In the second phase of our From What Is to What If: Reimagining and Rebuilding Our World campaign, Transition leaders from across the country are invited to participate in a series of National Network Strategy Conversations that will help inform and guide a new, transformative strategy for Transition US and the Transition Movement here in the U.S.

The series of National Network Strategy Conversations complements the Visioning and Stories to Action phases of our campaign. Together, these three elements represent the balance of Head, Heart, and Hands the Transition Movement strives to embody in our work.

Each of these Strategy Conversations will build upon a key theme that emerged from the feedback Transition US received from more than 60 movement leaders earlier this year. They will help us cultivate a shared sense of alignment around the strategic direction of our movement, as requested by Transition leaders from across the country (see pages 9-10 of our Strategic Planning Input Paper for more information). Transition US staff and board members will draw from the insights gained through this series to develop a strategic plan for Transition US that will best meet the needs of local, regional, and national Transition organizers across the country.

National Network Strategy Conversations will be held on the 4th Tuesday of each month at 4:00pm Pacific. To ensure our strategy is informed by the people who Transition US is designed to serve – local leaders who are actively working to transition their communities – participation is by invitation only.

Each session will begin with Transition US staff and other movement leaders framing the discussion topic, followed by two rounds of discussion in smaller breakout groups. Then, each breakout will have the opportunity to share their key takeaways with the whole group. Blog posts summarizing the outcomes of each session will be shared with our wider network.

If you are a contact for an official Transition Initiative, a member or alumni of our Collaborative Design Council, or leader of one of our national working groups, you will receive registration info via email. However, we will also welcome a limited number of additional invited guests from partner organizations and aligned community resilience groups. If you would like to be part of this conversation and are not part of one of the groups listed above, please contact marissa@transitionus.org.

Register Here

Feb 23: Youth Leadership & Intergenerational Collaboration  Young people have the most at stake in our ecological and economic crises, and they have historically played an important role of energizing social movements with their passion and inspiration. Elders, too, play a critical role in our movement, bringing wisdom, experience, resources, connections, and patience to the work. Yet there are challenges to creating multi-generational organizing spaces that can sustain energy and momentum for the long-haul. In this discussion, we will hear from Transition organizers with experience in successful intergenerational organizing and explore together how to make our movement more inclusive and supportive of families, youth leaders, children and grandchildren.

A summary of key themes and needs in this topic area that was harvested from strategy surveys and interviews in early 2020 follows (from page 15 of our “Strategic Planning Input Paper”):

“A number of participants called for the Transition movement to be more proactive in engaging youth, and suggested several strategies for doing so: creating containers (for example, a national network call) focused on listening to, learning from, and supporting young people; sharing case studies of successful youth engagement strategies; and tailoring our programming and trainings to better support youth. Some of the more visionary strategies for youth engagement included actively engaging youth to lead the re-launch of dormant initiatives, with support from the “old hands,” and a major campus recruitment effort.”

“I think Transition US would be renewed and invigorated by addressing the needs of young people.  Leverage the grey hairs to pass on their love, wisdom, skills, perspectives to younger people.  NOT doing so will be a big violation of their human rights.” – quote from survey respondent