Networking and collaborating with existing groups
In most cases there are already a lot of projects and groups working on sustainability within the university. An important step is to reflect on how a Transition University initiative fits into this. At the very least you probably want to avoid a situation where you start a project similar to something that already exists, and find yourselves competing for volunteers and resources.
Perhaps you decide to join an already existing group or network, and to endorse and support it by bringing some Transition “elements” from this guide. Try to be open and transparent about your intentions, and be respectful of the original characteristics of whatever project you get involved in.
A useful approach can be to sit down and analyse the current project with the Transition University Design Web as a base. In which areas is there already a lot of activity? Which areas are missed out completely? This will help you understand how you can be of service and help you focus your energy to where it is needed.
If there is a lot of work around sustainability happening you might find yourself cooperating with several groups and projects, giving something of a Transition element to each of them. Your role can also become one of communication, making sure the different groups are aware of each other, encouraging a common vision and goal and perhaps some scaling up. It is an important job to encourage cooperation and interaction between the different groups, making sure that each project has multiple beneficial outcomes for different actors. However, while the Transition group can often see the links between various projects, the people involved in them won't necessarily agree, or see any kind of need for an overarching network. This was a tension early on in the St Andrews journey, and it may be that the Transition group has a responsibility to bring its own practical projects to the table as well.
Be aware that a Transition University can also grow to engulf other groups, which potentially lose some of their original characteristics and appeals. This happened in both St Andrews and Stirling where student People and Planet societies and also the Environment and Ethics officer in Stirling became appropriated by the Transition University. All groups tend to go through periods of growth and decline, and becoming a project or sub-group within a Transition University may be a logical evolution for some. However it is important to consider the resilience of other activity at the university if a Transition group were to engulf other groups and then decline itself!
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