Just Transition Cards for Inclusive Community Design

Designing for Inclusion, Care and Belonging

Across the world, communities are asking how we create a just transition, a movement away from ecological destruction, extraction and inequality, towards cultures rooted in care, dignity and regeneration. Yet many projects unintentionally reproduce the same exclusions and barriers that exist in wider society.

The Just Transition Cards were created as a practical reflection tool to help groups, organisers, educators and community projects ask deeper questions about inclusion, accessibility and power. They are not about “getting things perfect”, but about developing awareness, compassion and better design practices.

At Roots n Permaculture, we see this as part of whole-systems thinking. A healthy ecosystem depends on diversity, relationships and mutual support. Human communities are no different. These cards encourage us to notice who is missing, who is struggling to participate, and what structures or assumptions may need transforming.

The cards can be used in meetings, event planning, training, workshops, and project reflection processes to help build more inclusive and resilient communities.

The original inspiration for these cards came through the wider Just Transition and Transition Network movement. You can explore related resources through Transition Network Just Transition Resources.

How to Use the Cards

Each card contains a reflective question and a short explanation that helps guide discussion and awareness. You do not need to use every card at once. Sometimes a single question is enough to shift the direction of a project.

Disability

Elder

Ethnicity

Gender and Sexuality

Immigration Status

Neurodivergence

Parents

Race

Socioeconomic

Youth

Development and Acknowledgements

The cards developed from practices the UK Transition Together Just Transition Circle identified. The intention was to make inclusion work practical, grounded and easy to use in real world settings.

The cards were developed by Rakesh, Amanda and El, with additional content support from Danny, Brad and Ellie from the Youth Circle. A huge thanks to all of them for their contribution. The card creation was led by Rakesh.

Making Your Own Version

These cards are Creative Commons and can be adapted, translated, and reshaped for different contexts and communities. They are designed to evolve, not remain fixed.

You can:

• Translate them into other languages
• Adapt them for your own organisation or cultural context
• Edit or expand the questions
• Create printed or digital versions
• Use them as a base for training or facilitation tools

A guide on how to create your own version of the Just Transition Cards is available here: Make your own Just Transition Cards.

This resource is designed for facilitators, educators and community organisers who want to adapt the cards to their own context. Editing your own version allows you to tailor language, translate content, and reshape prompts so they better reflect local cultures, learning needs and real-world facilitation settings.

Towards Regenerative Culture

A just transition is about how we relate to each other as much as systems change. These cards invite reflection, care and deeper listening. Inclusion is an ongoing practice, not a fixed destination.