Meet The Team

Denise - Founder Member, Website design, Facilitator

Having been post operative for some time now I am so happy to be part of Spectrum London team and to give back any knowledge i have gained over the years plus support and helping those to make the most of their lives through self enpowerment. Forever researching and collating relevent information, networking and working on various projects with other trans people in the London area i am keen to promote trans issues and greater acceptance by the wider public as well as friends and families...

 

Michael - Founder Member, Website design, Facilitator

Long term partner to Denise, Mike is in an ideal position to bring into the group experience from the partners prospective, he's shared the emotional moments and more that a partner going through transition brings to a relationship and is a useful resource to have on the team, along with his website and group working skills

 

 

 

What Is a Facilitator?

A facilitator is a person who helps a group or team to work together in a
collaborative way, by focusing on the process of how the team’s participants work together. The facilitator helps the team to get to an agreed endpoint and helps learning to take place (both for the team as a whole and for individuals within it).
Facilitators often also have a normal full-time job, and they may perform their facilitation role in addition to this. This means that a facilitator is someone who:

• designs sessions or events with a specific focus or intent;
• provides processes, tools and techniques which get work accomplished effectively and quickly in a group setting;
• keeps the event on track and ensures that goals are met;
• draws out the participation of all group members;
• helps to resolve any conflicts in the group.
  

What a Facilitator Is Not

Facilitators are not there to manage the activities and the content of the team –
that is a matter for the team itself. Facilitators apply their expertise in leading the process, but they are not:

• participants in the team itself;
• group leaders, either formally or informally. The existence of the facilitator means that the team leader aims to play a peer-level, rather than a management-role in the event, and that a more open exchange of ideas or faster-paced work than is possible on a day-to-day basis is needed;
• group administrators, providing back-up and support;
• servants who simply do the bidding of the group.

Nor are they expert teachers: they have no power or authority to impose any action on the group and they have no vested interest in the outcome of the team’s work.