But we’ve got no funding…
Funding is a poor substitute for enthusiasm and community involvement, both of which will take you through the first phases of Transition. Funding is not always a good thing; funders may demand a measure of control, and may steer the initiative in directions that run counter to community interests. As eco-village designer Max Lindeggar says: “If a project doesn’t make a profit it will make a loss.” You can make sure your process generates an adequate amount of income through the events that you hold. As an example, Transition Town Totnes began in September 2005 with no money at all, and it has been self-funding ever since. The talks, film screenings and other events that are run bring in funds sufficient to subsidize free events such as Open Space Days. You may reach a point where you have specific projects that will require funding, but until that point you’ll manage. Retain the power over whether this happens… don’t let lack of funding stop you.
Read moreGet Off Your "Buts"
But I don’t have the energy for doing this...
Posted by The Transition Team · October 06, 2015 5:53 AM
But I don’t have the right qualifications…
Posted by The Transition Team · October 06, 2015 5:51 AM
But it’s too late to do anything useful…
Posted by The Transition Team · October 06, 2015 5:50 AM
Our Plan
"The tragedy of life does not lie in not reaching your goals, the tragedy lies in not having any goals to reach. It isn't a calamity to die with dreams unfulfilled, but it is a calamity not to dream, it is not a disaster to be unable to capture your ideals, but it is a disaster to have no ideals to capture, it is not a disgrace not to reach the stars, but it is a disgrace to have no stars to reach."
~ Dr. Benjamin Mays
Goals are dreams set to paper and so we have placed our dreams in the hands of each other to bring our goals to a reality we can all share. This Transition Plan is created for the express purpose of transitioning from our current failing economic system and civilization to a new, more evolved Global Egalitarian System and civilization.
So, what is our overall goal you ask? Simply put: To replace a system whose priorities are power and profit with meeting the needs of all beings by establishing a system that puts people and the environment over profits.
To do it we have Strategic Action Goals to attain that:
1. Raise awareness of the need to work together to build resilience in the face of the current challenges we deal today like:
- Degradation of the biosphere
- Malaise of the Economic System
- Decline in Human Health
- Growth in Global Poverty and often Subsequent Inequality
2. Support the emergence and growth of Transition initiatives and leaders in all regions of the world.
3. Support the continued development and delivery of high quality education, training and consulting in support of the advancement of The Transition.
4. Mirror the diversity of our world in Transition Missions by supporting BUDs efforts to include all major cultural and demographic segments of their local communities.
5. Achieve financial sustainability for The Transition and the individuals and organizations that align themselves with The Transition by joining The Transition Inter-Community Network.
All of our phases work towards the ideals laid out in this compass depiction above.
Phase 0 -“Seed Phase”
Phase I - Building Community/"Soil Phase"
Phase II – “Weeding” (Community)
Phase III – “Harvesting” (Community)
Phase IV – “Pollination” (Community)
(Additional phases will be developed when a critical mass is hit in the latter phases.)
ARE YOU ASKING YOURSELF "HOW DOES THIS IMPACT ME"?
A transition plan that is fully functional and lucid reduces everything down to processes that we can do individually, but that when done simultaneously with others creates a huge impact on the world around us. The Transition Team has drafted such a plan (with the help of many consultants and experts in their own individual fields) that gives us a list of things to do, and creates a space in which to do that work by getting us all to get along and work together to achieve our mutual goal. Integral to Our Plan is a “peace from within” empowerment model based on Gandhi’s famous concept of svadeshi, or ‘localism’: we work on ourselves, work with colleagues, and then use that energy to work against oppressing systems (but not the persons operating them!).
"The Transition...is dedicated to showing why a transition needs to happen. What the new world [we co-create] looks like, detailed. How to transition each section of society, how to prepare us mentally for how to react according to the new guidelines and confirmation of the resources we will no longer have to fight for like before. It's getting everyone on the same page [both literally and figuratively]...Imagine if you had it at the beginning of your journey!"
These following pages are "living" in that they are continually edited and updated as new information becomes available; they are emergent in their design.
Begin YOUR action plan today!
Sources: Metta Center: What is a Road-map, Roadmap Compass, Transition Primer: A Guide to Becoming a Transition Town, US Version
Contributors: Metta Center, Transition US
Recommended Books: Metta Center: What is a Road-map, Transition Primer: A Guide to Becoming a Transition Town, US Version