Guidelines for starting and running a group
- The groups work within the framework of the aims and principles of Transition Town Lewes.
- The key tasks of each group is, in the next year, to explore community responses to climate change and peak oil in their fields, create their section of the Lewes Energy Descent Action Plan and start putting their plan into action.
- Each group meets regularly.
- Each group is open to whoever wants to come.
- Each group has a ‘contact’ who acts as the point of contact for the group (see below).
- Each group uses existing TTL routes of communication:
- Each group has a google email group.
- Each group creates and updates their own page on the TTL wiki website. Content for the group page on the wiki website could be notes about meetings and initial drafts of documents relating to its section of the Energy Descent Plan. (The wiki is a powerful collaborative information building tool.)
- The members of the group are also on the google group for all people active in TTL.
- The people in the groups should be continually asking themselves, "who isn't here that should be here?", that is, always be open to exploring new 'avenues' by which new people can be drawn into the group.
- Each meeting could invite an "expert", who will then be asked for their perspective on the issues, their experience and their ideas for other experts.
The role of the contact
The main role of the ‘contact’ is to be the point of contact for the group. Their telephone number and email address is publicised through TTL.
The contact also helps the group to function well by ensuring that s/he or another member of the group do the following:
• Arrange meeting dates and venues
• Ensure there is a chair and notetaker at each meeting
• Keep in touch by email or other means
• Take information to and from meetings of the forum
• Recruit new members to the group
• Network with other groups inside and outside of TTL
• Keep people engaged and enthusiastic
Get involved: contact one of the Group contacts on the Groups page
