Building Community Through Timebanking
You may have seen headlines recently about a loneliness epidemic. U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, compared our current crisis of loneliness to the opioid epidemic. Independence, a more solitary route to begin with, has always been a value of American culture. Increased use of technology for routine communication, while connecting for many, also disconnects many others. The result? Lots of lonely people. The rapid technological change in the last decades, for better or worse, has changed our lives in powerful ways. Many of us rely on neighbors much less than in generations past. That, too, breeds loneliness.
It doesn’t have to be that way. Among the many ways to connect with neighbors is Timebanking. What’s that? The Bay Area Community Exchange (BACE) Timebank offers helpful clarity.
A Timebank is a group of people who use time as a currency to buy services and goods, with everyone’s time equal.
An hour is an hour, no matter the skill level or the task. If you’re curious about how this works, spend five minutes of YOUR time to watch this video, and you’ll see how a Timebank can help us consume fewer resources, produce less waste plus increase personal and community wellbeing.WATCH THIS VIDEO!
Organized Timebanks are available in the Bay Area, plus Santa Cruz, Lake, Yolo, and Sacramento Counties.
What’s a Timebank good for? While my brother was hospitalized for six weeks last spring and I was there with him full time, I put in a request for someone to come weed in front of our house. It had become a jungle out there, and I had no time to manage it.
A BACE timebanker came out and pulled weeds for me. I paid her in timebank hours, which went into her timebank account. When the time is right, she will spend those hours getting help with her needs–from me or from someone else in the Timebank.
Currently, I’m seeking help with this newsletter! I also see others requesting technology help, fall planting advice, raking, and a co-lead for a recycling-fundraising effort. For you, the possibilities are endless! A ride to the airport, dog walking, writing jobs–anything that takes TIME.
But how do we get there from here? We know a lot of people already volunteer, some of them through an existing neighborhood volunteer group. If the members of that group “sign up,” each of them can look forward to being paid in timebank hours! Then they can spend their timebank hours to get help with something they may not want to do, know how to do, or have time to do themselves.
I’d love to create a strong timebanking foundation in East Canyon 22X as part of our community-building efforts. I hope we can launch this venture at our November neighborhood council meeting, with someone from BACE Timebank present to answer our questions and help us get started.
Don’t want to wait that long? You’re in luck, A BACE Timebank potluck is coming up October 21st, 12:30-2:30, There you can learn more and meet local timebankers. For more information about the potluck, send email to Monica: staff@bace.org.
