The Next Chapter for TimeBanking Stories & Chat-On-A-Bench

Photo by Nick Fewings

The Opening Welcome and Introducing Changes in Format 

The Chat has been – and still is – about coming together for a conversation on timebanking that has some structure, but not a lot! This month was no different, because waiting in our January Chat we were to explore possible changes to the Chat’s format – but immediate needs meant that didn’t happen. This month, again, we plunged instead into the needs of the hour. However, we did begin with sharing two changes in the format that were made as the result of a new Programs and Workshops governance circle for TB.Org that is getting up to speed.

• Change One: Incorporating a Monthly Theme
  • The governance circle agreed that going forward, the Chat will join TB.Org’s three other main outreach programs – the Podcast, Coordinator Call and Mission Moment newsletter – in sharing a monthly theme. The goal is to provide focus for each program and coordination between all four together. 
    • The February theme: Friendship and Connection. 
    • March’s theme:  International growth of timebanking  
• Change Two: Shift in Schedule to the last Sunday of the Month. 
  • The next Chat-On-A-Bench will be held March 30, at 4 pm Eastern
    • Note that this follows the March 23 International TimeBanking Day on Sunday March 23.
  • Future Chats will always be on the last Sunday at 4 pm Eastern
    • The Chat’s March theme will be Reflections and Stories on timebanking around the world.

The Five Core Values

The standard format of the Chat is to cover the five core values, which are so central to timebanking’s mission. Chris asked participants to share a core value and then to provide an illustration. So here they are in the order they were shared:

Reciprocity

Redefining Work

Respect

Assets

Community/Connection 

And here are some of the stories that were put forward that are inspired by and illustrate the core values:

• Reciprocity: 
  • Tatiana shared how important reciprocity is for her in her timebank.
• Redefining Work:
  • Michelle gave us redefining work. 

• Respect:
  • Krista shared how this moment in the political life of the USA has led to a lot of people being highly opinionated and not listening to each other. She’s become determined to “meet people where they are” showing respect and signalling kindness.
  • Emily gave us Respect – and then Kurt shared how Emily offers her time to help organize an annual Integral Adult Autism Conference where Integral stands for Interactive Networking Talks and Education for Growing Autism Legitimacy, which is the autism community calling for and building respect.   
• Assets: 
  • Vilvi, who uses a wheelchair and must use a large walker when she goes for walks shared an AHA moment when a new Timebank member shared that she had nothing to give, but Vilvi then realized that she had a need that the member could maybe help with: It would be a HUGE help if that person could walk with her on a regular basis. The member agreed to walk with her every week – and Vilvi loved having that gift of a weekly walk and the companionship that it brought.  
  • Fernando shared that a member of the Sitges Timebank is a sculptor whose sculptures of oranges were added to the famous Gaudi building, Sagrada Familia, in Barcelona.
• Community/Connection:  
  • Ianni shared how he was wandering through the streets of a town in Italy and accidentally came across a social gathering of timebankers. He knew nothing of timebanking, but they offered for him to join and offered their food. It was such a wonderful experience of diversity and kindness that he decided he wanted to create a timebank himself in his home country of Germany.
  • Fernando shared that there’s a twinning connection between the Barcelona timebanks and the Italy and Portugal timebanks. 
  • There will be a TimeBanking Gathering on March 28 in Barcelona which will be taking advantage of Krista and her husband Tony’s holiday in Barcelona to invite a bunch of timebankers from different countries to talk about timebanking together, and Fernando invited Ianni to join us. 

Small Break-Out Groups

This sharing of stories took us almost to the end of the hour, so we held the break-out groups at the end of the meeting instead of the start as we regularly do. We then closed out, as we often do, by each sharing one word that expresses our sense of the whole meeting.

Note: The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of TimeBanks.Org, TimeBanks, or Timebank members.