Our relational agreements

We've been working on our relational agreements at Transition Network international for a while. This is the (good enough for now, safe enough to try) version we came up with and consented to recently. These are alive, and we’ll revisit them periodically with the same care we bring to our work.

The aim of these agreements is to serve as a general reference for guiding how we work, volunteer and behave together as team members, trustees, volunteers, and with the wider movement and other stakeholders such as funders or collaborators. 

Do you have any relational agreements in place in your local group, hub, or territory? We'd love to hear!
Also, feel free to use whatever helps you from these agreements we share today.

Transition Network international’s Relational Agreements

Guiding how we work, volunteer and behave as active agents of the ecosystem of change

The agreements in a nutshell:

The agreements' complete version

1. We cultivate trust and accountability by

• doing what we say we’ll do, and communicate early if things change;
• trusting each other’s intentions and expertise;
• embracing imperfection and learning from mistakes together;
• committing to self-awareness and taking personal responsibility. 

2. We communicate with care and awareness by

• listening deeply, speaking in authenticity and honouring diverse perspectives;
• communicating in clear ways with awareness of different language and cultural backgrounds;
• sharing feedback early and kindly, with curiosity over judgment;
• prioritising having difficult conversations when needed and showing up with compassion.

3. We honour wholeness and diversity by

• bringing our full selves (needs, emotions, gifts) and respecting others’ boundaries;
• intentionally including identity, cultural, and cognitive diversity; 
• making space for quieter or minority voices to speak;
• trusting that each role, circle and team will fulfil their accountabilities and purpose, and ask for support when needed;  
• remaining aware of how oppression affects resource access and power dynamics, challenging injustice when we see it.

4. We balance flexibility and effectiveness by

• focusing on what moves us toward purpose, letting go of what no longer serves it;
• supporting local first, working virtual first, minimising high-footprint travel;
• valuing both paid and unpaid contributions equally;
• respecting capacity and boundaries, and setting reasonable expectations accordingly.

5. We navigate conflict and change by

• recognising and bringing awareness to conflict (personal, relational or structural) as early as possible, engaging with agreed-upon processes and resources when relevant;
• practicing solidarity, staying curious, open to multiple perspectives, trusting the collective wisdom of the group; 
• adapting governance as our purpose evolves, creating role mobility where appropriate.