A time bank uses time credits as a medium of exchange rather than money. Within the system, every hour is valued the same, regardless of who contributes the time. Here is a description of time banking from the Lyttelton Harbour Timebank in New Zealand:

"WHAT IS TIMEBANKING?

TIMEBANKING is a way of trading skills in a community. INSTEAD OF DOLLARS, time credits are used as payment. You earn time credits for the work you do, and then use them to 'buy' another member's time to get the services you need.

EVERYONE'S TIME IS EQUAL. No matter what type of work is done, one hour always equals one time credit. 1 = 1. Every person is equally valued.

WHAT SKILLS CAN I OFFER? Everyone has skills to offer. Things that we are good at, things we enjoy. Sometimes people feel they have no spare time. But if we do things we like, and get another member to do the things we don’t enjoy so much, everyone benefits! Some offers and requests on the TimeBank are: cooking, sewing, gardening, child minding, transport, wood stacking, computer help, music lessons, storytelling, and companionship, to name but a few. Get creative!" https://bit.ly/3uEMbdn

And here's an article on how time banking helped Lyttleton, New Zealand to recover after the earthquakes in 2010 and 2011. https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/dec/16/new-zealand-time-banking-currency-community-earthquake?CMP=share_btn_tw

If anyone else thinks we should start a time bank in Vancouver, please get in touch!

(THIS IS A SAMPLE PROJECT ONLY)