Rekindling the spirit of community, by connecting people and valuing the skills that build safe and happy communities. Lifecare Trust is passionate about building Time Banks and is working with Third Sector First and Putting You First to bring Time Banking to Dumfries and Galloway. Lifecare Trust is recruiting a Local Coordinator for the Annandale and Eskdale area.

Angela Butcher from Lifecare Trust:

"Time Banking is a great way to make friends and to get little jobs done. Time Banking is about giving and taking; everyone has something to offer and it is part of our role to find out what skills people have and help them to see the value of these to others in their own community."


Description
There are already over 30 Time Banks across Scotland and members can earn credits through exchanges such as gardening, car washing, cooking a meal, shopping and other neighbourly tasks, or even just by having a coffee with someone.

Time Bank members will be given the support they need to get the most out of the scheme. To safeguard all members, two references will be sought for those who want to actively offer their skills for exchange in the Bank. It is free to join and does not affect benefits. There is no regular commitment; most Time Bank exchanges are one-offs, providing the support that often money can't buy.

General information

Time Banks enable the simple neighbourly exchange of skills in return for time credits. Time Banking is a way for people to share skills with others in their community and be rewarded for it - in time. For every hour of time a person gives providing a service for another participant, they will receive one time credit, which can then be exchanged when they need someone else's energy, skills or experience.

Time Banks are a way of creating community energy, harnessing people's talents, skills and enthusiasm, sharing knowledge and experience and creating new groups, local events, workshops and classes.

Time Banking can increase the resilience of individuals and communities to the demands of everyday life and can prevent needs arising. Simply ensuring that people are in contact with their community and that they can make a contribution can help them remain healthy, both mentally and physically, and build social capital.

Time Banks also build co-production; this is where 'service providers' and 'service users' work in partnership, as Edgar Cahn, founder of Time Banking, said:

"No society has the money to buy, at market prices, what it takes to raise children, make a neighbourhood safe, care for the elderly, make democracy work or address systemic injustices. The only way that the world is going to address the social problems that are dumped on it, is by enlisting the very people who are now classified as 'clients' and 'consumers' and converting them into co-workers, partners and re-builders of the core economy."