Start a Transition Town Group

We’re building a movement in the Twin Cities. Join us in helping our families, our neighbors and our community prepare for changes ahead.

The genius of the Transition Town movement is that it brings big issues down to an actionable level. Everyone in the community can find a way to be involved because there are so many entry points for engagement:

  • Food: Food growing and food preservation
  • Energy: Reducing energy use in homes and businesses, as well as making the shift to renewable energy
  • Transit: Find lower-carbon options for your transportation needs, from biking and walking to electric vehicles
  • REconomy: Buying local, building sharing relationships, and supporting local businesses
  • Resilience: Physical and psychological health
  • Climate preparedness and community building

LISTEN to what Rob Hopkins, the founder of the Transition movement, has to say about this radically hopeful, community-driven approach.

LEARN about past activities of local Transition groups in the Twin Cities, and activities from Transition groups across the nation. Feel free to bring these activities to your community. And reach out to other groups if you’d like advice.

Transition Skillshare Day

Just Start Something!

It’s easy to start a Transition group. You don’t need anyone’s permission. There is no paperwork to fill out. There are no dues to pay. You don’t have to report to anyone. You just need to …

Extend the Invitation

Choose a date and a location for a first meeting. Think about accessibility for people with disabilities, for parents with small children, for persons with hearing difficulties. Realize that there is no IDEAL location and you are just going to do the best you can.

Advertise it!

Transition groups aren’t exclusive, private or partisan. The whole purpose is to create resilient and prepared communities so the more people you can involve, the better. From the very beginning, think about how you can reach out and involve more people.

  • Post a flyer in local coffee shops, libraries, grocery stores, community rooms
  • Ask your local library to create a display of Transition-related books with an announcement of your group on a community bulletin board
  • Write an article for your local newspaper
  • Advertise it on social media like NextDoor, Facebook page,WeMe, etc
  • Invite friends who share your interests
  • Connect Transition Twin Cities and ask for help sending out an email to likely participants in your area

Invite a Speaker

You can invite a speaker from Transition Twin Cities or from one of the existing Transition groups to talk at your meeting … or lead the group yourself. Read through the Transition materials at Transition US or the Transition Handbook or Companion and get ideas about how you can introduce the concept of Transition to your community.

At Your First Meeting

  • Make time to get to know each other. Getting to know your neighbors is one of the greatest benefits of Transition and this is your first opportunity!
  • Connect with your guests’ passion. Find out what they are interested in doing.
  • Envision together the kinds of actions you can take to create a positive change in your community. The strength of your shared vision will be key to your success.
  • Schedule a follow-up meeting and decide what you’d like to discuss.

Learn and Do

Transition groups are all about learning and doing.

Visit other groups to see how they operate and what they are doing. Read through the list of activities other groups have undertaken locally and nationally.

Access available resources – the Transition US and Transition Network websites, local Transition group organizers, the Transition Twin Cities hub. The Hub can put up a web page for you and help you set up a Facebook group. We can also help you access training with Transition US.

Pay attention not only to getting things done, but also to group dynamics. A Transition group needs to be interesting, supportive and valuable to its participants. Make sure the core group is learning about Transition processes so they feel supported and informed.

If you’d like help getting a group started, just ask. Organizers in other area groups will be happy to talk with you about what they did.