ATD Symposium

The Awakening the Dreamer Symposium that is…

Transition US now works in close partnership with the Awakening The Dreamer Initiative to use the Awakening the Dreamer Symposium as an awareness-raising and motivational tool for promoting participation in the Transition Movement. Through dynamic group interactions, leading edge information, and inspiring multimedia elements, participants of this half-day to one-day event are inspired to reconnect with their deep concern for our world, and are empowered to take action in support of a transition to an environmentally sustainable, socially just, and spiritually fulfilling world.

Designed with the collaboration of some of the finest scientific, indigenous, and activist minds in the world, the Symposium explores the current state of our planet from a Transition-friendly perspective, and inspires people to reach out to their neighbors and respond with courage, a positive vision, and creative action. The ATD Symposium helps participants explore four key questions:

Where Are We? – an examination of the state of environmental, social and personal well-being

How did We Get Here? – tracing the root causes that lead to our current imbalance

What’s Possible for the Future? – discovering new ways of relating with each other, with the Earth and looking at the emerging movement pushing towards a transition to an environmentally sustainable, socially just, and spiritually fulfilling world

Where Do We Go from Here? – considering the stand we want to be in the world now and our what personal and collective impact we can have together

It is during this last section, “Where Do We Go from Here” that the Transition movement can be highlighted and serve as a powerful model for people to take action within their own communities.

There are now over four thousand trained, volunteer ATD Symposium facilitators around the world, including many Quaker facilitators, who would welcome the opportunity to bring this interactive experience to your community, including some like Steve Chase and Katy Locke from Putney Friends Meeting who have creatively customized their ATD workshops with Quakers and the Transition Movement in the center of their focus. Please feel free to contact them for more information, or to be put in touch with other ATD Symposium facilitators in your area.

Transition US also offers a PDF version of an article by Steve Chase entitled “Taking The Initiative: Why Participants of the Awakening the Dreamer Symposium Should Consider Joining the The Transition Movement.” This handout can be downloaded and distributed for free at any ATD Symposium. Quakers In Transition hopes you enjoy it and consider sharing it openly with folks in your community.

---