The Transition Scotland regional hub invite you and your community group for a Learning Visit to Sustaining Dunbar in East Lothian: 7pm Friday 20 April - 1pm Sunday 22 April 
Book at https://ts-dunbar.eventbrite.co.uk[One booking per person: scroll down to tick your requests]

A Group Visit / Learning Opportunity - exploring Sustaining Dunbar's application of Transition Network principles and practiceFriday 20th April7pm Join Sustaining Dunbar Pot-Luck Supper Social at Belhaven Church Hall, Belhaven Rd, Dunbar EH42 1NH. 
Discussion on a Plastic Free Coastline project, with guest presentation from local Surfers Against Sewage. 

Saturday 21st AprilBleachingfield Centre, Countess Crescent, Dunbar, EH42 1DX
9.30-10am Arrivals
10am Welcome and Introductory Session
11am Learning through sharing our stories
1pm Lunch, provided by the Ridge Cafe
1.30pm Learning visits offered to: Backlands Project / Zero Waste Hub / John Muir Birthplace / 
European Stone Stacking Event / Dunbar Harbour & Battery etc.
2.30pm  Open Space Discussions x 2
4.30pm  Closing Circle and reflections
5pm Free time
7-10pm  Optional Social Evening / Gourmet Green Supper (v) (Please book)

Sunday 22nd April10am Optional meeting / activities: 
- Transition Scotland Core Group Meeting: interested in shaping the role of the TS Hub? (27 High St, Dunbar, EH42 1EN)
- Work Party at Belhaven Community Garden
- Walks eg. follow the clifftop trail from Dunbar Harbour to Belhaven Beach and John Muir Country Park
1pm Lunch and depart. 
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Accommodation Options:Couchsurfing with Sustaining Dunbar members where possible - please register your requirements asap.
Camp: www.meadowhead.co.uk/Belhaven-Home / www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/campsites/uk/eastlothian/dunbar/dunbar
B&B: Springfield Guest House, Belhaven Rd, Tel 01368 862502 / Emmaus Guest House, 4 Newhouse Ter, Tel 01368 863949 / Rowan Cottage, North Road, Tel. 01368 863551
Self-catering: see: AirBnB or TripAdvisor 

NOTE 1:  We hope noone will be prevented from participating due to funding problems - please contact the organisers if you need a bursary / can offer to help organisation of things in exchange for free entry.

NOTE 2:  We hope all travel expenses can be reimbursed through a Learning Exchange Fund. Keep receipts to claim.

NOTE 3:  Please make one booking per participant.  
Supplementary question if you are bringing family / kids.  
No online fees for the two priced items.  
Suggest small donation to couchsurf hosts.

Thanks to the power of the internet, folks from Transition groups across Scotland joined in with a video conference using www.zoom.us technology to video-chat about the development of Transition Scotland and the first set of actions to help us get underway.

Present were, Alan, Maria, Philip, Martin, Eva, David and Pamela. Cheesy grins all round. SMILE for the CAMERA !...

What a great low-carbon use of technology to get us chatting and able to see each other without the need to travel such long distances.

In true Transition Style, we started with a check-in, Inviting each person to reflect on how they were feeling, what they were up to or what kind of mood they were in. A refreshing way to give everyone time and space to talk about themselves and to set a respectful scene were we could appreciate and support those who needed the most hugs...

The main focus of the meeting was to review progress on the Transition Network funding which we had been granted earlier in 2017. This money was to help us maintain and refine our web presence (domain names and website content), to design and deliver a survey of all of our followers and supporters to find out where they were at, and what potential there is for folks to join existing groups or to form new ones. We also discussed the practicalities of introducing elements of Sociocracy into our practices to ensure everyone gets an equal chance to comment on new policies/procedures/etc, and finally we also spoke about the planning of a Transition Scotland Gathering later in the year in Dunbar.

Its early doors for TS, but the basics are there. We dont have to travel to meet and agree things, and we can benefit from remaining in contact on a regular basis to support each other and to support the development of our Scottish regional hub for the Transition Network.

If you would like to get involved then we have plenty of space for new faces. Lots of activities going on and much to do for 2018 and beyond.

Watch this space for news of the Gathering, dates, times, venues, costs, expenses options, etc.

Hugs to all - Transition Scotland's Core Circle
​

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