Transition Towns WIKI

Training for Transition

Objectives

• To understand the context for transition
• To understand the Transition Towns model as it has evolved so far – from inspiration to working groups
• To gain knowledge of the main steps of transition
• To work out a plan of action for your self and your locality
• To understand the inner and outer aspects of transition
• To have the elements of an inspiring talk on Transition Towns.

Questions and training needs that have arisen from other TTs

• How large should the vision be?
• What comes after awareness raising?
• What about ethical differences (e.g. vegans can’t support mixed agriculture projects)
• Am I doing the right thing at any one point?
• Need inspiration, self belief!
• Facilitation skills- from small groups to large public meetings.
• When do you start doing things, and how do you know when you have done enough awareness raising?

1. Introductions and Warm up

• Appreciating and gratitude
• What’s your favourite.. food, place in nature, work of art / music, place you can walk to from where you live? *Place you would travel if you could get on an airplane...
• Make a list and see how many you can find the same in the group
• What is it about the place you live that inspires you to want to create a transitioned future?

2. The context for transition towns

• Get participants to brainstorm a map which covers the following:
  • Outer world
    • Resource use – peak oil & gas, fish, grain, water, wood, soil erosion
    • Pollution – climate change, salination
    • Carrying capacity – population x affluence x technology; draw down from past, future and others
    • Social justice – wealth differential as driver for economic growth
  • Inner world
    • Inner psychology – separation; addictions
    • World view – assumptions about growth, domination; competition and scarcity; etc
    • Resulting behaviours
    • Loss of spirituality – sense of human as greater than individual, material
• Start to build the concepts of old paradigm / new paradigm as a map- it’s all a set of connected threads, you pull on any one thread and you find you are pulling on all of them.
• Invite people to give a 2 minute talk on one topic they feel passionate about – start of building their TT talk.

3. Vision of a healthy World

• Lacking in our media
• Other cultures? Multi media short film of Katyani??
• What is your vision for your locality?
• What are we transitioning to?

4. The Transition Model In Depth: First steps – Initiating group and Awareness raising

• Initiating group
  • Skills needed
    • Organising – booking rooms, DVDs, speaker, projector and screen, refreshments, facilitator etc
    • Facilitating meetings and talks; dealing with process
    • Publicity – press, website,
    • Managing information – email lists, website
    • Public speaking
    • Networking with existing organisations - contacts
  • Talks and films
    • Who to aim for – existing groups, general public
    • Publicity – press, posters, word of mouth, email list, website
    • Showing films: include time for introductions to each other at the start. Digestion time at the end. Gather emails. Invite people to think about how they want to be involved..
    • Getting speakers
    • List of resources
• When is the job done?
  • Launch – “The historic night it all started”
    • Speaker? Band? Something that will draw and inspire people
    • Vision for your community..
    • Invite participation at the event – post its, spaces to write thoughts, visions, requests, areas of interest
    • What else could come from the launch?
• Practical exercise on visioning
  • Visualisation. Time walk Time line.
  • Joanna Macy exercise – meeting the descendants?

5. Engaging people: Inspiring Vision and Creating Working Groups

• Ways of doing this – brainstorm from the group; add TTT practices
• 10 Tools (plus)
  • Decide on your strategic groups; Open space days, Talks, Events – examples.. green fairs; seed swap;
• Great re-skilling – making, repairing, growing, preserving, processing,
  • Skilling up for powerdown; Irish model; Rob’s model;
• Home groups

6. Evolving structure

• A discussion on structures and creating the culture of inclusion and openness. – possibly combine with 7)
  • Dissolving the initiating group
  • Theme groups
  • Projects
  • Leadership
  • Participation, accountability, legitimacy

7. Where Next?

• Overview of where TTT has got to and current issues (mainly from us; invite other group/project leaders
  • GFWA model – project support, creativity, open, the field popping
  • Energy descent plan – strategic, focusing, planning, measurement, evaluation
  • Training – in the process, facilitation, leadership; in the concepts;
  • Home groups – support, connection, action, trust
  • Linking resources and needs in the community: volunteers; swaps, skill sharing; space e.g. gardens, toolsheds
  • Links to the wider field – Transition Network,

8. Your next steps

• Paper exercises and feedback opportunities to cover:
  • Initiating group – who is it? What roles do people have? What’s your role? What’s the culture of the group – leader? Consensus? How are decisions made? What are your strengths? What are you missing or weak at? How could you address this – invite others to join? Training?
  • Awareness raising: what groups are you linked with – environmental? Other? Who could you approach? What venues do you have? What resources – speakers? Local projects or experts? Places to visit e.g. eco house or permaculture project? What kind of publicity can you generate? Links to local paper? Radio? Other? Local government?
  • Your personal journey. What are your strengths and weaknesses? What support do you have? What is your dream or vision? What do you want to learn about? What makes you passionate?
  • How do you addressed inner and outer worlds?
  • Who are you reaching? Are there groups that are not responding? Any organisational relationships that need attention?
• Resources list of:
  • Books
  • Websites
  • Videos