Bringing diversity to Transition
By Ed Mitchell 6th April 2010
Have you ever looked around your local Transition meeting and wondered why most people involved are white, middle-class with an under or post-graduate degree?
This was pointed out at last year’s Transition conference and we’ve now got funding for a diversity project aimed at broadening the Transition movement by working with low-income, faith and Black Minority Ethnic (BME) groups.
Please help us to measure where we’re at right now by completing the Transition Diversity Survey, (it takes 5-10 mins).
You can also read on for more info on the project.
My name’s Catrina Pickering and I’ve been recruited by the Network to co-ordinate this project for four days per week over the next year. So what are we planning?
Well, we’re already underway with developing a day’s diversity training for Transition Initiatives. The idea is that you get together at least ten people from within your Initiative to take the training. The first part of the day will explore issues around power and empowerment as well as cultural/ social assumptions and awareness.
The last part of the day will look at the practical ways in which you can start to do diversity work in your area. The aim is to enable you to leave the training feeling confident and raring to go with ideas. We’ll then support you to develop these ideas and activities over the course of the next year. We’re developing links with national partners who can connect you with local groups and communities near you. We’re also looking at wider issues such as making the language of Transition more accessible.
They’ll be a diversity taster session at the Transition conference so watch out for that but if you feel you’d like to talk about getting a training happening in your Transition Initiative or just want to have a chat about the project more generally, please email Catrina Pickering, Diversity Co-ordinator, or call on: 01865 403147.
And here’s the survey link again (it takes 5-10 mins):
Please help us to measure where we’re at right now by completing the Transition Diversity Survey.