TimeBank Summary – Social Innovation Impact.
What is TimeBank Ireland?
TimeBank Ireland is a voluntary organisation based in West Cork Ireland and was set up in 2015. The TimeBank initiative is a community programme based on the premise of sharing services, skills, talents, and knowledge on a voluntary basis. Joining TimeBank is free, and members have the opportunity to receive supports and offer supports to fellow members in the community. See link to website for further details: https://timebankireland.ie/
The Timebanking concept was first put into practice in the early 1980s by Dr. Edgar Cahn, a civil rights activist, and a professor of law, as a tool to address social issues.
TimeBank Ireland are committed to creating an inclusive and supportive environment for people to connect, share and thrive. Timebanking goes beyond transactions; it is about building lasting relationships, unlocking potential and changing lives. It supports basic needs to be met that mitigate deprivation and stress resulting in a better quality of life and stronger community connections.
Supporting Disadvantage
Given risks associated with modern society of diminishing communal interactions, isolation, community breakdown and reductions in social capital. TimeBank strives to actively reverse these trends through proactively supporting new relationships.
TimeBank values everybody equally, every person’s time is valued in the same way and everyone is considered to have something to offer. These principles are deeply empowering for all parties and contrast with most charity models where beneficiaries are categorised and often stigmatised.
For this reason, among many, Timebank has succeeded in reaching and engaging effectively with a large number of vulnerable individuals who were in great need of support. This positive engagement process not only meets the immediate needs of persons seeking support, but also provides encouragement and empowerment ensuring retention of esteem and self-worth.
Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) Support
The SICAP Programme (Funded by the European Social Fund and ESF+) has supported Timebank Ireland since its inception and has helped its board of trustees with their governance and capacity building, and with its development of procedures and protocols to safeguard the process. The development officer from West Cork Development Partnership has mentored and advised the board on its journey to date.
In 2022 and 2023, the Timebank was particularly successful during the Covid period. In hindsight we can see that many facets of society were in turmoil at that time with the resulting impact that individuals were left isolated and often in grave circumstances.
Anecdotal feedback during this period demonstrated a phenomenal “reach” with success in engaging a large number of extremely vulnerable and isolated individuals, who articulated an exceptional life altering impact of the supports provided by TimeBank in addressing challenges they encountered.
Such was the profound impact of these interventions, provided by volunteers in the community for their peers, that the SICAP team in West Cork was prompted to support a deeper social impact analysis from an independent researcher to measure and record the effectiveness of the project. The report can be accessed here:- https://timebankireland.ie/social-impact-analysis
The subsequent report was very successful in discovering and expressing the exceptional social service provided by the TimeBank project. The methodology for the study included quantitative and qualitative analysis including a questionnaire for members, focus group meetings and individual case studies. The approach also included a formal Social Return on Investment (SROI) Analysis.
Innovation
The TimeBank model has offered an innovative approach to volunteerism, as the process encourages and facilitates the recipient of voluntary support to recognise that they also have something to offer and to “give back”. This has benefited particularly disadvantaged and vulnerable people and communities in terms of recognising their potential and building their capacity to become more involved in their community and to also reach out and help others. An example of this is given in the Social Impact Study 2023 Case Study 1,(Page 3)– Monica who experiences social isolation and mental health issues and received voluntary support through TimeBank. She is now giving her time to doing conversational English with Ukrainians and has participated in sewing workshops with a view to transferring these skills.
The Timebanking Model is one that can be replicated in other areas across Ireland and Europe in terms of encouraging volunteerism and supporting people and communities who are disadvantaged. It allows for people to utilise their skills, knowledge, and areas of interest to support people and communities on a voluntary basis outside of the traditional structures of a local community group or established voluntary organisation.