Whole Network Meetings
These are announced on the Home Page of our website, and by an email to all on our email lists. We are talking about how to keep network members not on email informed.
Some of our meetings may need more publicity if we want others currently not on our mail lists to come.
They have been 3-weekly but this will be determined by need and what we are doing.
We are seeking to find venues that are least cost and central if not free for community organisations.
We would like to keep the spirit of Open Space in these meetings, in line with the national network as a whole. This means organising ourselves during parts of our meeting to address a shared question in an open way, maximising self-organising and participation.
Website
This is key to integrating our knowledge, key info and activities amongst ourselves, and communicating and becoming known within our city and beyond. There will be an open area for Discussion Forums alongside Blog Areas managed my moderators: whole network, function groups and neighbourhood groups (static and dated Blogs).
The website and its Forums and Areas will be useful in forming the Function and Neighbourhood groups that people have expressed interest in. There are already people who have said they are willing to convene these.
Transition Interest Groups
All transition towns form these to address specific action areas to realise our vision in facing the issues of climate change and oil depletion alongside one planet living and maintaining the health of ecosystems on which the survival of life (ours included) on this planet depends.
These usually need to start by understanding the impact that climate change and peak oil will have on their area, and how we currently live creates CO2 emissions, with advice from our science and technology group and other groups and organisations within our city, as well as specialists around the world.
Then go on to create a vision of how we need to live and what would work in 20 yrs time. This will incorporate solutions in these areas coming from other towns and cities around the world as well as our own national network.
Devise some action plans for this area: how to reduce and reverse carbon emissions and how to build or rebuild resilience to mitigate the effects of peak oil. Relocalising the way we meet our basic needs may well be part of this.
Function groups can advise us and input into the vision and plans we develop with others in our local community – local government, businesses, voluntary sector etc, as well as advising local neighbourhood groups within the network and linked to it (e.g. residents or community associations). Examples of Function groups include:
Core: Food, Energy, Transport, Buildings and Construction, Waste and Recycling, Textiles and Clothing, Biodiversity and Ecosystems, Urban and Land Use Planning, Business and Economy, Health, Science and Technology (11)
Change process: Education and Awareness, Heart and Soul of Change, Transition Process, Vision, Use of Arts, Community Enlargement (6)
Liaison: Liaison with Other Community Groups, Liaison with Local Government, Liaison with Schools and Universities, International and National Networking (4)
Each function group will need to find someone to moderate their discussion Forum and their Blogs.
Neighbourhood Groups
Cities find they need these (and often district clusters of them). Their purpose and activity will evolve and be explored locally and shared amongst us.
Following the principles of the effective networking of cells (each cell being a group of 9 +/- 3): neighbourhood groups would replicate the Hub cell at their level of scale.
This means having someone linking to each core function area in it, and looking at neighbourhood issues and solutions from the perspective of each of these.
Neighbourhood groups would participate in the transition process in their local geographical area: education and awareness raising and building relations with other organisations – businesses, schools etc. And to the B&H vision, and its ongoing update, as a whole
They could also support personal change amongst local residents and households or apartment blocks, with advice from the Heart and Soul of Change function group.
Project Groups
These might be needed too, but can come and go as tasks need to be done rather be ongoing. They could also involve working in partnership with other groups and organisations in the city
Hub Meetings, Membership and Role of the Hub
We need a committed membership of about 12 people both for continuity of responsibility for a period, as well as meeting the criteria for official status in our national network. We now have this, and official status as the 20th Transition Town in the UK network. After Function groups form then they will need representatives on the Hub and the membership will change.
Hub meetings are open for others to attend, and notice of these (date, venue) will be on our website in the discussion Forum called “Hub”. Please let us know if you can if you want to come on this Forum, as we may need to find a larger space if many want to join a particular meeting.
The Hub discussion Forum will include reports on our meetings and agenda suggestions, as well as discussion amongst ourselves and others. So the Hub will be as transparent as possible, and inclusive.
We want to keep the network a safe, attractive and supportive “space” for our community to come together to tackle climate change, peak oil and related environmental, social and economic issues. This means building and maintaining trust and being careful that no individuals or groups have a dominating role. This means taking care how we make decisions and get the input and support that is needed.
Part of the role of the Hub is to co-ordinate decisions affecting the whole network, as well as programmes and projects, relations with the media and support for local government initiatives, alongside looking after the website, funding and budgets and constitutional arrangements.
