Transition Twinning
Project Aim
This is our new Transition Twinning concept : partnerships between rural and urban Transition Groups.
Both Rural and Urban Transition groups tend to have their own strengths and weaknesses by the nature of their location and perhaps of the type of people engaged in each, their widely differing interests and experiences.
We thought that it may be useful to bring together some Rural and Urban Transition Groups to see how they can help each other and support each other.
Areas of possible co-operation: food supply, home swaps for holidays, working holidays on farms, ideas and enthusiasm sharing, technical/ Internet expertise, electrical and other renewable energy help, etc, etc. We hope this will develop into a realistic, low cost, zero carbon food conveyor from rural to urban areas, as well as many other forms of co-operation.
Further details
This is our new Transition Twinning concept : partnerships between rural and urban Transition Groups.
Both Rural and Urban Transition groups tend to have their own strengths and weaknesses by the nature of their location and perhaps of the type of people engaged in each, their widely differing interests and experiences.
We thought that it may be useful to bring together some Rural and Urban Transition Groups to see how they can help each other and support each other.
Areas of possible co-operation: food supply, home swaps for holidays, working holidays on farms, ideas and enthusiasm sharing, technical/ Internet expertise, electrical and other renewable energy help, etc, etc. We hope this will develop into a realistic, low cost, zero carbon food conveyor from rural to urban areas, as well as many other forms of co-operation.
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Item 2: Holiday Home Swap
Setting up a register of Transition Group members wishing to offer their homes for a Holiday Home Swap: free to both parties, holiday in the country for the Urban member, holiday in the bustle and culture of a city for the Rural member
Item 3: Transition Woofer-like arrangement.
Setting up a register of farms/ rural members willing to welcome Urban members to stay in their home for a holiday in exchange for work on the farm/ home and vice versa
Item 4: Transition technical help holidays
Setting up a register of Urban members with skills such as electrical, plumbing, computer work, website design, etc willing to trade such skills for a holiday in a rural location
Item 5: School visits and swaps
With a view to urban youth finding out more about where their food comes from and getting chance to explore rural
waterways, fenlands and farmland. Rural young people would get chance to see sports/arts/cultural events, and a more diverse local population that might broaden ther horizons. Generally to encourage community development.
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Current developments:
Item 1: Fieldpower Organics carbon busters
Organic fresh meat boxes delivered to London addresses once per month by carbon neutral transport. More information www.TransitionNC.org (click on Food Directory/Cottage Farm) or at Big Barn on http://www.bigbarn.co.uk/marketplace/vendors/Fieldpower. We find that quite a few people find it convenient to share a box. And btw, the prices are lower than supermarkets' prices for chemical meat.
Inspiration
Outcomes so far
Unexpected outcomes
Obstacles, and how we overcame them
Communication with other Transition Groups: we need to have some kind of network wide email service allowing any Transition group to send information about a possibly interesting projects to some/all other Transition groups.
Links and Partnerships
project Dirt (London)
Transition Brixton
Transition Streatham
Transiton Bloomsbury
Transition Belsize
Transition Kilburn
Transition Hampstead
and any other London Transition groups
Transition Laddock
Transition Saltash
Sources of Funding
none
Sources of materials
Initially developed by Cottage Farm: www.stores.ebay.co.uk/Cottage-Farm-Shop
Extended in concept to include other organic farms in the locality
Contacts
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Help from twins
20 September 2010 - 2:02pm — Mike GrenvilleTwinning seems like an interesting idea. It could be a way for Transition initiatives to re-inspire each other and inject new ideas into each others' projects and communities.
Twinning/links with other initiatives/Transition tourism..
28 September 2010 - 9:36pm — David LyonsI live in Haddenham in Buckinghamshire, a pretty country village with thatched cottages and 3 duck ponds. I commute into London by train to work at Euston and other places.
Our transition initiative is struggling to raise our profile but we keep plodding on. If active transitioners from London or other areas are interested in coming to some of our meetings, we may be able to give them a bed for the night if they want to travel home the next day. We are always keen to hear new ideas and cross fertilisation between groups is important.
On a similar note, I would be interested in forming links with other groups abroad, particularly in Europe and have already been in touch with transtioners in France as I visit there regularly by train. There may be scope for 'Transition Tourism' - publicising transition features of communities for visitors.
For me, a very valuable resource that a transition community could have for tourists would be a 'local services' section to their web page promoting businesses which support transition aims - bed and breakfasts that strive to reduce energy consumption and use local resources, pubs that sell locally produced beer, cycle hire, local car free walks (I know T Chesterfield is producing some for the peak district i/c/w bus routes). I would find this particularly useful when staying away from home for work and not wanting to stay in formulaic, resource intensive chain hotels!
...lots of ideas..but unfortunatley I have very little time I could devote to helping set up such things....
regards
Dave
Twinning ... and young people
16 October 2010 - 4:56pm — Rachel BodleJust encountered this project after a Google search.
The idea of twinning our rural market town (Downham Market) with an urban
community (I was thinking then of a London Borough) came to me some years ago
but although I've mentioned it to a few people and got positive responses,
I've not pushed it so far. My original idea was that exchanges would work
well at the High School level initially with a view to urban youth finding
out more about where their food comes from and getting chance to explore our
local waterways, fenlands and farmland. Our local young people would get
chance to see sports/arts/cultural events, and a more diverse local
population that might broaden ther horizons. We tend to be an area where
people have very low aspirations. So my initial thoughts were motivated by a
desire to encourage community development.
I have come across a related scheme in New Zealand where I think the exchange
was between Auckland and more rural communities in the north. I believe,
there, members of the local Rotary club at each end of the exchange mentored
the visiting young people.
Now, things have moved on. I'm a member of the core group of Downham &
Villages in Transition. Our group is coming up to 2 years old. We're starting
to be known locally though the well-documented problems of market towns and
disfunctional links with hinterland villages can slow us down. I remain
particularly interested in the community development aspects of our work. I'm
wondering if its time to resurrect my ideas, borrow some more from your
project and look for a link-up via the TTN.
I'm keen to get feedback, suggestions, advice, etc etc from the project ...
with best wishes
Rachel
How to participate in Transition Twinning
30 October 2010 - 5:49pm — Paul SousekHi everyone and thank you for all your comments, both public and private.
We are compiling a list of transition initiatives wishing to be Twinned. To do that, please comment here and supply the following information:
Transition group name
Contact name
Contact details email, website, phone
Urban/ Rural
Main areas of cooperation interested in (food, work on farms, home swaps for holidays, short visits, school exchange, technical assistance, other)
Alternatively, email me with the same information
Thank you