Seedling Swap at the Library- Sustainable Bungay
The following is a precis of the 63 Patterns in the forthcoming Transition Pattern Language. There is an on-line version of the Patterns as part of the 2010 Transition Conference booklet which you can download as a PDF. There will also be an interactive on-line directory shortly on http://www.transitionnetwork.org/.
Set One - What we Start With – Skills and Qualities
1.5 Personal Resilience Making sure some of the qualities that increase an ability to weather shock and stress are included in activities e.g. humour, creative exploration, relaxation and optimistic thinking.
1.6 How Others See Us/How We Communicate being aware of how you communicate Transition
Set Two Starting Up An Initiative
2.1 Forming a Core Team finding your people and steering an initiative
2.2 Inclusion/Diversity Going out and meeting/ listening to the community, finding out what its strengths and concerns are
2.3 Transition Training weekend intensivecourse run by the Transition Network to help inititatives get started – covers both the inner and outer aspects of Transitiion, including key information about peak oil and climate change
2.4 Running Successful Meetings One of the principle arts of Transition – making agreements with facilitation and structure so everyone is heard and valued
2.5 Visioning Process whereby communities and inititives can see forward into the future and create the structures necessary for a post-oil world
2.6 Becoming a Formal Organisation Finding a structure that suits your initiative and makes funding possible
2.7 Arts and Creativity Creating the culture of Transition – an essential ingredient of all events
2.8 Awareness Raising Bringing climate change and peak oil to the attention of the community – holding a positive vision for the future – providing throught-provoking and imaginative events where people can meet each other and discuss issues
2.9 Communications with the Media Making links with the local press, radio and television – learning how to write press releases and selecting spokespeople for the initiative
2.10 Forming Working Groups Small interest groups around a specific subject or project, who can take things forward independantly of the steering group
2.11 Building Strategic Partnerships Making links with organisations whose objectives run parallel with Transition (events, funding, speakers)
2.12 The Project Support concept catalysing, inspiring and enabling other local projects to flourish, lending assistance from publicity and administration to sense of common purpose
2.15 Transition Cakes the delicious and creative centrepiece of all good Transition events!
Set Three Deepening and Broadening
3.1 Transition Towers –having an office or not Deciding how to run the initiative from a dedicated space (that could also be a meeting place, library, café . . .)
3.2 Volunteers Making sure volunteers from outside the initiative involved in any project or event have a rewarding time
3.3 Financing Your Work Going beyond self-financing – locating funding and sponsorship – making projects economically sustainable and planning for the future
3.4 Celebrating Celebrating the small and large achievements – anniversary parties, shared meals
3.5 Emotional Support/Avoiding Burnout Creating small self-organising support groups – making sure responsibility for the initiative is shared - having time for rest and recuperation
3.6 Momentum Making sure the initiative keeps focussed and moving forwards
3.7 Celebrate Failure (and Success) Making sure everything is celebrated (even the things that don’t work out)
3.8 Gathering Feedback (how are we doing?) Making time to reflect on the progress and shortcomings of the group
3.9 Practical Manifestations Making sure there are visible manifestations of your initiative at an early stage (and you are not just a talking shop)
3.10 Local Food initiatives Engaging in food-related projects – starting up community orchards, garden-share, CSAs - getting involved with local school gardens and farmer’s markets
3.12 Working with Local Businesses Offering services to connect businesses with the local economy and more be resilient – forming an Economics and Livelihoods group
3.13 Ensuring Land Access Finding land that can be used for growing food for communities – garden shares
3.14 Unleashings A bold and inspirational celebration of an initiative’s presence in the community – an event that marks the beginning of Transition
Set 4 Outreach
Set Five The Bigger Picture
5.1 Energy Descent Action Plans Designing an engaging and research-based community process for a practical and coherent vision for a lower-energy future – a route map of what Transition will look like so the initiative and the community can plan ahead
5.3 Scaling Up Ensuring you have a strong organisational stucture to evolve the initiative – broadening the initiative’s impact
5.4 Community Renewable Energy Companies Making renewable energy owned and managed by the local community (as opposed to distant organisations)
Set Six National Policy Making
