Step 4 - Organise a Great Unleashing

This stage creates a memorable milestone to mark the project’s "coming of age", moves it right into the community at large, builds a momentum to propel your initiative forward for the next period of its work and celebrates your community’s desire to take action.

In terms of timing, we estimate that 6 months to a year after your first "awareness raising" movie screening is about right.

Regarding contents, it’ll need to bring people up to speed on Peak Oil and Climate Change, but in a spirit of "we can do something about this" rather than doom and gloom. One item of content that we’ve seen work very well is a presentation on the practical and psychological barriers to personal change – after all, this is all about what we do as individuals.

It needn’t be just talks, it could include music, food, opera, break dancing, whatever you feel best reflects your community’s intention to embark on this collective adventure.

---

A group of people have been planning a 2 day Festival event to take place on Waiheke over Labour Weekend this year (2008). It is being billed as The BIG in TENT for Sustainability and will include film, workshops, presentations, music, food and more.

The festival will be energetic and creative, linking people globally with those who are finding inventive ways forward on sustainability. An up-beat event is much surer to raise awareness on the issue than mere climate change warnings and passionless information. The desire to change and be involved will be ignited in a real way. Insight into the hows (how did we get to this place – peak oil/climate change) the whys (why we didn't stop it or were powerless to) and the what nows (change is possible, is necessary, and what's more, feels good).

Transition Waiheke will have a significant role and part to play, and we will consider this our Unleashing event. It is also being proposed that this event will be more than just a Waiheke event and that the model, including the graphics, the concept and ideas for how to run and promote it, will be made available to other communities. More on this in time.