Systems that run only on money encourage a cold, unfriendly society’.
This is the Japanese principle of Fureai Kippu.
Tsutomu Hotta works for the The Sawayaka Welfare Foundation, which actively promotes its use within the community.
‘Conventional currency evaluates people on their monetary value – but Furea Kippu is based on helping people. The relationship is one of warm and mutual assistance. In that sense I think it is a superior system,” said Mr. Hotta.
Each year about 2.1 million volunteers donate their time in New South Wales. Until recently there was no way this donation could be reciprocated, so in 2012 the NSW Government has created a system to log and reward volunteerism.
They introduced Timebank, adapting a process that has been used by organisations in Japan such as The Sawayaka Welfare Foundation since 1960.
Australia has the world’s largest single timebank, and the program runs across 70 communities and includes 6100 members. To date, over 24,500 hours of time have been exchanged.
Each hour volunteered is ‘banked’, and then can be withdrawn when a desired skill is offered from another volunteer.
“The idea behind timebanking is that essentially we are all an asset, so everybody has something to give,” said Angela Chaperon, Timebanking’s project manager.
“It’s about community exchange”.
In Japan, as in NSW, most of the participants are elderly. The two countries both have an ageing population.
“The great news is that we’re all living longer,” said John Ajaka, the Minister for Ageing.
“But there’s no great benefit to living longer if we’re not living active, healthy, and inclusive lives”.
Ms Chaperon believes timebanking can assist senior citizens to stay living independently longer by providing assistance with household tasks that are becoming too taxing.
“Timebanking has come for me at a really vital stage in our lives,” said Dorothy. She lives with her husband Ken in the Blue Mountains.
Dorothy is a cancer survivor and lives with multiple sclerosis. She uses a walking cane to get around.
Until three years ago Ken maintained the home and the garden, but has since developed Parkinsons.
A timebank volunteer, Tamar, helps with the garden and firewood, and Dorothy volunteers at the op-shop run by Blue Mountains Cancer in Penrith.
“These are the jobs that Ken would have done – to have Tamar willing to do them is really good”.
In Australia there are four times as many people offering help than there are asking for help.
“I believe it’s easier to give than to take,” said Barbara, another timebanker.
“Some of us are quite recently retired from the workforce, and don’t consider ourselves spent forces just yet”.
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