. The roles in descending order or responsibility:

A teacher claims to know more than the participants.
A facilitator has total control and responsibility over the space and therefore implicitly drives the experience of the gathering.
A spaceholder mostly allows for people to have their own experience.

Someone who claims to be a meditation teacher should be more present, professional & experienced in their session than someone who is just space holding a meditation session.

Definitions

Credentials: Any form of education or training that is usually awarded with some kind of certificate or diploma.

Why does the taboo exist?

In Western society, (social) safety and formal education are highly valued. And there are good reasons for that. Mistakes that cause great suffering due to not-knowing that could have been avoided by proper education have naturally pushed us into this direction.

Imagine a surgeon who accidentally amputates the wrong leg because of not having had proper education.

However:

How does education transfer to actual field skills?

Have you ever met someone who maybe only use 5% of what they learned at uni?

Why is field experience so disregarded?
How does the link between commercialism and education influence the quality of the education?

FoG with credentials:

Makes people feel safe knowing they are receiving legitimate trainings.
Ensures a teacher has dedicated enough time to be able to teach.
Ensures a teacher does not make obvious beginners’ mistakes in their teaching.
Requires significant financial investment. This exerts high pressure on the teacher to make their teachings only available commercially.
Creates an expectation of professionalism when the teacher is teaching. This makes it challenging for the teacher to be vulnerable.

FoG without credentials

Does not require financial investment. This means that it is easier for the teacher to make their teachings available for less or no money.
Supports authenticity.
Means there is no integrity check. Teachers could be teaching in a wrong or even hurtful manner.
Means that the likelihood of obvious mistakes is bigger.