My internship with Transition Black Isle

I first heard about the Transition Network when I watched the film “Tomorrow” by Mélanie Laurent and Cyril Dion in December 2016. At that time, I was searching for an internship to complete my bachelor of applied foreign languages in France and what was important to me then (and now), was to invest my time and energy into something that would help create a viable future for our planet - which is such a major issue today.

The Transition concept struck me as a very interesting approach to resolving today's problems of climate change and ruthless globalisation and when I received Transition Black Isle's approval to my request for an internship, I was glad to have the opportunity to experience how a Transition Initiative works in real life. The internship started in early June 2017 and for three months, I was kindly hosted by two TBI members and supported by Martin Sherring, TBI's convenor at that time. As the directors of TBI were well prepared to host an intern and had already thought about the different activities that could be given to a potential intern, I had the chance to work on a beautiful project which resulted in the creation of a very nice and useful website, featuring local produce on the Black Isle (www.blackislelarder.org).
​My work included detailed research about local enterprises, a lot of communication work, the arranging and filming of interviews with local farmers and also some photography for the website. It was three intense months where I learned amongst many other things:

• how a Transition Initiative works and how important it is to be well prepared for meetings in order to make the most of it,
• to communicate inside the group but also with the public
• to always keep asking yourself what can be done more or better for the good functioning of your organisation.

During my time with TBI, we also learned some lessons about the conditions that need to be present to make sure that the host organisation and the intern make the most of their cooperation. This reflection has resulted in a quite detailed document that you can find below this article if you are interested in hosting an intern or if you could be a future intern yourself.
To work with a voluntary organisation certainly requires a lot of enthusiasm and independence as supervision might be limited, but it is also very rewarding and leaves you with a valuable experience. This is why I would recommend an internship within the Transition Network without any hesitation.

Lara Feldman

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