Just in the nick of time, the area’s first “Time Bank” launches on Sunday. The Long Beach Time Exchange will host a kickoff at the 2nd City Council Art Gallery, 435 Alamitos Ave. in Long Beach from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Put simply, time banking is about spending an hour doing something for somebody in the community. Participants earn a time dollar, which they can then spend on having someone do something for them. In a time bank, community members help each other with myriad tasks: tutoring, running errands, childcare, massage, gardening, learning new skills and hobbies. It’s a simple idea, but it has powerful ripple effects in building community connections, say Time Bank advocates. Each time bank has a website where participants can list what they would like to do for other members.
“Time banking is a fun way to connect people,“ Nikole Cababa of the Long Beach Time Exchange Steering Committee said, adding, “and it can help provide a better safety net for members of our community who need assistance.”
Ryan Smolar, a Long Beach area web designer, and a member of the Long Beach Time Exchange Steering Committee, stated: “There’s something for everyone here. We encourage individuals and organizations alike to come learn about the opportunities, resources, and help a time bank will make available.”
According to TimeBanks USA, a national version of the group, the core values of time banking are: “We can all be valued contributors; Honor real work that is beyond price; Helping works better as a two-way street; Networks make individuals stronger; Respect demands accountability.”
Time Banking has roots extending back to the creation of “Time Dollars” in 1980 when Edgar S. Cahn, co-founder of the National Legal Services Program, thought up time dollars as a way to provide a solution to massive cuts in government spending on social welfare, according to TimeBanks USA.
The Long Beach Time Exchange is the latest in a network of time-bank communities that have been popping up all over the United States, and versions of the program are in 26 nations around the world, according to organizers. Other regional time banks include: Echo Park, West Los Angeles and Pasadena.
Attendees at Sunday’s even will be treated to food, comedy routines, live music, and information about time banking.