December, 2013:

BACE monthly planning meetings are now on the first Wednesday of the month. For Wednesday December 4th, we’re at Sudo Room in downtown Oakland, a few blocks from 19th St BART. Meetings are now only ONE hour, with ½ hour break-out groups afterwards for volunteer tasks. Time: 8:00 – 9:30 PM
, Address: 2141 Broadway, Oakland (entrance on 22nd; please see directions). This month’s agenda is here.

Many have asked if there is a way to participate in BACE monthly, face-to-face, outside of our planning meetings. In the do-ocratic spirit of grassroots economics, let’s get it going!

Inspired by Arroyo S.E.C.O. Network of Time Banks, and also by successes with our own “POSSE Parties,” we thought that monthly potlucks, rotating through Bay Area neighborhoods, would be something to get off the ground. So now all we need are some people who would like to help make this happen. Do you want to be involved with the more “non-technical” aspects of BACE organizing? Is there a community space in your area that you think would be good—a library, center, office, park, or maybe even a home? Do you want to be part of the strengthening of BACE?

When we interact face-to-face as groups it really shapes what this project is supposed to be all about. Experience has shown that it’s essential to share space with each other in order to really build trust, and to build a movement that challenges capitalist values.

So let’s get it started! Eating, drinking, listening to music, offering skillshares, and sharing ideas on how to use the time bank and how to make it better…. Sounds fun already! If you’re interested, call Amber at 415 699 7011 or email support@bace.org.

Coming up December 8th is the Get Local Holiday Bazaar. It will be at Cloud 9 at 1320 9th St in Berkeley, from 3 PM to midnight. Local currency project Bay Bucks is co-presenting, and they offered two Time Bank users space at the Bazaar to vend their goods. (Thanks, Bay Bucks!)

Diana will accept money or BACE hours for her handmade vegan hemp edibles and wearables, under the brand Peacecock, featuring her original designs.

Katrina will be selling herbal cordials and teas that come in pocket size containers. More info is on her website. She will accept BACE hours for palm reading or tarot.

For those of you looking to bring local community-building into your holidays, this will be a great event. Shove off, Black Friday!

We were blown away by the response to last month’s “Daylight Savings Survey.” There were 90 + respondents who received an “extra hour” of BACE credit for answering these three questions:

1. What has been your favorite experience on a timebank exchange, or what is your favorite feature on the website?
2. What has been your least favorite experience using the timebank, or something you don’t like/something missing from the website?
3. What do you hope to do with your timebank hour(s)?

The survey is closed, but about half of those who replied agreed to have their answers listed publicly. The results are very heartening and eye-opening—check them out! Here is a link to the collected answers. (Spreadsheet nerds, dig in!)

For the blog’s relaunch, we will be highlighting some of the stories shared through this survey.

All in all it was a very helpful and insightful experiment, and we are tremendously grateful to everyone who participated. It is valuable feedback that can help us make BACE better, together!