1. Forming an Initiating Group

2. How does it start? Transition presentation Film screening
Meet at my house
Have a meal
Meet at the pub
World Cafe Open space event

3. First priorities Decide who’s in the group Get to know each other
Set intent—vision, mission, aim
Establish ground rules or guidelines:
How will you make decisions?
Who will do what?
How long will you continue?
How often will you meet?
Then get the group working well

4. What is the purpose?

5. Stages of Group Formation
mourning

6. Performing For each event or activity you do there is a cycle of:
Don’t forget to celebrate!!!

7. Skills Needed
Organising—booking rooms, DVDs, speaker, projector and screen, refreshments, facilitator, etc.
Facilitating meetings—agenda, inclusion, etc.
Running talks
Facilitating, dealing with process
Publicity—press, website
Managing information— lists, website
Public speaking
Networking with existing organisations—contacts
Connected with people in your community
Leadership
Relationship skills—group dynamics, managing conflict
Passion and commitment

8. Empower themselves to take responsibility
Ground themselves in their own personal ethic
Convene authentic conversations
Understand that creative tension holds potential for breakthrough thinking
Experiment, reflect, learn, adjust and share
Look for interrelationships
Notice and attend to human dynamics of transformative change
Understand that outcomes unfold

9. Next Steps
Steep yourself in permaculture, peak oil, climate change, heart and soul, anything…so that you can read the field.
As the initiating group, you have the job of having to put stuff out, read the field, see what comes back, and then work out your next steps.

10. Sustaining the group Keep your learning going
arrange training for the group… share skills, books, articles, information… support each other in attending courses… put on events that you want to go to!
Find activities which deepen you and the group
Joanna Macy, Pachamama or other workshops… outdoor group activities… shared meals with no agenda!!
Review your balance of giving and taking
take steps to keep yourselves sustainable!!
How do we sustain the group?
Review balance of giving and receiving- sustainability- did it in totnes, realised group not sustainable, realised need a paid worker,
Refer to document in resources called Structure & Details of 4 Transition Projects which gives examples of how some have done it
If time at the end then do theatre activity
Get people into groups around their own groups
Get them to act out the dynamics in their group
Might be a typical meeting
Might be overall dynamic of the group
Give them a few minutes prep and then a few minutes each to act them out/or do short presentation of how it has developed