Time Banking in Reading: An Evaluation of Impacts and Outcomes.

Final Report

Oliver Stone Houghton and Dr Steve Musson

16th December 2014

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Department of Geography and Environmental Science

Executive Summary

1 This report summarises a research project carried out between July and September 2014. Circles Network, a charity that manages three time banks in Reading, commissioned The University of Reading to carry out this work.

2 The aims of the project were to analyse data on time bank members, to investigate what motivated people to join a time bank, and to examine to what extent members felt they had benefited from participating.

3 Time banking is particularly associated with Edgar Cahn, an American academic and activist who established the first time bank in the United States in 1986. Time banking first reached the United Kingdom in 1998 and, by 2014 there were around 250 active time banks in the UK. There are four time banks in Reading, three of which were set up by the local authority in 2013 and one which was set up by local residents, also in 2013. This study investigates all four Reading time banks.

4 We adopted a three-phase methodology: 1) a search of background data and information on time banking; 2) analysis of data on current members and their involvement in time banking; 3) more detailed interviews and questionnaires with a sub-group of more active members.

5 We found that the majority of time bank members were aged between 30-49 years old, with very few younger age groups participating. Members were more likely to work part time than the local population in general, although fewer retired people than we expected were members of a time bank.

6 Most people joined a time bank following a personal recommendation, either from a friend or someone else they met like a Time Bank Broker or community worker. Members particularly valued the social aspects of time banking, like attending meetings and making new friends.

7 A relatively small number of time bank members are regularly involved in making skills exchanges and, as a consequence, a small group of people and organisations tend to dominate time bank networks. A lack of knowledge about skills offered and wanted by other time bank members was the most frequently cited reason why participation wasn’t greater.

8 Time banking in Reading has achieved a great deal in a short space of time. Members get a great deal out of participating, by feeling more involved in their community and meeting new people. A number of members would like further opportunities to exchange skills through the time banks too.

9 Based on our research, we identify three future priorities for time banking in Reading: 1) communicate the skills that are offered and wanted more clearly, so that people have more opportunities to make exchanges; 2) try to establish a more visible presence in existing time bank bases like libraries and community centers, including regularly updated notice

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boards and displays; and 3) make better use of social media and other online forums to advertise offered and wanted skills and make it easier to respond to these.

Table of Contents

Executive Summary2

Table of Contents 31 Introduction 4

1.1 About This Report 41.2 What is Time Banking?41.3 How Does Time Banking Work? 51.4 Is Time Banking a Growing Movement? 6

2 Time Banking, Community Self-Help and Co-Production7

3 Time Banking in Reading 84 Methodology 8

4.1 Methodology Phase 1: Establishing the Background94.2 Methodology Phase 2: Analysing Member Data114.3 Methodology Phase 3: Interviews and Member Profiles14

5 Results145.1 Who are Members of the Reading Time Banks?155.2 Why and How do People Join Reading Time Banks?17

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5.3 How Active are Time Bank Members?22

6 Time Banking in Reading: Achievements and Priorities26

6.1 Achievements So Far266.2 Future Priorities 27

References 30Appendix 1 – Member Survey

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1 Introduction

1.1 About This Report

This report summarises the findings of a joint research project carried out by Circles Network and the University of Reading from July to September 2014. Circles Network runs four time banks in the Reading area and wanted to know more about the people that use time banks and what they get out of it. Circles Network had already collected data on its time banks, such as why people wanted to join the time bank, what they hope to get out of it and basic demographic information about them. Circles Network also had some data about how time banks are set up and the types of people they aim to appeal to. 

The aims of this project were:1) To evaluate existing data on members of time banks;

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2) To identify potential ways that time banking has affected the lives of participants;

3) To design and carry out a small research project that explores the impacts of time banks on users.

4) To produce a short report, setting out the findings of the research and present this to Circles Network.

The Student Intern on this project was Oliver Stone Houghton. Oliver designed a research methodology that met the project aims, carried out fieldwork and data analysis and wrote the final project report. Supervision and mentoring was provided by Angela Butcher (Circles Network) and Dr Steve Musson (Department of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Reading).

1.2 What is Time Banking?

The idea of time banking can trace its origins to the United States in the 1980’s, and is particularly associated with Edgar S Cahn, an eminent Professor of Law and former speech writer to Bobby Kennedy. Cahn felt time banking offered a potential solution to many issues, including social isolation, poor mental health and the breakdown of neighbourhood and community spirit. Simon (2011) argues that time banking has: “a key role to play in building more resilient and caring social networks”. The central concept of time banking is that individuals and organisations can exchange their own hours of time in return for another individual’s hours of time . The emphasis is on time as the ‘principal currency’. For every hour worked, a ‘time credit’ is received which can then be ‘banked’ for use when it is needed. The time of every participant is worth the same in these exchanges, irrespective of the complexity, skill or physical effort required to complete the task. Cahn’s own description highlights the focus on equality, “Help a neighbour and then, when you need it, a neighbour - most likely a different one - will help you. The system is based on equality: one hour of help means one time dollar, whether the task is grocery shopping or making out a tax return” (Boyle 2002).

The time banking structure allows the exchanges to take place between people that otherwise might not even associate with one another, despite the fact they may only be a few doors apart. The mechanism by which credits are managed

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varies from time bank to time bank. While some choose to physically represent the credits in a printed form, others record credits through an online system, where each member can visit a web page to manage their exchanges. There are also examples of time banks that do not record individual exchanges centrally at all. Irrespective of the recording system, it is fundamental that time is seen “as a unit of value” (Boyle, 1999). Although the careful recording of time credits and close management of exchanges is important, the Time Banking UK website states that “time banks are most sustainable when … artificial boundaries are withdrawn”. In this view, an effective time bank might be one that takes on momentum of its own, delivering benefits to the wider community rather than just counting up the number of hours worked. Simon (2011) uses the phrase “power with” to describe a situation whereby a community can take a hold of its own issues and deal with them head on. Each community can focus on its needs and wants and satisfy them with their own unique skill base and talents that every single person has to offer. As such, time banking can be understood partly as a form of recorded skills exchange and partly as a way of encouraging community empowerment and grassroots problem solving.

1.3 How Does Time Banking Work?

There at least two ways that time banks can come into existence. Some time banks are set up by a group of residents, often after hearing of the idea somewhere else and deciding they can see benefits for themselves. These time banks are often self-funding. The Oxford Road Time Bank in Reading, which will be discussed later in this report, was set-up in this way. Others are often set up by local and city councils or third sector organisations and are more likely to be directly funded for a period of time. The Southcote, Whitley Wood and Katesgrove Time Banks discussed later fit into this type. There is often very little knowledge of time banking amongst the local population when they are introduced into an area. The first aim of a time bank is therefore recruitment of new members. In some respects, however, it is more difficult to get members to take an active part in the time bank, by earning and spending credit. For the time bank model to work successfully, there needs to be a core of active members who make the time bank function effectively. Furthermore, some members will also need to play a role in promoting, organising and facilitating the activities of the time bank, if it is not to be entirely dependent on the small

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number of people who first set it up. We summarise our understanding of how a time bank works in Figure 5 below.

Beyond this model of participation, there are at least two ways that a time bank could function on a day-to-day basis. The first is a member-to-member exchange set-up; the ‘traditional model’. In this model, communities embrace the bottom-up, ‘self-help’ ethos of time banking by establishing the time bank expanding membership through their own social networks within their communities. Naughton-Doe (2011) identifies several problems with the member-to-member model, suggesting that these time banks often lack the financial or human resources to grow effectively, especially if the membership includes a large number of socially excluded or vulnerable people. A second model is the member-to-agency exchange. The idea here is to make use of already existing groups and organisations and encourage them participate in time banking as a way of promoting wider participation and exchange. In this model, members might earn time credit by carrying out tasks for organisations in their time banks, as well as community benefit activities like litter picking (Naughton-Doe, 2011). These credits can be spent on the services of these organisations. For example youth clubs were encouraged to charge time credits for their trips instead of offering them for free, because this would encourage exchanges. In a way, organisations like youth clubs can act as a catalyst for the wider development of the time bank, because they provide a way for large numbers of people to earn credits that could then be spent on other services. We are also aware that a time bank might, in practice, be a ‘hybrid’ version of these two models. Some participation might be on a member-to-member basis, while there may also be elements of member-to-agency exchange.

1.4 Is Time Banking a Growing Movement?

Although the origins of time banking were in the United States the concept has travelled internationally and, by 2014, there are time banks in over 30 countries and on six continents. The United States has the largest number of time banks, with over 300 in 40 states by 2011 (Goff, 2011). The first time bank in the UK was in Gloucestershire in 1998, growing to fifteen in 2001 and twenty-nine by 2002, at which point the cumulative total amount of time exchanged in the UK was 51,000 hours (Seyfang, 2004). In the United Kingdom, the majority of time

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banks are under or around a year old and have fewer than 50 members (Time Banking UK, 2014). While time banks with low membership numbers might not be self-sustaining initially, a time bank often takes around five years to reach 200/250 members in a small community (Time Banking UK, 2014). As such, time banking appears to be a growing movement, but the reported numbers of time banks in existence at any one time cannot be taken to imply large, fully functioning and self-sustaining organisations.

2 Time Banking, Community Self-Help and Co-Production

The academic literature on time banking is vast, though not all papers report on successful time bank initiatives from around the world. The origins of time banking can be traced to Edgar Cahn’s Time Dollar initiative in the USA. Following on from here several routes have been taken by various time banks, using different models and with differing ultimate aims. Boyle (2001) claims that everyone have something to offer, whatever their age, class, race, fragility or situation; but that also everyone can benefit from receiving some help. Folbre (2001) estimates around “40% of economic activity takes place in the core economy and is not reflected in the GDP” in the USA. Research on the Rushey Green Time Bank in South London looked at the effects on disabled people and how time banking can be empowering and motivating, suggesting that the question is not “what do I need?” but “what have I to offer” (Mourie, 2010). Garcia (2002) says that at least 70% of people with health issues found that they’re problems decreased after six months of being involved with time banking. Furthermore, Mourie (2010) discusses how a person’s confidence can grow through discovering new skills as well as discovering what they can offer. In addition Mourie (2010) states that time banking can help incentivise people to be more pro-active in finding employment. Seyfangs (2004) discusses the Gorbals Time Bank in Glasgow, Scotland and identifies two factors behind a successful time bank. First, a time bank needs to run as part of an existing community organisation, because this helps promote the time bank to local people and enables a better knowledge of local people and practices. Second, paid co-ordinator support is essential, because it allows face-to-face contact with members and regular, personal updates. Similarly, a time bank base or drop-in centre is also an important part of ongoing communication with members.

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Seyfangs (ibid.) also emphasised the importance of long-term funding to realise these aims.

3 Time Banking in Reading

The first time banks were set up in Reading in 2013, in the Katesgrove, Southcote and Whitley Wood wards. The local authority, Reading Borough Council, established the time banks in areas where there was a perceived demand in the local community for the kinds of social benefits time banks can offer. The three original locations were also selected because the socio-economic and environmental character of each ward was distinctively different, so it would be possible to compare the effectiveness of each time bank. Each time bank was provided with funding for two years and set targets, in terms of the number of members and the amount of credits they earned, for this funding to continue beyond 2015. A fourth time bank, in Oxford Road, was established later in 2013. Oxford Road Time Bank has a different history. Parents from local primary schools in the Oxford Road area, who had heard of time banking elsewhere in Reading, decided they also wanted one in their community. While the Katesgrove, Southcode and Whitley Wood Time Banks were set up with direct local authority support, the Oxford Road time bank organisers had to make their own, independent bid for funding to the local authority.4 Methodology

This project adopted a three-phase methodology, where each part of the research framed and informed later developments. Phase 1 was a desk-based background study of time banking across the world, including its introduction in the United Kingdom. We paid particular attention to examples of successful time banks and existing analysis of their performance. We also visited each of the four Reading time bank sites and carried out background research on the local area using Census data. In Phase 2, we analysed data on time bank members and the exchanges they made. This included mapping home locations of members and analysing the network of relationships that each contained. One way of understanding a time bank is as a controlled, purpose specific social network where interactions between members are logged and valued. Our research sought to assess the extent of these relationships in different Reading time banks. Phase 3 of the research presented a more detailed analysis of members’

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motivations for joining the time bank and the opinions and attitudes of key individuals like time bank brokers. This part of the research employed both qualitative and quantitative research methods.

4.1 Methodology Phase 1: Establishing the Background

In this phase, we began by collecting academic journal articles, research papers, newspaper articles, reports and proposals to create a detailed picture of time banking, past, present and future. A series of site visits, to the Reading time bank areas, was then carried out. This took the form of a neighbourhood walk around, following familiarisation using Census data. The main focus was on locating the base for the time bank and assessing its accessibility for members of the public. An assessment was also made of the level of other community activities and the visibility of the time bank in the local community, by looking at notice boards and other local information points. Figures 2 to 4 show the main meeting point for each Reading time bank, along with a brief description of the site.

Figure 1: Katesgrove Time Bank Meeting Point.

The Katesgrove Time Bank meets in a local children’s centre, which is located just off a main road in a residential area. Car parking is available. Because this meeting point doubles as a children’s day centre, security is quite strict. For example, visitors need to be admitted via video intercom and sign in on arrival.

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Figure 2: Southcote Time Bank Meeting Point. The Southcote Time Bank meets in the local library, located on a large central green on a housing estate. Other community facilities like the children’s centre, community centre and local authority neighbourhood office are located close by. This time bank has a large, highly visible notice board in the library, although this doesn’t seem to be used extensively.

Figure 3: Oxford Road Time Bank Meeting Point.

The Oxford Road Time Bank meets in the local library, which is located on the busy main road in the middle of the residential area. Table space for weekly meetings is made available. There is also a large function space, which can be booked out for periodic events and larger meetings.

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Figure 4: Whitley Wood Advice Shop.

The Whitley Wood Time Bank meets at a local community centre. We failed to locate this on our site visit, despite asking local people and spending more than thirty minutes looking. Whitley Wood is a very large, dispersed estate with no obvious central meeting place. However, we did locate the local authority neighbourhood office, which advertised the time bank. This office has very limited opening hours and was closed when we visited, on Tuesday lunchtime.

4.2 Methodology Phase 2: Analysing Member Data

The second phase of the research involved analysing data on time bank members, made available by Circles Network. Maps of the time banks were created using an online mapping service ‘ZeeMaps’. These maps show where each member lives and the relationship to the formal boundary areas of each time bank. The Oxford Road Time Bank had the largest number of members (59 in total), followed by Southcote (30 members), Katesgrove (20 members) and Whitley Wood (9 members). The location data was taken from the Circles Network membership database, using the home postcode each time bank member gave when they registered. The maps are presented in Figures 6 to 9 below. This tells us who has registered for each time bank and where they live, but says nothing about how active they are within the time bank. In our conceptual model in Figure 5, we see progressing from joining the time bank to becoming a more active member as being important. While this model does not

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imply that one form of time bank participation is necessarily better than another, nor that members will always move from one form of membership to another in a linear fashion, we think it important to the effective functioning of the time bank that some members move through different levels of the model. For example, if too few members move from Level 1 to Level 2, the time bank will never function effectively, while if too few move from Level 2 to Level 3, the time bank will remain focused around one or two key actors in the network.

Figure 5: Conceptual Model of Different Types of Time Bank Participation

To help us to assess patterns of membership and exchange, we obtained data on the number, frequency and length of exchanges between members of each time bank. This was analysed using social network analysis software (SocnetV) to visualise the connections made between people in the time bank. Our method was to understand each time bank as a network, in which individual members

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Level 3: Participant - to - participant exchange made, independent of

organisational members

Level 2: Participants make an exchange, most often with an organisational member of the

Time Bank e.g. a community centre or school

Level 1: Participants sign up to the Time Bank, but aren't necessarily active

Level 4: Participant takes ownership of the time bank, by helping with organisation and

even becoming a broker

Many members at Level 1

Few members at Level 4

Decreasing number of members at Levels 2 and 3

could establish links to one another by making time exchanges. The more vibrant the time bank, the greater the number of links that would be made This method also allows us to identity key actors within the network, and evaluate the extent to which a small group of actors dominate. Because Circles Network was in the process of migrating between two databases, it was sometimes difficult to get directly comparable data on all time banks. As a consequence, some analytical categories like ‘age’ are very broad to ensure direct comparability.

Figure 6: Map of Katesgrove Time Bank Area and Member Locations

Figure 7: Map of Southcote Time Bank Area and Member Locations

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Figure 8: Map of Oxford Road Time Bank Area and Member Locations

Figure 9: Map of Whitley Wood Time Bank Area and Member Locations

4.3 Methodology Phase 3: Interviews and Member Profiles

To explore some of the qualitative questions around people’s motivations for time banking and what members got out of their participation, a short, online survey was developed. This survey was promoted to time bank members on Facebook and by email and twenty-five responses were received across the four time banks. The full questionnaire document is included in Appendix 1. In addition, a series of one-to-one interviews were conducted with several Oxford Road and Katesgrove members. We also sought interviews with members of Southcote and Whitley Wood Time Banks, but it was not possible to recruit interview participants in the timescale of this project. This data was then used to profile ‘typical’ time bank members and report on their comments and feedback.

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5 Results

In this section, we present the results of all three phases of research. These are organised thematically around the overall aims of this project, which were to investigate the characteristics of existing members of the time banks and to evaluate the impacts of being a time bank member. First, we consider the socio-demographic characteristics of time bank members, using the membership database and our own survey data. Second, we ask how and why people join time banks in Reading. Here, alongside our survey data, we use qualitative interview data to tell the stories behind some individual members. Third, we consider the activity levels of time bank members, in the light of our conceptual model in Figure 5 above.

5.1 Who are Members of the Reading Time Banks?

We asked members of all four Reading time banks about themselves and their motivations for joining the time banks using an online survey. In total, we received 25 responses. Although this only represents a minority of registered members, it compares favourably with the number of active members in each time bank (see Figure 21 below). Over half of all respondents were members of Oxford Road Time Bank, while no members of Whitley Wood Time Bank responded to our survey requests (Figure 10). This is broadly in line with our expectations, given the number of active members in each time bank (see Figures 8 and 9 above).

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Katesgrove

Oxford Road

Southcote

Whitley Wood

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

Figure 10: Responses by Time Bank

Figure 11 shows the age ranges of those responding to our survey. Although there are no formal age limits on who can be a member of the time banks, in practice all members are over the age of 18 and our survey responses are consistent with this. Almost 2 in 3 respondents were aged 30-49, which may reflect the online survey methodology used to collect this data. Because older people are less likely to use the Internet, we expect them to be underrepresented in this research. However, Figure 12 shows the age ranges of all members of the Reading time banks in September 2014, irrespective of whether they answered our survey or not. We note two things. Firstly, our survey respondents are broadly representative of all time bank members in this respect. Secondly, the Oxford Road Time Bank is more homogenous in terms of the age of members than the other three Reading time banks. Almost 75% of Oxford Road Time Bank members are aged between 30-49 years old, compared to fewer than 50% in the other time banks. This may be a function of the ways that different time banks recruit members. Oxford Road relies more heavily on word of mouth and recruitment of friends and acquaintances than the other time banks. Under these circumstances, it is more likely that people will recruit new members who are similar to themselves in terms of age and other personal characteristics.

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Under 18

18-29

30-49

50-65

Over 65

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%

Figure 11: Age ranges of Survey Respondents

Oxford Road Others0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

50 plus30 - 4918 - 29

Figure 12: Comparison of Ages of Time Bank Members in 2014

Figures 13 and 14 add further detail about the socio-economic status of survey respondents. It compares survey respondents to the populations of the wards in which the time banks are located, using data from the 2011 Census. Figure 13 shows time bank members are much more likely to be employed part time than the population as a whole and much less likely to be unemployed. It also shows that retired people are under-represented in Reading time banks. Response numbers are too small to break this analysis down by individual time bank. Figure 14 shows the housing tenure of survey respondents is broadly similar to

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the overall population of the wards in which time banks are located. While in some respects time bank members are similar to the overall population, the age and employment status of those who are actively involved are dissimilar, with a greater proportion of middle-aged and part-time employed people participating.

Figure 13: Employment Status

Survey Respondents

Census 2011*

Housing Status No. Percent PercentFull-Time Employed / Self Employed 8 32% 47%Part-Time Employed / Self Employed 10 40% 13%In full-time education 1 4% 4%Retired 1 4% 7%Unemployed 1 4% 6%Other** 4 16% 23%* Source ONS Census 2011, accessed through Nomis on 10th December 2014 **All four ‘Other’ gave responses relating to long-term disability or ill health.

Figure 14: Housing Status

Survey Respondents

Census 2011*

Housing Status No. Percent PercentOwned / Mortgaged 18 72% 46%My home is part owned and part rented 0 0% 3%My home is rented from a private landlord

4 16%28%

My home is rented from a social landlord 3 12% 22%I live rent free (live with a family member/friend)

0 0%1%

*Source ONS Census 2011, accessed through Nomis on 10th December 2014

5.2 Why and How do People Join Reading Time Banks?

We sought to understand why and how people joined Reading time banks through an online survey and interviews with time bank members. This included

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asking how people found out about the time bank, the extent to which they were involved (in the context of our conceptual model in Figure 5) and their reasons for joining. This quantitative data is presented in Figures 15 to 17. We also found out more about the personal backgrounds of several members, including their individual motivations for joining. These qualitative data are presented in a series of ‘member profiles’ below.

Figure 15: Methods of Hearing About Time Bank

Reason for Joining No.Percentage

Referral by a friend 10 40%Referral by a Time Bank Broker 7 28%Media (Newspaper/Radio/TV) 2 8%Flyer/Poster 0 0%Other (please specify a reason) 6 24%

Figure 15 shows personal referrals are a particularly important way of promoting time banks in Reading. Of the six that chose ‘Other’, four said that they heard of their time bank through their local library, another was involved with the setting up the time bank and the other heard of the time bank through other community groups in which people were already involved. Around 90% of respondents to our survey had first heard of a time bank from a friend, Time Bank Broker, local library or community group. Advertising, including flyer delivery through doors, appears much less effective.

We also sought to discover how active time tank members were and how often they engaged in different levels of activity. Figure 16 shows that half of the respondents to our survey checked online weekly for information updates on the time bank, including finding out about potential exchanges being offered, but far fewer actually made exchanges on a regular basis. Even so, no respondents told us they had never wanted to make an exchange. It appears that, while those responding to our survey were engaged with their time bank, they were not very making regular use of it for the purpose of seeking out and making exchanges. We note that the people who responded to our survey are those who read emails and use Facebook sites relating to their time bank, so are likely to me amongst

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the most engaged and active time bank members. As such, Figure 16 may overstate activity levels amongst time bank members as a whole.

Figure 16: Interest Levels of Members

Make an Exchange

Want to Make an Exchange

Attend Social Events

Check Whats Going On

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

Never Yearly Quarterly Monthly Weekly

Figure 17: Reasons for Joining the Time Bank

Reason for Joining No. Percentage

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To make new friends 8 32%To get to know your neighbourhood better 9 36%To learn a new skill 5 20%To share your skills 9 36%To receive help for things you are unable to do 6 24%To get more involved in your community 18 72%A family member/friend thought I would benefit from joining

1 4%

Other (please specify a reason) 2 8%

We also asked people why they joined their time bank and what their original expectations were. Respondents to our survey could choose multiple answers to this question. As Figure 17 shows, community involvement, including making new friends and meeting neighbours, were powerful motivations for joining a time bank. For example, 72% of respondents told us they joined to become more involved in their community. The functional aspects of time banking, for example learning and sharing skills or getting tasks done, were also seen to be important, although less so than community engagement. We think this is a significant finding. The time banking movement is premised on the idea that thinks like social exclusion and community fragmentation can be addressed by setting up a time bank and that functional aspects of the time bank are secondary to this. Figure 17 suggests that respondents to our survey share this view of the purpose of joining a time bank.

We also asked time bank members about their story, especially focusing on how they came to join a time bank and what they felt they got out of their membership. Many of the people we spoke to were not, in a formal sense, active members of a time bank. For example, relatively few of the people we spoke to regularly made exchanges or earned and spent time credits. However, the member profiles in Figures 18 and 19 show how valuable time banking was to these people and how much they got out of attending social events. The person in Profile A told us they were not a particularly active member of their time bank, but still felt very positive about their involvement. Several other people, for example Profiles C, D and E, mentioned attending social events at the time bank. This social function, where time bank members might see their involvement as another type of community group participation rather than a functional exchange

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of skills, was important to several people. We also note that at least two people we spoke to, Profiles B and F, used the time bank purely to exchange skills, but that this type of user was in the minority in our study.

Figure 18: Member Profiles: Katesgrove Time Bank

Figure 19: Member Profiles: Oxford Road Time Bank

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Profile A: Joined the Katesgrove time bank in the early stages, but wasn’t hugely pro-active in completing any exchanges as they wanted to watch how things worked. The still haven’t made an exchange but would very much like to soon as they really like the idea of time banking which was why they joined in the first place. Their husband is soon to be signing-up who has a couple of ideas for exchanges.

Profile B: Previously being part of another successful Time Bank, they wanted to join a time bank when they moved to Reading 5 years ago. When the Reading time banks were set-up, they heard about the Katesgrove one though Cathy, the co-coordinator, through a personal connection. They have done some baby-sitting for time credits and will be asking someone to take some rubbish to the tip.

Profile C: Whilst at the weekly ‘Knit and Natter’ group they joined the time bank and completed a few exchanges including face-painting for the time bank and is now an important member of Katesgrove time bank. As they have been hugely involved with many various community projects, they are putting together some new ways of getting the time bank to new levels. They have also got their husband to join up.

Profile D: Joined the time bank a few months previous and has made a couple of small exchanges. They feel that the communication needs to be improved as they don’t know what’s on offer or how to let people know what they have to offer, so no more exchanges have been made recently. They also regularly attend the ‘Knit and Natter’ group.

These findings are further confirmed in Figure 20 (below), where we asked respondents which outcomes they felt they had got from time bank membership. Over 80% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed they felt more involved in their community, while almost 80% of respondents felt they had made new friends. However, fewer people identified with non-community outcomes. In particular, fewer than 1 in 3 respondents felt they had gained a new skill.

Figure 20: Perceived Outcomes of Time Bank membership

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Profile E: Joining the Oxford Road time bank around a year ago and a lifelong resident of the Reading area, they have not yet made any exchanges due to being involved in several other community projects they just don’t have the time at present to get further involved with time banking. They would however love to get more involved when they have more free time. They regularly attend events at the Oxford Road Library and through this they have met a whole host of people.

Profile F: Recent joiner, after hearing of the time bank from friends joined as they liked the sound of what the time bank stood for. After completing a couple of exchanges, they are saving any credits earned from some help with some decorating work. Their son is also a member, although he hasn’t completed any exchanges as of yet.

Profile G: Moved to Reading recently and discovered the time bank through the Oxford Road library staff promoting it. They have done some gardening for a member at various times. They are soon moving to the Whitley Wood area and so hopes to join the time bank there after completing some more exchanges. They have loved meeting lots of new people through the time bank.

Made All the Exchanges You Planned To

Made New Friends

Learnt a New Skill

Shared a Skill

Felt Happier and/or Healthier

Felt More Involved in the Community

Got involved in running the Time Bank

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%

Strongly Disagree Disagree Neither Agree Nor DisagreeAgree Strongly Agree

5.3 How Active are Time Bank Members?

The final aspect of time banking we wanted to investigate in our study was how active members were. In Figure 5, we imagined a possible progression through different levels of time bank membership, from initial sign-up to playing an organising role. Profile C (above) is a person who has followed this path, from joining the Katesgrove Time Bank to acting as a coordinator. We asked other time bank members about their levels of activity and the reasons that prevented them from becoming more closely involved. We used data on actual exchanges between members to analyse activity levels. Figure 21 (below) summarises our findings. It shows the majority of time bank members are inactive, having signed

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up without making an exchange. Organisational members of the time bank like schools and community groups are particularly important, especially because a large number of individual members carry out tasks for organisations. The group of members who make peer-to-peer exchanges is quite small, especially in the Whitley Wood Time Bank, which has the smallest proportion of active members.

Figure 21: Activity Level of Time Bank Members

Activity Level Oxford Road Time BankKatesgrove, Southcote and Whitley Wood Time Banks

Active Members making peer-to-peer exchanges

20 10

Active Members only making exchanges with organisations

16 28

Active Members (made at least one exchange)

36 38

Registered Members 59 67

Another way of thinking about a time bank is as a form of social network, in which the individuals involved are linked together through the exchanges they make. We hypothesise that the greater the number of exchanges made between two members, the stronger the relationship between them will be. Using member exchange data from different Reading time banks, we were able to graph such relationships between individual members, identify key members and particularly strong relationships, and assess overall levels of recorded activity. Figures 22 and 23 show the network of active members in the Oxford Road Time Bank and the other three smaller Reading time banks, Katesgrove, Southcote and Whitley Wood, combined. We distinguish between individual members and organisational members and denote the number of exchanges between members by the thickness of connecting lines.

Figures 22 and 23 show both networks have a similar number of active members (as already shown in Figure 21 above) but that the role played by the Time Bank Brokers is markedly different. In the Oxford Road Time Bank network, the network is more pluralistic, being less dominated by one or two key actors. In

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contrast, Figure 23 shows the other time banks to be heavily dominated by the Time Banks Broker and another organisational member. We will return to the significance of these network patterns below.

Figure 22: Network Map of Oxford Road Time Bank

Key:

Oxford Road Time Bank

Katesgrove Time Bank

Battle Library

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Other Participant

One exchange

Five exchanges

Ten exchanges

Figure 23: Network Map of Katesgrove, Southcote and Whitley Wood Time Banks

Key:

Reading Time Banks

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Christian Community Action Ministries

Other Participants

One exchange

Ten exchanges

Thirty exchanges

6 Time Banking in Reading: Achievements and Priorities

All four Reading time banks have made substantial contributions to their local communities and the everyday lives of participants. Using data from our qualitative interviews and comments from open-ended questions on our survey, we highlight these achievements here. Based on our research and feedback from time bank members, we also identify priorities for future development.

6.1 Achievements So Far

Time banking in Reading has achieved a great deal in a short space of time. Members are extremely positive about their experiences and it is clear from the survey and interview data we produced that this is an initiative that is making a difference. Many members told us about the difference the time banks had made to their social lives and the extent to which they felt involved in the local community. For example, one member of the Katesgrove Time Bank told us:

“I require very little help from the Timebank but most positively is to see how it has benefit parts of my community and to know that it can make a difference. I have also made some very dear new friends that I hope will be lifelong.”

Similarly, a member of Oxford Road Time Bank told us:

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“Great for community cohesion and feeling in touch with your community. Important touch point for isolated community members”.

The social aspects of time banking appear to be particularly valuable. One of the main achievements of the Oxford Road and Katesgrove Time Banks is the activities they organise for members alongside the skills exchange functions. For example, a member of the Katesgrove Time Bank told us:

“Meeting people has been great. I like getting out of the house and feeling useful. The timebank socials are good. I feel more motivated to get my mates to join and grow it. I also feel generally more motivated to do stuff in the community where I live just from meeting other people who live near me. It's a really cool thing”.

In our study, we initially undervalued the social aspects of the Reading time banks, focusing instead on the more obvious functions, evidenced through the number of exchanges made between members, the range of services offered, the extent to which the membership base of the time bank was expanding and the like. However, our qualitative research shows a less immediately obvious, but nevertheless important, set of achievements around setting up social activities and offering opportunities to meet new people at organised events. It is clear that much of this activity is not captured in our maps of social networks, which only value ‘official’ registered exchanges between members. However, this work is underpinned by a range of less easily quantifiable, but nevertheless valuable, work in local communities across Reading.

Time banking in Reading has also allowed some people to share skills through the formal exchange system. These are important, especially to the people that benefited directly from being a member of the time bank. One Katesgrove Time Bank member told us:

“They helped me fill in a form and get a fuse fixed”

However, the most valued achievements appear to be around the social elements of time banking. For example, one Oxford Road Time Bank member told us:

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“Other than at TB events, I've only helped out on one "exchange"; helping to clear a garden with 2 other Timebankers. It was clear that spending a small amount of time and effort can actually make a big difference. Added to that, it was fun, good exercise and I felt good about what I'd helped to achieve”.

6.2 Future Priorities

Notwithstanding the achievements of time banks in Reading, our study has identified several future priorities. Some of these are based on suggestions for improvements that come directly from members, while others are based on our own analysis of data from the three phases of our research project.

Members of the time banks felt they would like more information the kinds of skills that were being offered and how exchanges could be arranged. Marketing and getting new members to join the time bank were also seen to be important, although we note that most time bank members joined through word-of-mouth recommendation. For example, one member of Southcote Time Bank told us:

“It could be clearer what's going on, how to get involved, where, who, when etc. Marketing is tough, I know, but it really isn't well advertised. I struggle to find time as well, so more frequent, short and varied events would help”.

Another Katesgrove Time Bank member told us the mechanism by which skills exchanges were arranged could work more effectively, with a clearer system of advertising what was needed by existing members:

“Maybe when someone needs something doing there being some way of letting people know/ Just because obviously the time broker knows our skills and stuff but I'm sure there's bits and bobs I could do that I wouldn't have thought to put on my form. Also so I can badger mates into joining if I see a job I know they could do and would be willing to. I think maybe it's easier to get people to join when I can point to something immediate? When trying to get my housemate to join it's dragged on because he will join, just there's no reason for him to actually get on and do it now”.

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Several other time bank members thought that knowing more about the skills that were offered and required would make a difference. As such, while many members valued the existing community and social aspects of the time banks, when asked how they would like to see things improved most talked about functional aspects like skills exchanges and communications.

Based on this evidence, and drawing on our observations at different time banks in Reading, we think that establishing a more visible and permanent system for advertising the time banks, including the skills that are offered and required, is highly desirable. Oxford Road Time Bank has an easily accessible base in Battle Library and makes good use of social media through a well-used Facebook site and Twitter account. We think it is no coincidence that this is the most vibrant of Reading’s time banks. By comparison, the Katesgrove, Southcote and Whitley Wood Time Banks are less visible. Katesgrove and Whitley Wood Time Bank’s buildings are not easily accessible, while Southcote has access to a noticeboard and meeting space at the local library but does not advertise itself well at this location. The noticeboard is largely unused and there is little information about how to join the time bank.

We also think that it should be a priority to increase the skills exchange functions of the Reading time banks, especially in Katesgrove, Southcote and Whitley Wood. Our network analysis of these time banks shows they are very heavily dominated by a small number of individuals and organisations. We think it would be good to increase the number of individuals who are making peer-to-peer exchanges. While we recognise this is not easy to achieve, we think that advertising the skills offered and wanted by individual members would help. At present, organisational members including Reading time banks and its Brokers, play a very large role. While this has achieved good results in terms of social events and community engagement, we do not think these activities are underpinned by a high level of skills exchange activity. We think that better use of the web could enable a greater number of peer-to-peer exchanges. For example, the reuse and recycling website Freecycle allows members to offer and take second hand goods quickly and easily. Figure 24 is a screenshot from Reading Freecycle, which averages around 20-30 new posts per day. We understand this might be more difficult to control and regulate than existing mechanisms for exchange, but it would have the advantage of allowing people to

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see and respond to offers and needs more quickly. At present, there are some ‘typical’ requests for skills on the Reading time banking website, but we think these need to be real requests and offers made by actual members. Library notice boards, where members could pin ‘wanted’ and ‘offered’ cards for other local people to see, would be another less technologically intensive way of doing this.

Figure 24: Screen Shot from Reading Freecycle

Finally, based on our analysis of the ways people find out about and join time banks, we think the best way to recruit new members is to focus on personal contacts and on the stories people tell about what they get out of membership. At present, publicity material focuses on the functional aspects of time banking, with an emphasis on skills exchange. We think there may be value in emphasising the community and social aspects of time banking, and the personal experiences of existing members. This seems to be what drew existing members into time banking in Reading.

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References

Boyle, D (2001): Time Banks - A Radical Manifesto for the UK. URL [http://www.david-boyle.co.uk/funnymoney/timebanksmanifesto.html] accessed: 23/09/14

Boyle, D (2002): Involving older people through time banks. Working with Older People 6.2, 9-11

Folbre, N (2001): The Invisible Heart: Economics and Family Values. New York: The New Press

Garcia, I (2002): Keeping the GP away. New Economics Foundation Briefing Paper. URL [http://timebanks.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/KeepingtheGPAway.pdf] accessed 10th December 2014

Goff, C (2011): About Time: Interview with Edgar Cahn. New Start, November 2011, Centre for Local Economic Strategy. URL [http://www.cles.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/NS494nov11p18-19.pdf] accessed 10th December 2014

Mourie, R (2010): In what ways do Timebanks Enhance Inclusion of People with Disabilities into the Community? Unpublished MPhil Thesis, Massey University

Naughton-Doe, R. (2011). Time Banking in Social Housing: A Toolkit for Co-production in Public Services. International Journal of Community Currency Research 15 (D), 73-76

Seyfang, G. (2004): Time banks: rewarding community self-help in the inner city? Community Development Journal 39.1, 62-71

Simon, M (2011): Time Banking: Your Money or Your Life – or Both? Presentation at the Royal Society of Arts, 10th March 2011. URL [http://www.thersa.org/events/audio-and-past-events/2011/timebanking-your-money-or-your-life-or-both] accessed 10th December 2014

Time Banking UK (2014): What is Time Banking? URL [http://www.timebanking.org/about/] accessed 10th December 2014

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Appendix 1 – Member Survey

Thank you for doing this short survey. It will only take a few minutes.

The survey asks about Time Banks. It doesn't matter if you take part often or hardly ever - we still want to hear your opinions.

We don't need to know your name and everything you write will be stored securely by us. We won't tell anyone who took part in the survey.

If you don't want to answer a question, just miss it out. If you decide you don't want to take part after you have finished, send an email to s.musson@reading.ac.uk or telephone Steve Musson on 0118 378 7753 and we will delete your answers.

This survey is being run by the University of Reading on behalf of the Time Banks in Reading. It has been approved on behalf of the University of Reading Research Ethics Committee.

1. Which Time Bank do you belong to? 2. Age Range

Under 18

18-29

30-49

50-65

Over 65

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3. Housing Status

I own my home outright.

I have a mortgage for my home.

My home is part owned and part rented (shared ownership).

My home is rented from a private landlord.

My home is rented from a social landlord.

I live rent free (live with a family member/friend)

Other (please specify)

4. Employment Status

Full-Time Employed

Full-Time Self-Employed

Part-Time Employed

Part-Time Self-Employed

In full-time education

Retired

Unemployed

Other (please specify)

5. Please select your reasons for joining your Time Bank (select all that apply).

To make new friends

To get to know your neighbourhood better.

To learn a new skill.

To share your skills.

To receive help for things you are unable to do.

To get more involved in your community.

A family member/friend thought I would benefit from joining.

Other (please specify a reason)

6. How did you learn of Time Banking?

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Referral by a friend

Referral by a Time Bank Co-ordinator

Media (Newspaper/Radio/TV)

Flyer/Poster

Other (please specify a reason)

7. How often do you...

  Weekly Monthly Quarterly Yearly Never make an exchange? want to make an exchange? attend social events check to see what’s going on

8. Since joining your Time Bank, have you...

  Strongly Agree

Agree Neither Agree Nor Disagree

Disagree Strongly Disagree

made all the exchanges you had planned to when you signed-up? made new friends within your Time Bank? learnt a new skill from another member? shared a skill with another

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  Strongly Agree

Agree Neither Agree Nor Disagree

Disagree Strongly Disagree

member? felt happier and/or healthier? felt more involved in your local community? got involved with the running of your Time Bank?

9. Please share any positives about your Time Bank experience.

10. Please share anything regarding where you feel your Time Bank could improve.

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