The Long Beach Time Exchange is a time banking community, where members use an alternative currency called time dollars to exchange skills and services.
The concept is simple: One hour equals one time dollar, regardless of the service given, so there’s really no bartering involved. From dog-walking to graphic design, community organizing to tutoring, cooking lessons to massage therapy, everyone’s time is valued equally.
When someone helps you, they earn a credit that they can spend with any other member on any of the services in our network. It’s a powerful idea that helps to grow stronger communities.
In the above photo, Long Beach Time Exchange monthly gathering attendees discuss services they’d like to give and receive in our “speed banking” activity.
Steering Committee members talk about their experiences in the above video.
<strong>Background
Time banking was developed in 1980 by law professor Edgar Cahn in response to severe cuts in government funding for social programs. With less money available to address social problems, Edgar realized that a different kind of currency might be able to fill in the gap, a kind of currency that empowers community. In time banking communities, “time dollars” are the unit of exchange. They place equal value on each of a wide variety of services offered within a community.
Exchanges, offers, requests, and transactions are organized through a web‐based software system called Community Weaver, developed by Time Banks USA.
A community-based, member-run organization, the Long Beach Time Exchange was first conceived at an Evolver salon, and is fiscally sponsored by Catalyst Community, a 501c3 nonprofit. The Long Beach Time Exchange is a recipient of The Long Beach Community Foundation’s LLB 2010 Connected Corridor phase-4 grant.
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