Timebanking 1:
http://www.timebanking.org.uk/
"St Leonards Sharing" Consortium
And here's how you get into the loop of what is developing:
One way that would begin to greatly streamline the emails you get (& help me to know who is up for what) is to complete this form:
http://actionforhastingshappiness.blogspot.com/p/stleonardssharing.html
Please also subscribe to the newsletter I send out no more than twelve times a year and which I make an effort to put into a clear and comprehensive (yet brief) format, instantly bringing you up to date on the last month or three.
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Timebanking & the (social care) personalisation agenda:
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1st recorded meeting -preparing for the 28th November 2011 launch of "St Leonards Sharing" timebank at the White Rock Hotel:
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The (earlier) -mid October 2011- Press Release:
Timebanking arrangement set up between 'St Leonards Sharing' and Sussex Police.
Community votes for Mediation Support & Private Investigation of Pier Fire
The anniversary talks about the Pier Fire (held at Southwater Area Community Centre) attracted police from three parts of East Sussex, Action for Happiness activists from Hastings & St Leonards and various other "critical friends" and members of the community. Each participant was given £600 (virtual money) to spend on trying to move things on with relation to the unclear and unresolved incidents of 5th October 2010 on the pier. What the group chose to spend the money on mostly was "Mediation Support, Community Mediation in general & more training in St Leonards from the (London based) Centre for Peaceful Solutions". Second most popular was the idea of setting up a fund for a private investigation or an investigation which was independent of the police. More of what was said that night -and what films were shown about "Restorative Justice" is on http://restorativetechnology.blogspot.com/p/1st-anniversary-pier-fire-public.html . One participant, Tony May, who writes for the "Hastings Town" magazine described the evening in 5 words as "relevant, important, challenging, enlightening & emotional".
The next day a letter from the Police HQ in Lewes was sent to thank those who arranged the evening for the “very apparent large amount of time and effort taken in planning & preparing for the meeting” and expressing the wish for more liaison over Restorative Justice and Community Resolutions.
On Monday 10th October the co-ordinator of the local Police Community Resolutions project, Elize Shult, visited the hastings & St Leonards Mediation Support & Action for Happiness office to investigate further the idea of joining the St Leonards Sharing Timebank, which is a way of swapping hours amongst a whole group of people so that skills are shared on an equal basis without money involved. "We all have skills to trade, and timebanks are an excellent way of accessing each others skills and building community", says Paul Crosland. "As an example of this, it was a priviledge to have the Centre for Peaceful Solutions run a training event here (that would have usually cost £6,000 or so) as a result of a group of people offering a few hours of their time & getting creative in making it happen."
What the police are looking for is support with Restorative Justice and they are offering engagement with a community project called "Soundspositive", which brings together those at risk of offending with police and police support staff in order to build a live show together to perform a night for family, friends and public. This was done last time at The Roomz, Western rd, St Leonards. Alison Cooper, Soundspositive co-ordinator, says of the last event: "It was challenging for most people in various ways but most incredible. The support and trust shown by everyone was heart warming."
"Putting hours of time into a timebank and having a timebank brokers support in finding creative ways to have your hours repaid is all wonderful stuff", says Paul Crosland. "However, we live in a monetary economy too and the progress of this work will be made much easier if as many readers as possible go on-line and vote for "St Leonards Sharing" to be awarded £6,000 from the NatWest bank in their CommunityForce Scheme.
It takes 4 minutes to support this work through registering, checking your email to confirm registration and then voting for the development of a "more caring & sharing Hastings & St leonards" to be funded for 12 months by the NatWest bank": The web address is: http://communityforce.natwest.com/project/5827 and more details, if you are too late to vote, you can still
Learn about the project there and VOLUNTEER (please). If volunteering doesn't work for you negotiate please to earn Timebank credits.
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And here's a background web-site I made earlier(2007 to be precise); the talk from Jonathon Porrit that this leads to is most timely. In these transition times the task is to unleash the great creative potential we have; potential to re-imagine community and then build a better & less-wasteful world: http://mediationsupport.info/horfield/index.html
