Events to Help

Promote Your Project

Guide

Prepared by: Transition Network 2016, updated by Vesna llievska 2025.

Creative Commons 4.0 BY-SA

There are many ways to promote the work you do. One way is to organise interactive and fun events where the community can participate. Below you can find a few examples of some of the activities Transition Initiatives have done or might do. Use this list (and add your own ideas to it!) to create a small collection of activities your group can use when needed.Planning successful events relies on involving people, allocating time, and utilising available resources (see Planning and Putting On Events). Three main categories include:

1. Awareness Raising Events - usually themed gatherings to educate and introduce community members to different Transition initiatives.

2. Fun Social Events - tohelp foster community spirit and inclusivity.

3. Re-skilling Workshops - a great way to engage and celebrate local talent. Hands-on learning opportunities to develop practical skills for anyone interested.

Awareness Raising Events

· Transition Drinks - meet up at a cafe, bar, or pub to talk about Transition topics.

· Film Screening - show a film related to Transition topics with a discussion afterwards.

· Discussions - pick a topic related to your initiative and have a discussion around it. Or invite a guest presenter whose opening address would inspire the discussion.

·Local specific events - look at your community's history and how it relates to Transition. For example: how did your community feed itself in the past? How will it do so in the future? Invite local people to tell their stories.

·Open Space sessions - have a big question and use Open Space to look at different aspects of it (see How to Run an Open Space Event).

· Unleashing or Launch - this is a big event to promote the launch of a Transition Initiative in your community; it can include films, talks, food and so on.

·Theatre / Plays -work with a theatre group to produce a play about a local Transition.· Discussion Evening with other groups - go to another group and introduce a few Transition topics; or invite other groups to an event to talk about topics of mutual concern; or promote the Transition-related activities another group is doing.

Storytelling events- share personal and collective stories related to Transition.

Food - host a meal using only local food.

Second-Hand Exchange and sharing - exchange seeds, clothes, or unwanted things.

Community Clean-Up - organise a clean-up event to highlight environmental issues.

Art Exhibit - partner with local artists to promote artwork and installations that represent issues Transition is working on.

· Open Mic/ Public Speaking Event - where the public can discuss community issues related to Transition.

·Community Walk or Bike Ride - walk or bike around the community to help people get to know it better and talk about topics or places related to Transition.

·Living Library event - where the public can approach people in the community who are involved in Transition or other groups, to hear their stories and ask them questions.

·Invite another Transition Initiative to do a presentation about Transition in their area.

·Visit another Transition Initiative.

·Organise or attend a Transition Launch training, or any Transition-related training.

Fun Social Events

·Seasonal or Religious Festivals - celebrate different seasons of the year or religious festivals with a shared meal, music, and dancing.

·Music or Band Night - host a band, disco, or dance as a fundraiser. Or invite local choirs, poets, or musicians to a concert with songs or poems relevant to Transition.

·Cultural Exchange Festival - Celebrate different cultures through food, music, and performances to promote diversity and inclusion in your local community (see Building Bridges, see Respect for Diversity, see Enhancing Cultural Competence).

· Community Potluck - invite people to bring one dish to share and make a picnic.

·Local Products Tour - Highlight the work of local food and drink producers by touring their locations (tasting sessions, cider pressings, and so on).

·Outdoor Movie Night with popcorn- screen a movie outside and invite your community to join you.

· Community Game Night or Scavenger Hunt - host interactive games like trivia or a local history scavenger hunt. Invite community elders or long-time residents to share stories that become part of the game.

·Local Craft Market - bring together community members to share practical skills (gardening, sewing, home repair) while also giving local artisans a space to shnowcase and sell their handmade goods.

Re-Skilling Workshops

Darning socks

Making bread

Making felt

Making a mosaic

Print-making

Making ceramics

Punch-needling or tufting Solar panel installation Sewing a bag from old clothes Jam making and fermenting food Upcycling waste material Urban Gardening and Permaculture Making and planting a raised bed Carpentry and basic home repair First aid and emergency response Non-violent communication skills Bicycle repair and maintenance

Fixing electronics

Scything

Green woodworking

Seed saving

Composting

Financial literacy and community-driven businesses

Making natural non-toxic soaps and house cleaning materials

Related Resources

Planning and PuItting on Events Working With Young People

How to Run an Open Space Event Developing Practical Projects

Organising an Annual Celebration Small Practical Project Ideas

Building Bridges How to Create Partnerships

Respect for Diversity How to Build Networks

Enhancing Cultural Competence Regional Networks

Building Trust Being Part of the Transition Movement

Leaderfull Groups

Identifying People and Groups to Help You

7 Ingredients for a Just, Fair, and Inclusive Transition

References

Community Evvent Ideas to Help Create a Positive Change - Eventbrite

73 Community Service Project Ideas - DoSomething

This document, prepared by Transition Network 2016, updated by Vesna llievska 2025,

is released under Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0 license.

For more resources like this one, go to https://resources.transitionnetwork.org/or to the Transition Network international website www.transitionnetwork.org

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