It might even be the case that there already is a Transition group within your university’s town or city! The easiest way to check is on the map of Transition Initiatives. If there is, this can be a great way to get in touch with the local community and ground your project in the wider identity of the place.
There are numerous other benefits that come from engaging with the local residents:
• You develop a much larger Transition community, which importantly helps level out the capacity of the group over the seasons and brings a longevity, which is especially good for long-term projects and maintaining institutional memory (avoiding loss of good practice when students move on)
• Local residents may have good relationships with (or be part of) local businesses, the Town Council etc., which can bring a wealth of new opportunities or unlock doors
• The benefits of local knowledge and a skill set that is not necessarily available in a University full of mainly younger students
• Some local residents may have more time, or be available at other hours, such as retired people, or those at home with small children
• Much greater access to funding and support from agencies
There can also be problems with engaging with local residents and other issues that need
to be accounted for such as:
• The Transition University group can become overstretched
• The local community perceptions of the group's aims
• Having the right insurance for working out in the community
• Ensuring compliance with the charitable aims of the university
• The University and local community having conflicting agendas
• Permissions to use land (tenure).
Here are some ways that you can engage with your local residents:
• Check if your university has outreach lectures and offer to contribute to them with the help of academic staff. For example, at Transition University of St Andrews they have given talks on sustainable food and other issues to an active group of largely retired but influential people in the town
• Contact local groups that are interested in sustainability issues, perhaps to introduce yourself and arrange to meet, or invite them to an event or meeting
• Support local campaigns and weigh in (judiciously!) on local issues, when appropriate. In St Andrews, the Transition group gained respect in the wider community by writing an open letter to the University in support of the Botanic Gardens which was published in the Friends of the Botanic Gardens newsletter
• Get involved in local events, for example, having a table at a local food fair
• Put on events in the local community, rather than always using university venues
• Set up projects in conjunction with the local community, such as supporting the local Botanical Gardens by encouraging students to volunteer there as part of a nature connection project
Local resident engagement can take many forms. It might be useful to look at the Transition Network guides (listed at end of this section) on community engagement to see how Transition Initiatives do it in their communities.
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