Training for Transition

February 28 – March 1, 2009

What we would like you to think about before the training

1) Any information on your Transition Town that you can share, posters you have used, leaflets, brochures, any printed/audio/visual material that you have used or assisted in your TT initiative. This will be a mutual learning environment!

2) Your story is important. Take some time to reflect on your journey regarding Transition.. When did you realise that we needed to make big changes to the way we live.. How did you hear about Transition and what got you interested? Why do you want to be part of a Transition process?

3) Pre course exercise – The Need For Awareness Raising

Have a look at:
• One page of a newspaper
• A few pages of a magazine (include advertisements)
• One news programme on the radio or TV
• (Or any other half an hour of listening or viewing)

For each of the articles or items jot down the main story in a few words
What assumptions about the world underlie the content? What story or beliefs are presented in the mainstream media?

Additional background materials
You may want to read more before you come, here a suggestion:

http://transitionnetwork.org/Primer/TransitionInitiativesPrimer.pdf

Or The Transition Handbook by Rob Hopkins


A few details about the weekend:

What to bring
Please bring along lunch to share with us (something that does not require heating). Bring along a water bottle and anything you need to make yourself comfortable.
We will provide tea, coffee and local fruit.

Timing
Please arrive after 8.30am to start promptly at 9am
We will break for Lunch at 1pm and finish for the day at 5pm

janet@consentric.com.au
jacinta@consentric.com.au

Showcasing Castlemaine Program

Showcasing Castlemaine
Inaugural Regional Sustainable Living Festival Event
Thursday 19 February 2009 9.15=1.05pm
Ray Bradfield Room, Victory Park, Castlemaine
Hosted by Transition Mount Alexander

Showcasing Sustainable Castlemaine – is it all green? Great sustainability ideas, enormous fun, learning for recycling in YOUR homes and communities

9.15 Participants arrive, Alistair on Fiddle

9.40 Opening – Mount Alexander Shire Council Mayor, Cr Philip Schier.

9.55 Welcome and notices – Transition MA: Carol McDonough

10.00 Mount Alexander working towards healthy landscape, secure water futures, and food
Presenters: Cr Philip Schier*- securing water futures, Nick Barber Don KRC – food processing for wide markets, Phillipa Calwell*, Drought Assistance Coordinator, MASC- securing food futures, maintaining farm communities in our drying climate
Facilitator: Ted and Margaret Levecke, Castlemaine Rotary and Inner Wheel.

10.30 The Blenders

10.50 Mount Alexander working towards safe climate
Presenters: John Anthony, MASC- the MASC GAP; Mike Hall MASG; Janet Phillips, C500 + TransitionMA: How we create safe climate; Bronwen Machin CVGA- Solar Cities
Panel Facilitator: Mez Woodward, The Futures Factory

11.20 Flautasia

11.35 Mount Alexander working towards ensured livelihood
Presenters: Mount Alexander Business Network members from Barkers Street – Wayne Hollis* of Good Foods, Karen Nancarrow* of The Down to Earth Store; Katie Finlay*, Mount Alexander Fruit Gardens; Jo Middleton MASC HACC Climate Change Project: increasing livelihood of low income householders
Panel Facilitator: Dr Darryl Coulthard Deakin University

12.05 Surprise

12.20 Mount Alexander working towards community well being for ensured lifestyles
Presenters: Dave Collins, Officer in Charge, Castlemaine Police Station; Ensuring community wellbeing; Vic Say*, Refugee Home Tutor Scheme: Resettlement ; Ron Moore*, Castlemaine Community House Coordinator; Building community resilience in hard times.
Panel Facilitator: Jacinta Walsh, Consentric Facilitation

1.01 Action steps, thank yous

1.05 In Victory Park performances; go Buy YO lunch and return to park; DYI tours around towns – pick up handouts from table. MAKE SURE you visit Library Mechanics Lane and gaze on Sudanese silk scarves. MP3 Player and guide around town from information @ Market Building, refundable $20 deposit. Watch videos in Market Building!!

Sustainable LIving Festival: Showcasing Castlemaine Press Release

Showcasing Castlemaine: Local Sustainable Living Festival

Thursday 19 February 2009

Showcasing Sustainable Castlemaine – is it all green? Great sustainability ideas, enormous fun, learning for recycling in YOUR homes and communities.

Come to the Ray Bradfield Room, Victory Park, Castlemaine at 9.15 am till 1pm on Thursday 19 February for the official opening of this new event by Mount Alexander Shire Council Mayor, Cr Philip Schier. Then to participate in a 'sitting tour' interactive panel conversation assessing our transition to sustainable resilience: engage with community agencies, businesses, Shire buildings and see displays in the areas of sustainability, wellbeing, resettlement of East African Refugees.

At the informative morning session in the Ray Bradfield Room, there will be panels interspersed with music talking about sustainable impact of the core 'business' of each group/agency/in the Shire – and beyond (e-businesses, produce/products, tourism etc). The panels will be of Mount Alexander people working towards: safe climate and landscape; water, and food relocalisation; ensured livelihood; community well being for ensured lifestyles.

Be surprised as the event spills over into Victory Park at lunch time; performance artists will delight. Community members are invited to see great live performances from hip hop, didg, drum to flutes.

Our United Nations World Environment Day Awards 2008 and the Sustainability Group 'Carbon Heroes' posters will be on display. Pick up a wide range of regional sustainability and history resources including a leaflet of self-directed afternoon activities which showcases further examples of shelter (sustainable housing, cluster housing, eco- communities), 'closed loop' local water systems, organic food production and sales, community arts hub, town mural, market information centre and ipod walking tours (ipod refundable $20 deposit).

Buy lunch in our many cafes and restaurants or BYO lunch where speakers will be available to talk further with participants. To participate in this exciting Sustainable Living Festival Regional Event, we suggest you book at our bookings hub and project partner The Down to Earth Store at 227 Barkers Street, Castlemaine www.thedowntoearthstore.com.au 5472 5032, or come on the day. Gold coin donation. http://www.slf.org.au/festival/program/interactives/2095

The complete timetable/ program will shortly be available from The Down to Earth Store info@thedowntoearthstore.com.au or from transitionma@gmail.com

Supported by Mount Alexander Shire Council, hosted by Transition Mount Alexander, we thank our partners and participants who include Mount Alexander Sustainability Group, Castlemaine Community House, Castlemaine Library, Castlemaine Police, Mount Alexander Business Network members: The Down to Earth Store, The Bike Vault, Good Foods, Council staff. Melbourne City Council is major sponsor of The Sustainable Living Festival, Melbourne creating local and regional partners in 2009, www.slf.org.au; http://www.slf.org.au/festival/program/interactives/2095

Contact Carol McDonough event coordinator for Transition Mount Alexander on 0427 204 524.