• People skills: being friendly and
welcoming, working with different
outlooks, culture and worldviews,
knowing how to work well with
differences and conflict
• Skills in running effective, enjoyable
meetings: setting up and running meetings,
and developing how the group works
• Designing and running good events: public
speaking, booking rooms, showing DVDs,
running Open Space, facilitating
discussions
• Experience of networking: with existing
organisations and people
• Publicity skills: contacting press, designing
posters and flyers, writing blogs and using
social media
• Managing information: email lists, bulletins, phone lists
• Designing and maintaining websites
• Connections with and knowledge of local
community groups
• Knowledge of local history and local issues
On Earth day 2015, Transition Granja Viana in Brazil spent the day with the kids from the local OCA Cultural School, learning about climate change, collecting waste around the school, ending with a lantern walk. Photo: Isabela Maria Gomez de Menezes
As well as gathering together the right skills, it’s also helpful to find people who are:
• Able to dedicate some of their time: and
it’s OK to be specific about this (half a day
a week? a day per month?)
• Fun: they know how to make this kind of
work enjoyable
• Reliable: they do what they say they’ll do
• On the same page: they share some
understanding of the reasons why
Transition is needed, and what it is
• Caring: are realistic about what a group of
volunteers can do, and pay attention to
well being
• Inclusive: they're good at including others, so one or two don’t dominate the group or its decisions - an awareness of issues around power, privilege and rank and how this impacts on both our groups and more widely
You may well not have all these skills from the beginning, but you can actively seek out new people who might bring them. Remember too that support is available through Transition Training, this Essential Guide and our 7 essential ingredients.