A New Year! 2014. What will Timebank Media do this year? Well, it is up to you, our community. The ebb and flow of life has seen some months go by without a Timebank Volunteer Committee meeting, so I would like to gather once again and bring together people for whom timebanking feels vital. Do you have ideas how we might utilize our timebank in a more efficient way? Do you have ideas about how timebanking might reach out to underserved communities? Do you have ideas or projects that might be a great fit for timebanking’s ethos? Do you like to write or blog, make videos or podcasts? Are you just interested in learning more? I would like to gather people for an hour on Friday night January 31st for a volunteer meeting from 6 pm – 7 pm. Bring your dinner if you wish. Right now I’m trying to see if the Parlor Room at the Community Center in Media is free that night, and afterward we are having a Transition Book Club meeting. More information can be found at that link or in the upcoming Transition Town Media newsletter, which you should be receiving every couple of weeks or so in your inbox. If you are interested in either of these gatherings, please contact me (Marie): [email protected], and let me know. Or just show up. I’m flexible.
Transition Town Media has been doing some great things this fall and has been very busy with events and gatherings for our membership. Hopefully you’ve been able to attend some of these offerings, and will continue to do so in 2014. We have a screening of the movie Gasland II at Media Friends School on January 24th, and then a Strategic Planning meeting on January 25th at Providence Friends Meeting. This all-day meeting is a time to gather people interested in Transition as well as Timebanking in our community, people who wish to offer their gifts and serve the mission of making our town more resilient and connecting a web of support undergirding the people, non-profits, and businesses that make our town so fantastic. If you want to know more about Transition and its mission, this wonderful film is a great introduction to many of the facets of the movement and its work.
Transition Town Media’s Steering Committee amended the by-laws of the organization this week to add a Timebank Coordinator (still volunteer) to the roster of officers of the non-profit. What does this mean? For me, it means that my attention can be solely focused on working on the Timebank, rather than being split between my duties of Timebanking and Transition, and honestly, both responsibilities suffering from the workload. It also means you’ll be seeing weekly newsletters, more Timebank-specific events, and outreach to members and volunteers as well as getting the Community Weaver catalog of offers and requests up-to-date. I welcome and all offers of help with the organization of running of the timebank (see above call for a volunteer meeting.)
Again, Happy New Year. Please make sure you connect this month with someone in the timebank by either posting a request for something you need or reaching out to some who has asked for help. Every act of service builds community, and that — truly – is the ultimate goal of the whole endeavor.
In gratitude,
Marie
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