INSPIRATION CASE 1: COMMUNITY TIME BANKING INITIATIVE General Information Community Time Banking Initiatives like our inspiring example of ‘Camden Shares’ are one form of co-production mechanisms. Time Banking provides services and outcomes with users, not for users. It turns consumers into producers, demand into supply, problems into solutions. By linking organisations, groups, individuals and businesses together to share, trade and exchange resource, capacity and ideas; their members ‘offer up’ resource and capacity to the network in a time economy and receive back what they need whenever they need it.
Inspiration & Parametres for change a) community binding
Time banking and co-producing systems bring both local entrepreneurs and organisations together to promote volunteering, exchange knowledge and experience to build a strong network of volunteers. Similar results are being achieved on the private community level: trading in time brings the community together, circulates relationships and utilises skills and knowledge of community members effectively.
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b) sharing resources & economic benefit
In a time banking system, participating members of the community are coming together to trade and share their resources, benefiting both the individual as well as organisations. Everyone has something to offer and in respect of that they should have something back. So even those who otherwise could not afford advanced goods and services, can benefit from the co-production and time banking system.
Information and pictures sourced from: http://www.camdenshares.org.uk and http://www.hcct.org.uk
INSPIRATION CASE 1: COMMUNITY TIME BANKING INITIATIVE Our inspiring example: CAMDEN SHARES, London, U.K. The idea for Camden Shares came from the work of the Holy Cross Centre Trust, a dynamic charity based in London’s Kings Cross, that has been coproducing their services with a timebank mechanism as the very first in the area of North London. Co-production recognises the value of everyone involved in the delivery of a service and moves professionals, service users, volunteers and local com munities into a partnership model. Service users become actively involved in the design and delivery of the service. Dr. Edgar S. Cahn is the founder of Timebanking and the creator of the CoProduction principle. Kind, sincere and compassionate, Edgar has dedicated his life to achieving social justice for the disenfranchised.
Examples for spending time credits: drum lessons or a sunny day out at a Botanic Garden.
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What does it mean for the Camden community? The Time Banking Initiative ‘Camden Shares’ became an important part of the North London district’s community: Camden Shares is about co-production in action, working with people who are socially excluded in a variety of ways in Camden and Islington to include them in day-to-day community life, value their skills and knowledge and utilise these in a socially sustainable way. Camden Shares picked some favourite keywords, which they were associated with regarding their services and work, and grouped them losely into four dimensions. Camden Shares is about: • • • •
Brokerage / Connects / Partnership / Sharing / Offers / Exchange / Trading Friendship / Network / Together / Community / Dealers / Resources / Local No waste / Opportunity / Rewards / Taking back / Circulating / Choice / Service / Two way Strong / Knowledge /Expertise / Different / Coproduction / No money / Time benefit
Information and pictures sourced from: http://www.camdenshares.org.uk and http://www.hcct.org.uk
How does ‘Camden Shares’ work in detail? In principal, all inhabitants of the area can offer their time to the sharing community in whatever they want, from filling in forms to head massages or computer tuition. Interestingly, everyone’s time is valued equally. The important thing is that participants earn time-credits for every hour of offering their services, which can then be rewarded if needed. Organisations are welcome to earn time-credits by giving, for example, the use of space or facilities, providing training opportunities or catering. Time-credits can be spent in a wide range of services offered by all private, corporate or organisational timebank members, e.g.: • • • • • • • •
Concert tickets Cinema tickets DIY Gym sessions Computer tuition Dance classes Events & activities Food & hygiene training
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Maths tuition Piano lessons Pilates & yoga & Tai Chi City & Guilds training Office spaces & facilities Exercise classes Time in a recording studio Organisation’s ser vices exchange