Transition Network Diversity Newsletter, October 2011
By Catrina Pickering 3rd October 2011
Transition Network Diversity and Social Justice News
Final Diversity Newsletter and ending of Diversity Coordinator role at Transition Network
Catrina Pickering, Transition Network’s Diversity Coordinator is leaving the Network at the beginning of October, having worked for Transition since March 2010. We were unable to find funding to keep the Diversity Coordinator post going which also means this will be the last edition of the Diversity newsletter. On the plus side, the staff at Transition Network are now looking at embedding diversity and social justice in their work so that it’s threaded through the Network’s communications, talks and projects. Rather than it being just one person that’s consistently thinking about diversity, everyone will be taking responsibility. Catrina has put together a diversity and social justice resource which will be available soon and will be published on the Transition Network website, in the Transition Network newsletter and wherever else we can think of to tell people about it.
Inequality as a central driver of Transition?
Where does equality fit in Transition? Should Transition be responding to climate change, the rising cost of energy and inequality?
This is a question that the staff team at Transition Network have been mulling over for some time. Our discussions have journeyed from responses to inequality need to be somewhere in Transition towards responses to inequality need to be everywhere in Transition, and perhaps at the centre. We’ve come up with a possible new purpose statement to reflect this. It says:
“Transition Network supports community-led responses to climate change, inequality and shrinking supplies of cheap energy, building resilience and happiness.”
Find out more and tell us whether you think this is a good idea.
Case study: Whitney Avenue Urban Farm
Out of the 22 houses on Witney Avenue, Wilkinsburg (United States), 10 are abandoned. Chris Condello, a resident of the street who is also involved in Transition Pittsburgh is clearing the front yards, establishing gardens and involving the local children in the process. Read more.
Transition Network Conference: Diversity Highlights
The annual Transition Network conference held in Liverpool in July gave us all much to think about, explore and expand on in relation to diversity. Here’s a snapshot of some of the workshops, discussions and people that really stood out.
Social reporting pilot: Spotlight on diversity and social justice
The social reporting is a grand experiment in Transition – a national blog created and compiled by 12 writers around the UK that aims to communicate the real-life issues and experiences of being in Transition. From the middle of September for the next 3 months, the social reporting pilot is posting every day on subjects ranging from economics to food to inner change. Each Sunday a guest editor writes on a chosen subject and sets the theme for the following week.
On week beginning 16th October, the social reporting pilot will be looking at diversity and social justice. Log on to the Transition Network social reporting website on 16th October at the following page to follow the blogs. It should be an interesting discussion.
News, events and resources from elsewhere
Community Futures: New Training Programme for 2011-2012
Community Futures is a programme of courses for community volunteers from all over the UK to come and learn new skills to help them and the communities that they come from to become more sustainable. The courses are both fun and informative with a mix of theory and practical sessions which give you the chance to put to practice your newly learnt skills. We now have 12 new exciting courses running on the Communities Futures programme, please find the programme for the new courses by clicking the link here. Download the programme.