Vision - deciding on and defining ideas
At some point during the initiating phase you may want to develop a clearly stated vision that imagines a positive future for your university and its community. This is useful for several reasons, as it:
• Provides a focus for your group and ensures you are all on the same page
• Communicates to others what you are doing and why
• Inspires local people and other groups to get involved
• Encourages people to think of new possibilities for their future
There are many experiences and insights from university sustainability projects, Transition or otherwise, that are not covered in this guide that can help to inspire you. As you are starting out, or at any point during your Transition journey for that matter, it can be nice to get some inspiration and guidance from others by looking at what other people have achieved. When Transition University of St Andrews started, they invited members from Transition Edinburgh University to come and share their experiences. There are links in the Resources section to University projects; do feel free to suggest more!
Your group may have many different elements in your vision that may contradict each other - that's fine. No one knows what the future will bring. Allow your vision to change and adapt as new people join, and the world around you changes. You might find it helpful to have a particular timeframe for your vision—5, 10 or 20 years, perhaps.
It is very useful to define core values that you have as a group and that inform your vision, this often stays pretty stable whereas a vision can often change to meet new demands and opportunities.
Once you have developed this shared vision you can use it to explain to people what your Transition University group is about. An example of this can be clearly seen in following vision of Transition University of St Andrews which is:
“Transition University of St Andrews is a diverse network of people motivated by a common concern for the sustainability of St Andrews and the wider world. Through partnership and collaboration we aim to create/facilitate a flourishing community that lives responsibly within environmental limits. We have a vision of a university that exemplifies the values and practices of sustainability through excellence in scholarship, operations and community action.”
Depending on its structure your coordinating group will probably experience a lot of change-over. A majority of new members coming in on a yearly basis is not uncommon. Many people will come to the Transition coordinating group without having a clear idea of what Transition is. This is why a vision document is important, as is having regular opportunities to openly discuss and revise the mission, aims, and values of the group. This helps promote ownership for new members and to make sure that the group is responsive to the ever-changing nature of the university community. It is a good idea to develop a habit of revising the mission, aims, and values on a regular basis, perhaps even every year if turnover is very high, especially given turnover in a student context.
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