2010
Individuals
- Transition Together goes from strength to strength and a part-time coordinator is employed. Some of the trainers join together for a training and mentoring course to help new teams coming together.
- Local bookshops set up transition sections covering information about energy issues and climate change, practical skills and personal development topics. Old books about local resilience are making a comeback.
- School groups arrange visits to local allotments and the local Steiner School to learn about growing food.
- ‘Construction in Transition’ training commences at Dartington. A number of local builders sign up.
- Arthur French shares his experiences of ‘Circle Time’ and ‘Active Tutorial Work’ as proven method for children to achieve self-discipline and personal development at the TTT Education for Transition evening. The idea catches on rapidly in local schools.
Community
- An evening for local teachers is hosted by TTT. Teachers are introduced to a number of resources including films and a Transition Tales taster available to their schools. The Schools in Transition (SIT) network is initiated.
- TTT go out to visit all local schools offering a taster of Transition Tales workshops for teachers & students. The Schools in Transition network links in with the National Transition Schools (initiated by Transition Tales in 2009 with collaboration from Forest Row, Scotland & Bristol).
- Sustainable Makers group offer classes (weaving, woodcraft etc.) at their temporary Craft Hub. They are oversubscribed.
- TTT seasons of events are becoming very popular and public talks are attended by large numbers of people. They host some film evenings with discussions in outlying village halls, which prove popular.
- Local women’s groups get together for a seasonal cooking session at the Civic Hall. They share recipes and tasters of dishes cooked entirely from local food and share tips about low energy cooking.
- Students and staff at KEVICCs have become much more aware of energy issues with the help of Global Action Plan, running a campaign within the college and planning to directly influence the 2000+ households of those who work and study at KEVICC. Having some renewable energy now installed at the college has given the group leading this work a mandate to encourage everyone not to waste a precious resource.
Policy Makers & Service Providers
- In the wake of the Copenhagen Summit, the new Government plans a complete review of teaching and schools with a view to implementing a phased change towards “an underlying ethos of sustainable development”. The UK CSD will advise on how to implement the change in as short a time scale as possible. DCC plan to follow up with an in-service training for teachers and ask TTT to assist.
- Teacher training is to include modules for implementing sustainable development in schools and teaching about climate change. These topics are to be compulsory in all schools.
- A number of teaching unions join the clamour for the abolition of SATS tests across the board. They are looking for more time in the school day to be spent on personal development, relationships and creativity.
- DCC’s Joint Commissioning Team recommends a significant increase of National Government funding to the Dedicated Schools Grant from the Department of Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), claiming that currently Devon’s share enables barely 70% of assessed needs to be met, leaving risk of gaps in services for young people. They are also looking for additional funds to recruit additional staff to enable smaller class sizes. Information on Devon’s Extended Services (ESS) is available or signposted at all schools in the area
- NICEIC and CORGI are funded by the Dept of Trade to extend apprenticeship schemes and offer retraining for registered electricians and plumbers in design and installation of renewable energy systems.
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