Grassroots Sustainability: A Film and Information Night 19 May

Grassroots Sustainability: A Film and Information Night
Monday 19 May 6.30-7.45pm
North Fitzroy Library
240 St Georges Road

Come and be inspired by stories of resilience and hope from the global Transition movement as we screen excerpts from the film In Transition 2.0.You’ll hear about communities growing food everywhere, localising their economies and setting up community power stations.

Find out what’s happening in Yarra and share your ideas.

Discover the library’s sustainable living resources including our new “green gadgets” for loan and the Transition Book Group.

Book online at http://www.yarracity.vic.gov.au/libraries or phone 1300 695 427
Further information: Jill Allan 94265664 jill.allan@yarracity.vic.gov.au

Transition Companion Reading Group: 7 Nov

Please feel free to join The Transition Companion Reading Group 7 Nov 7pm Carlton Library, or for more information contact Sally sally.macadams@yarracity.vic.gov.au

Session #5: pages 179-233 (Tools for Transition 9-17)

Main questions:

After reading pp 182-182 evaluate your current levels of resilience.

How can you strengthen your resilience?
How can conflict weaken or strengthen the resilience of a group?

What could a Transition School or other educational organisation do? Are there any like this in Yarra?
Pick a couple of the following topics in relation to Transition and discuss their importance, and how they are relevant in Yarra, or for you personally:
Networks
Youth
Business
Council
Mapping
Story-telling
Speaking in publicAdditional and extended questions to think about as you read if you want:
Tools for Transition No. 9: Supporting each other
1.Why can support be helpful?
2.Find yourself a mentor, paid or unpaid, who can help you achieve your goals. Agree to meet monthly. Have you first mentoring session and report on it.
11.Personal resilience
1.Review your journal after reading pp 182-182. Evaluate your current levels of resilience in terms of the dot points. How resilient are you currently? How can you strengthen your resilience?
Tools for Transition No. 10: Unleashings
1.When is the best time to hold an unleashing?
2.How should it feel? p 187
3.What should it balance? p 187
Tools for Transition No. 11: Healthy Conflict
1.Summarise the 3 stages of conflict.
12.Education for Transition
1.How does Rob Hopkins perceive that educators are currently neglecting their duty? p 192
2.Summarise what a Transition School could do. p 193
3.What might a Transition University do? p 195
4.How does Transition Education University characterise itself? p 196

Connecting

1.Forming Networks of Transition Initiatives
1.What does Transition London do? pp 198 – 199
2.Where was the first regional gathering in the US? p 200
Tools for Transition No. 12: Street-by-street behaviour change
1.Explain the Transition Streets model. p 201
2.Involving the council
1.List the 6 most helpful suggestions for establishing a positive relationship with council. Say why they’re helpful to you.
Tools for Transition No. 13: Becoming the media
1.List 8 media tools which you could use. p 209
2.Read transitionnorwich.blogspot and review a blog. Max 1 page
3.Working with local business
1.Explain how Transition Chepstowe engaged local business. p 215
Tools for Transition No. 14: Energy Resilience Assessment
1.What does an Energy Resilience Assessment do? p 217
4.Oral histories
1.What is the value of oral history in a transition context?
2.List 4 suggestions for exploring local history in your area.
Tools for Transition No.15: Community Brainstorming Tools
1.What are the 4 guidelines for Open Space Technology? p 220
2.How does World Café differ from Open Space Technology? p 220
5.Engaging young people
1.Why are young people central to Transition? p 223
2.Summarise Joanne Porouyow’s approach to involving young people. p 224
3.Research the legal requirements for working with young people in Australia.

Tools for Transition No. 16: Meaningful maps
1.Why is mapping useful in Transition? p 226
2.Summarise what Transition Port Phillip has done using maps. p 227
6.The role of storytelling
1.How does Shaun Chamberlin characterise the Transition story? p 229
2.Brainstorm as many ways to publish stories as you can think of.
3.Interview a local. Find out the story of how/when/why they moved into the area and the story of their daily life and loves in the area.
Tools for Transition No. 17: Speaking up for Transition
1.What does Transition mean to you? Report to the group. You have 1 minute.
2.Interview a local public figure and repeat the exercise. Use direct quotes only with permission.
7.Pausing for reflection
1.Write 2 pages in your journal reflecting on the impact your reading on transition is having on you. Involve your mentor and/or others if you wish.

Transition Yarra Reading Group: 3 Oct

Transition Yarra has a monthly reading group. Details of the questions and venue are below, scroll down. Please feel free to use these questions your own groups wherever you are, &/or join us at Carlton Library Wednesday 3 October 7pm-8:30pm

The Transition Companion Reading Group discussion questions.Session #4: pages 122 – 178
Deepening
Summarise 5 elements you need to consider when working with volunteers.
What is the rationale for the ‘Great Reskilling’? Discuss examples of reskilling being undertaken in the UK. What reskilling is needed in Yarra?
Why are practical manifestations important? Discuss ideas for visibility in Yarra.
Discuss reasons Transition Town initiatives can lose momentum.
Suggest processes to adopt to ensure the group maintains connection with reality.Additional questions to think about as you read if you want:
1.’Transition Towers’ – having an office or not
1.Why does Palo Alto want to postpone having an office?
2.List 6 possible office spaces in your area.
4. How we communicate
1.Explain what Rob Hopkins learnt in Ireland in the late 1990s. pp 155-156
2.Listen to the talk by Barret Brown and take notes on 3 suggestions that appealed to you. Report on these. 1 page max.
Tools for Transition No. 8: Financing your Transition Initiative
1.Explain Joanne Poyourow’s approach. p 158
2.Summarise Fiona Ward’s funding application tips. P 160
5.Celebrating 1.Why is celebrating success important?
6.Celebrate failure 1.Why celebrate failure?
7.”How are we doing?” 2.What tip is suggested for evaluating meetings? p 166
8.Local food initiatives
1.Research local food initiatives in your area and report on them. http://www.yarracity.vic.gov.au/Community-participation/Local-food-initiatives/
10.Ensuring land access

Details about next meeting
Wednesday 3 October 7pm-8:30pm
Carlton Library – 667 Rathdowne Street, North Carlton
*We will start at 7pm so if you arrive after 7, please press the buzzer that says “meet” and someone will come down for you.*

Books!
Good news for our non-Yarra residents is that you are free to join Yarra Libraries! That will make things much as easier as you can then borrow your own copy of the book.
There are still books currently available on the hold shelves for us at Yarra Libraries – you might want to call ahead to check there is one at your nearest branch. Please mention you are from the book group when you borrow your book.

Yarra Council – Local food initiatives

http://www.yarracity.vic.gov.au

“Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. The four pillars of food security are availability, access, utilization and stabilit…