Many people have a hard time thinking about sharing housing. The idea of making a change in the way they live is difficult and easily rejected. When a person considers sharing housing, a whole range of objections quickly surface. 

"I can't imagine living with a stranger(s)."

" I don't want to lose my privacy."

"I'm too sloppy."

""I'm too neat."

"I don't like loud music."

"I'm too set in my ways."

"What if it doesn't work out?"

"No one could live with me."

If you are considering sharing housing and are hesitant, the best thing to do is to go through the Shared Housing portion of the site. Once you understand the process of finding and keeping good Home-Mates, you will see that you can manage most of the particular concerns about sharing housing that you have.

The deepest crises experienced by any society are those moments of change when the story becomes inadequate for meeting the survival demands of a present situation. ~ Thomas Berry

The Transition is working to develop standards that can be used to empower The Transition Inter-Community Network with optimized collective intelligence. We have a highly-motivated community working to do amazing things and our standards help make those things happen. Our standards are simply good ideas that others can build upon to make interaction more pleasurable and meaningful. If standards are good, they tend to often be adopted. If they are not so good, then perhaps they can be adapted into something more valuable.We will also be keeping careful watch on standards emerging elsewhere. 

Some standards will be used as measuring sticks to assess the state of development of our BUDs so that the public and the Seeds of each BUD will have some information to bring to their BUDs to reflect upon in order to make guesses as to what they might want to do next regarding their group organization. Standards matter because the people we deal with on a day to day basis can hold us accountable to them. They matter because they’re how we look at problems, devise responses and interact with people. They matter because the field that we’re operating in can knock us sideways, and it’s really useful to have something solid to grab hold of. These are the standards that The Transition abide by as an organization, and we hope to model them in such as way that other Contributors realize the value in adopting them as well.

1. Do no harm.
2. Respect each other, and the time and effort they are contributing.

   Be civil. No personal attacks. No spam.

   Contributors have the choice to speak up if they feel their feelings are not respected.

   Our Contributors recognise the responsibility to present Transition related information in ways which are playful, articulate, accessible and engaging, and which enable people to feel enthused and empowered rather than powerless.

3. Always consider if your work and actions are in the best interest of The Transition and not your personal ego.

   Contributors examine themselves through contemplation. They are individually and collectively self-aware of the world outside themselves, the world inside themselves, and the relationship between the two. Be sure to be responsible for the energy you bring to our online and offline communities, & events.

4. Only commit to projects if you have the time availability and skill-set to fulfill the needed task.

   If you say you are going to do something, then follow through with that promise.  Contributors should hold each other accountable to insure tasks are completed.  Your having the integrity to be honest leaves room for others to show what they bring to the table and this develops many leaders. 

5. This website is a "Safe Zone". Together we are creating an environment with diverse Contributors.

   In order for us to succeed in Our Mission we need an unprecedented coming together of the broad diversity of society. Contributors dedicate themselves to ensuring that their decision making processes and their BUDs embody principles of openness and inclusion. Please participate without judgment, expectations and the need to fix one another; true, genuine community is the art and practice of being who we truly are while we honor others doing the same.  We are all a part of this community and the more we embrace the diversity of backgrounds and ideas globally, the greater our collective, creative, and combined forward movement potential. There is no room for ‘them and us’ thinking. Our greatest opportunity for impact lies not just in connecting people to us and to our ideas, but in creating a safe place where people can connect with and support each other in the quest to take the sustained action that leads to deep and profound change.

6. Contributors resolve conflicts with wisdom and grace.

   If a problem is brought to light, a possible solution is then brought to the table, or an adjustment to a pre-existing process or structure is suggested.  Once brought up, the solution and suggestions are decided upon using Formal Consensus so that contributors can bring together their multiple perspectives to better understand the whole context of the situation. Doing this will allow for decisions to be more inclusive and humble, rather than one-sided and arrogant.

7. Wisdom comes in all forms: Contributors harness the “flow of leadership” to make decisions and set a course of action. It is the spirit of collaboration in community itself that leads and not any single individual.

   The internet and this social change platform make it possible for everyone to be a leader. Humanity is now connected, and that both enables and demands a new kind of leadership. Together we can create tomorrow, today.  Just be authentic, build direct relationships, empower other people, and have the courage to share your real self with the world.

8. One account per person and only accounts with real names are allowed for people, places and organizations.

   * A "real" name is a name you go by in everyday life. It can be a chosen name and not a birth-given name. No "avatar" names are allowed. The Transition Inter-Community Network is filled with authentic people who meet each other and collaborate in person as well as online. If you wish to lurk in the shadows and remain anonymous this website is not for you.