A timebank is a way to swap skills with others in the same community based on time. The beauty of them is that you don't have swap directly between two people. So, for example, Joe enjoys gardening, Alice might enjoy sewing and Marie likes babysitting. Each of them registers with the timebank. Alice notices Joe's offer and gets him around to do a couple of hour's gardening. Joe does not need any sewing done at this stage, but he really needs someone to look after his kids so he contacts Marie. After babysitting for Joe, Marie is now in credit for 2 hours. She has some clothes that need mending so she contacts Alice who can fix them for her. That way Alice earns some hours which help "pay" for Joe's gardening. The great thing is that each of these people gets to do more of what they enjoy and less of what they don't.
People can offer a wide range of services - as the market page on the Addington Timebank site suggests from helping someone with facebook or their computer to providing gardening advice, running errands, cutting hair or delivering pamphlets or newsletters. With a timebank, the skills you offer cannot be the same ones that you use to make money, so if you are a gardener who earns taxable income doing gardening, you can't offer that in the Timebank.
Timebanks are a great way to help people get to know each other and to know what skills are available locally too. Community organisations can register as a timebank member and in many places people can donate the time that they earn to these groups or even to other people if they want to. Check out this video made in Lyttelton about timebanking.
Are you interested in this idea? If you are, come along to the Swap-a event at 1.00 pm on Saturday 19th May at St Lukes Church in Halswell Road to talk about this more and exchange clothes, baking, preserves or even veges.
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