So, What Is Timebanking? While timebanking was created over thirty years ago, it is a new concept to many of us. The basic premise of timebanking is that it is an organized way to “pay-it-forward.” For every hour you invest doing work for someone via the TimeBank, you receive an hour that you can spend on any service offered via the TimeBank (not just with the person to whom you provided the service). On the surface this premise seems simple, but when looked at more deeply, timebanking offers new ways of thinking about time, wealth and community. Timebank Media is an initiative of Transition Town Media, and both share concerns that the issues of climate change, cost of oil, distribution of wealth, and central consolidation of commerce are not being adequately addressed by our larger national and international institutions. We believe that we can be more effective by helping our community to develop our own, local responses to these concerns, and that this effort will not only contribute to the larger good, but also make our community more self-sufficient, economically vibrant and spiritually fulfilling. Timebank Media is just one way that Transition Town Media is attempting to meet these concerns. Timebanking was founded by Edgar Cahn upon Five Core Values: We are all assets – Everyone has something to offer. No one knows or does everything, and everyone knows and can do something. Some work is valuable beyond market price – and that work needs to be recognized and rewarded. Everyone benefits when we work toward raising healthy children, building strong families, revitalizing neighborhoods, living sustainably, and fostering social justice. Helping works better as a two-way street. When neighbors help one another, we are all stronger. The community we create offers a greater reward than simply the sum of the work done. We need each other. Alone, we are limited in what we can achieve. Networks are stronger than individuals. When we work together, we can build the world we envision. Every human being matters. There are no throwaway people. Everybody has something to offer, and has unmet needs as well. from timebank.org
Posted on: Tue, 18 Jun 2013 23:07:33 +0000
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