Louth Time Bank.
A Transition Town Louth initiative.
Louth Time Bank.A Transition Town Louth initiative. |
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Time Credits is a currency that turns time into buying power. If you become a participant of a Time Bank, you earn credits for the time you spend helping other members of the scheme. One hour of service earns you one time credit. With that credit, you can “buy” an hour of a particular service that you need.
If you don’t need all the credits you earn, you can save them up, donate them to someone you know or give them back to the Time Bank so that the people who run the project can make sure the participants with the severest needs get all the help they require.
Time Credits recognise that many people don’t like the idea of accepting charity but like to feel useful and able to offer something back. Time Banking provides the opportunity for this through working on a basis of reciprocity – everyone has something to offer and neither age nor mobility should exclude anyone.
This kind of exchange is not new – it has traditionally occurred amongst families and friends. All Time Banking does is to provide a new structure for neighbourliness, one that turns good deeds into real purchasing power.
Time Banking is based on an American scheme called Time Dollars which has been running successfully in the USA for 10 years. Time Dollars operates through a diverse range of projects in numerous states, and with people of all ages participating. Time Banking in Louth is an initiative of Transition Town Louth, set up in 2009 with help from a small grant from East Lindsey District Council. It is supported by Time Banks UK.
To give you an idea of the possibilities, here is a sampling of the services Time Bank participants currently exchange in other schemes
Time Credits are for everyone - age and ability are no barrier. Many projects are cross-generational and utilise the time and talents of all groups. These projects give elderly people the opportunity to usefully spend time working with and caring for children. Simultaneously, they can give parents free time to work, retrain or simply to have some time to themselves.
Time Banks have schoolchildren helping older housebound people. Elderly drivers giving lifts to young participants. Young parents who garden and decorate for elderly participants often take along their young children so another generation is involved. Time Banks enable friendships to develop amongst people who might not otherwise meet and breakdown the barriers that sometimes build up between the young and elderly.
This question arises frequently. People understandably want to know what their obligations are before they join the scheme. Most people who participate in Time Banks do so, not to build up credits, but because they want to help out in the community, get out of the house or make new friends. Your credits have an earning power as long as your Time Bank exists and ultimately, it is down to you and other participants within the Time Bank to make this possible.
The worst case scenario would be that the Time Bank folded and participants were left with unspent credits and without another Time Bank in the locality to transfer to. Even so, this has a positive side - the existence of the project enabled some people to help other people and feel proud that they did so.
Yes, they can use Time Credits donated by other participants of the project or earned on their behalf by their family and friends. However, it is important to remember that Time Credits is about developing reciprocal services amongst participants so ultimately strengthening communities and rebuilding neighbourhoods. At the end of the day most people will find they have something to offer and can provide a service that is valued and needed by someone else.
Yes you can. In this way you can help a person twice. Firstly, when you provide a service for a person in need, and secondly when you pass on your credits to someone else to enable them to get some help. However, it is important that people use some of their credits because that is what enables a real community of mutual help to grow strong.
This is the question often raised about Time Banking. It is important to remember that the word volunteer actually refers to something done from the heart, rather than strictly without reward. The most important thing the Time Banks does is establish a structure of reciprocity by re-building a sense of neighbourliness and turning worthy sentiments into real social and economic forces.
Historically, volunteers have been the wealthy who do good works for the poor and needy. This implicitly divides the world into the givers and takers - the haves and have nots - it’s charity and many people don’t like the idea of relying on this.
Time Credits removes this stigma of charity. We don't use the word volunteer instead our members are called participants. We aim to give everyone an equal opportunity to contribute a service - to participate. When people sign up to receive assistance through the Time Bank, they are also signing up to help someone else in some way. Even housebound people can provide a service perhaps by being a telephone friend - these calls can be the high point of the day for people who are isolated. Alternatively, they can do project work from home such as addressing envelopes, and packing leaflets for other participants to deliver. In this way everyone can play their part in the development of Time Credits.
It is not necessary. One of the advantages of Time Banking is that it is a do-it-yourself currency that people can establish on their own. On the other hand, there can be advantages to getting government or local authorities involved – they may provide funding, office space, computer equipment, expertise etc. Equally, these resources may also be available through other institutions or private funders.
Social services needs are so great that resources must be mustered from every possible quarter. Time Banks can’t do everything any more than government can do everything. An added benefit of a Time Bank is that it can help to build a cohesive, stable, self-perpetuating community of self-help. Time Credits can turn strangers into friends and neighbours into extended families.
All Time Bank participants and employees are covered by a comprehensive insurance policy that provides for group accident cover, public and employee liability. As a condition of the insurance as well as a sensible safeguard, all participants working with children and vulnerable people must agree to be police checked.
There is no reason why they can’t be, provided of course that money is available. Needs will vary and this is one of the questions that will be resolved with individual projects.
Anyone can be a participant providing they accept that the primary aim of Time Banking is to develop closer communities and recreate a sense of neighbourliness through the exchange of services. The idea of reciprocity is the driving force behind Time Credits and participants must be willing to both provide and receive services to enable everyone to have an active role within each project.
You need a community, neighbourhood or group of people who have unmet needs but lack the individual ability or the monetary buying power to meet them. You need people who have an interest in helping others but equally recognise they also have needs for which they are willing to accept help, either now or in the future. You need people who have an interest in developing a better sense of neighbourliness in their community and most of all you need enthusiasm.
Time Banking aims to help develop communities and in order to do this it is essential that people help each other by providing reciprocal services. Providing this happens participant's bank accounts should show an even balance of credits and debits. However, there may be cases when participants are receiving services but through personal circumstances are not in a position to reciprocate at that particular time. Equally, there will be times where participants are providing services but saving credits to spend them at a later date. Providing this is the exception rather than the rule it should not cause any problems.
Time Banks are not a way of paying people for volunteer work.
They are a way of rebuilding the webs of helpfulness and community that once existed in neighbourhoods.
Time Banks are not an excuse for budget cutting or getting services on the cheap.
They are a way of activating an untapped national resource – the time of people who are retired or under employed – so that we can begin to meet the enormous service needs this country faces
Thanks to Fair Shares from whom these FAQs are derived.