Reciprocity is integral in Time Trade but it’s a pretty simple philosophy akin to the ever popular concepts of Karma or the “Golden Rule” of : do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
At the most basic level it’s about giving and helping others without the expectation of receiving anything in return.Yet, reciprocity also describes the sense of “obligation” we often feel to return in kind the gifts or favours we receive from people.
“Reciprocity obliges a recipient of service to contribute…[while] free services can send an uninteded message: if you have no money, you have nothing I need, want, or value” Edgar Cahn
While it’s not always so easy to match favour for favour, gift for gift, dollar for dollar, under a system of Time Trade, we are all capable of matching one hour of time with one hour of time. Cahn, the inventor of Time Banking aka Time Trade, also talks about reciprocity as a tool that can:-
empower those we help
reinforce self esteem
bridge the gulf between market ($) and non market ($0) activities
generate greater generosity
Our Time Trade system is based around communities of people that are willing to support, collaborate and work with each other.
Time Trade is much more than simply a means to motivate, recognise or reward peoples contribution. In an world still dominted by the monetary market ($ valuations) Time Trade establishes a very important, universal measure of the value we contribute to our society. A measure of the trust and love, caring and community that we build each day by helping others and causes greater than ourselves.
By exchanging time credits with others in exchange for their time and talents – i.e. music, craft or companionship – the circle of giving grows ever larger helping to build stronger communities through reciprocity.
The Rushey Green Time Bank was established within the local Doctor’s surgery, initially to provide an alternative solution for patients that raised issues of social isolation.
Since 2000, patients have been prescribed, if appropriate, with a friendly visit once a week, or a lift to the shops. They can also be referred to the time bank, for example in the case of long-term depression, if doctors feel that engagement of some kind would be useful.
The evidence is that this works. Early research at Rushey Green showed that 70% of participants suffering from a combination of physical and mental problems reported some remission of their condition within six months of joining the time bank.
There is confirmation of this in research by the Socio-Medical Research
Group at King’s College London, which shows that those participants who are most actively involved in the time bank experience the most improvements in both their mental and physical health. Nine years on it continues to help people discover their sense of belonging.
“…Like a big family everybody is helping everybody…time banking means friendliness…being able to meet and engage with other members and sharing time and sharing skills..you give an hour and get back an hour…”
Focus on Talent vs Need
What sets Time Trade apart from traditional volunteering is that it focuses on highlighting the talents and abilities of people rather than focusing on their needs. In this way it both 1) empowers people that might only otherwise be recipients of charity and 2) encourages people that may not normally volunteer to contribute their time and talent.
Here at Worknow we are building an online system to automate the exchange of time credits so that non profit and community organisations can recruit and reward their volunteers and empower the people they help. Our Time Trade system comes online August 2009 please register your interest today.
If asked “what did you want to be when you were a kid?”, I know the answer is – to help people. While I’m not alone in aspiring to help others am I just trying to compensate for my failings? or feel better about myself? Am I really just trying to help myself?
With time trade one’s own motivation to help others comes second. It’s about putting the needs of others before yourself by focusing less on the need to be needed – who can I help?, how can I help? – and more on outcomes that can only be secured by enlisting the time and talents of those we are trying to help – how can this persons talents, skills and time help others?
“…If we want to fulfill our own commitments to make a difference in the lives of others, we need to find a way to use our ability to unleash the capacity of the person we are helping…” Edgar Cahn
People are Assets
Every single person is gifted with talents that are of value in a Time Trade community.
“…it recognises the whole person, that your life experiences, your knowledge, is an asset – everything you are, what you know and what you don’t is valuable…”
For organisations with networks of people that they already help there’s the potential to vastly expand the work accomplished by employing the time and talents of the people they help. This in turn empowers the recipients and moves them away from dependence and potential helplessness towards a sense of contributing value to one’s own community.
For example enlisting university alumni to mentor upcoming graduates about work life and career paths and those graduates, in turn, tutoring fellow students who in turn help volunteer in their community, and build valuable work skills.
“…We have to find news ways, or very old ways, of putting people to use doing things for each other…finding ways for people who don’t think they have skills to discover their own strengths…” Edgar Cahn
Time Trade is simply about spending an hour doing something for somebody in your community.
In recognition for your contribution you receive one Time Credit which you can then gift or trade, with other members of the community, in exchange for their talent and time. It’s a simple idea, but it has powerful ripple effects in building community connections.
Here at Worknow we are building an online system to automate the transfer of time credits between Community Members. Our Time Trade system comes online August 2009 please register your interest today.
Dr Seyfang of the University of East Anglia has conducted some insightful and inspiring research into the effects of time banking in the UK
Case study research, which provides evidence that time trade can provide tools for promoting community development and overcoming social exclusion. I have recently read and would recommend:
Seyfang, G. (2004) Time banks: rewarding community self-help in the inner city. Community Development Journal 39:1 62 – 71 Oxford University Press: Oxford.
Seyfang, G &Smith, K. (2002) The time of our lives: using time banking for neighbourhood renewal and community capacity building. New Economics Foundations: London Download PDF Here
Time Trade aka Time Banking is simply about spending an hour doing something for somebody in your community.
In recognition for your contribution you receive one Time Credit which you can then gift or trade, with other members of the community, in exchange for their talent and time. It’s a simple idea, but it has powerful ripple effects in building community connections.
Here at Worknow we are building an online system to automate the transfer of time credits between Community Members. Our Time Trade system comes online August 2009. For more information check out these links:-
The concept of Time Trade is a social change movement active in 22 countries and across six continents.
It began in the 1980’s ,invented by Edgar Cahn, a former legal advisor to Robert Kennedy, as a way to make up for the cutback of social services. While each time bank may state a different focus the system of trade is facilitated in order to help communities meet unmet needs with untapped resources.
“…To develop a sustainable community centered and supported network that will utilise available and untapped assets through a complimentary economy. Our ultimate goal is to help to bring about meaningful social change for the betterment of humanity…”
The following examples are the mission statements of various time banks as listed in the international Time Bank Community Directory
Time Trade is about Helping Others
Bringing People Together to Help Each Other
To provide access to services and high quality volunteer opportunities by serving our community with passion and commitment.
To support and expand our volunteer programs
Time Trade is about strengthening communities
To build a stronger, more unified community which supports, includes and honors persons of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds.
Building a stronger community one hour at a time.
To strengthen friendships, families, neighborhoods and communities.
Time Trade is about connecting communities
Working together as a sustainable community of families to nurture quality time, talent and fun
To nurture, inspire, and motivate the building of a network of neighbors to come together to create a sharing and caring community.
To connect diverse neighborhoods, service organizations, food producers, businesses, and individuals in ways that promote resource exchange, cooperation, and community-building while increasing access to local services and goods.
Time Trade encompasses both broad and specific goals
To help mobilize social capital to fight poverty and build community in Lewis County.
To meet unmet needs of home schoolers with untapped resources.
To assist the senior and youth population in relationship building and tapping into valuable resources
Time Trade is about Respect Recognition and Empowering People
To invite all people in the community to join in a supportive, reciprocal network where all members are respected and valued for their time and talents, through the sharing of our needs and gifts.
To Empower the Disenfranchised and to do this with Compassion!
Time Trade is about awareness of alternatives
To experiment with innovative approaches to social welfare
By facilitating the exchange of services we redefine how people interact with each other
A network of members sharing their time and skills without the need for money.
Time Trade is about resilience
Helping our beautiful small community become closer and more self reliant.
Strengthening local economy in this time of hardship.
Inform the community of resources that will enable the community to become more knowledgeable through the circle of life, resulting in people always needing people.
We facilitate Time Trade as a means of recognition for the work contributed by volunteers in our community.
We hope to encourage more young people to volunteer because we believe volunteer work develops a service orientated work ethic and skills that assist the study to work transition. Some of the skills volunteers can develop include:-
Leadership & team building skills
Relationship building skills
Communication skills
Negotiation skills
Creative thinking skills
Organisation & time management skills
If you know a cause that could benefit from additional volunteer support or wish to volunteer your time and talent please contact us
Social innovation refers to new strategies, concepts and organisations that meet social needs which in our case, influenced by economic recession, means the need to support communities and help people find work.
Although there are already volunteer networks, community and business groups that contribute tirelessly to this need, we believe social networking technology can help foster and harness the collective potential of existing communities and distributed groups by providing a way for people to easily find, connect and work with each other.
Time Trading a.k.a Time Banking
Time Trading a.k.a Time Banking is simply about spending an hour doing something for somebody in your community. In recognition for your contribution you receive one Time Credit which you can then gift or trade, with other members of the community, in exchange for their talent and time. It’s a simple idea, but it has powerful ripple effects in building community connections.
When times get tough, our most important asset is a resilient and supportive community. More secure than money in the bank, and more long-lasting than storing food and water; creating a more self sufficient community is the smartest investment we can make now… they strengthen the community by creating an incentive and market for people to help each other. Source
Worknow
We are building a user friendly, online solution to help people find, connect and work together, in new ways. One of the first services available incorporates the concept of Time Trading via the provision of an online system to automate the transfer of time credits between Community Members.
The recession is not the only disadvantage facing Gen Y as we enter and carve out our niche in the jobs’ market. The transition from study to work is a challenging event, made more difficult by:-
entrenched negative stereotypes within the media and the boardroom.
It irks me that people and media feel justified in deriding our generation. Almost daily I read about how lazy, fickle, disloyal and demanding generation Y is yet so rarely is voice given to the truth that we Gen Y have different attitudes, and workplace expectations to the existing generations.
An education system tailored to create solid employees rather than job creators.
As Sam Morgan notes “…We seem to have focused wrongly on building CVs rather than building businesses…” and as a result we have a wealth of talented people preparing themselves to be employed rather than cultivating talents which could drive economic growth through the creation of new business and new jobs.
Learn to be an Entrepreneur vs Employee
In America, in answer to the recession, educators like Babson College, are promoting education and up skilling but not in the traditional forms. For example if you are considering business then they suggest nowdays you need to choose a school where you will learn how to:
Be the Company. Rethink any degree that will prepare you to work for somebody else. Consider a program that trains you to work for yourself.
Volunteer Work Experience & Mentoring
Whether you prefer entrepreneur or employee there is still the catch 22 of “work experience”. Even in the best of times the transition from study to work is a difficult one but at Worknow we’ve identified two ways to support the study work transition for Gen Y students and recent graduates.
1. We encourage Volunteer Work Experience as a means to build confidence and valuable work skills before moving into the paid workforce. We also facilitate Time Trading (a.k.a Time Banking) to encourage, recognise and reward volunteer contributions.
2. A Peer Mentoring Community connecting Graduates with recent Alumni who can share with students of the same / similar discipline their experience of the study / work transition and highlight the real life opportunities available in the marketplace. Where to look, who to talk to, which skills are important etc.
Worknow
We are an online community and marketplace for kiwis’ to buy sell and trade their talent and services
