CareBank

CareBank is a time banking application. It facilitates people finding each other (within a group, school or elderly care group) in order to give and recieve services, not for money, but for points.

a) Within a school context this means that pupils can ask for help from other (older) pupils within a user-specified subject. In the app, each school has a designated 'teacher administrator' whose responsibilities is to ensure only pupils of the school can join and are older than an agreed age. The administrator also verifies the transactions.

b) Within a non-school context there is no such administrator.

c) Within an elderly care context, younger pensioners provide help to older pensioners, thus accumulating points. These points can then be redeemed later in life when they themselves need help. It is assumed that participants are all mentally able. This is inspired by successful models like Switzerland's Zeitvorsorge, Japan's Fureai Kippu, and South Korea's municipal timebank systems.

User-journey:
———————
1) The person who needs help (‘requester’) creates a ‘Request’, specifying what needs done, where, when etc. This request is viewable by other members of the group.
2) The person who can provide help identifies a suitable request, and then creates an ‘Offer’.
3) The requester chooses one of the offers.
4) Agreed work is done.
5) Requester marks the work as completed.
6) Points are exchanged.
7) (In a school context, after the pupils/people have met, the requester writes a summary of what was accomplished during the session. A 'teacher administrator' sees a summary of the work done, and accepts the transaction. Points are exchanged. )

Another explanation:
People are surprisingly resourceful! Many have hidden talents, hobbies or simply have a lot of free time that can potentially be used and appreciated by others, but often is not. These potential services may not be offered since they perhaps fall outside of the standard money-market.

People with hobbies, hidden talents and free time may not express themselves to provide services which otherwise would be appreciated in and by society. This is a loss to society.

This app facilitates members of local interest groups to 'rise and shine'! The app helps people find each other in order to offer and request services among themselves. After a 'transaction' is completed, the only thing that changes hands are 'points'. A person who has given their service to others and earned points, can in turn request services from others by handing over points.

Addition:
This is in the tradition of Timebanks: Timebanks use time as a form of currency to encourage service exchanges among timebank members in the same community. Timebanking formalises community-based volunteering by tracking service transactions amongst local community members in terms of the time taken to perform the services. Members 'earn' time (or 'points') by providing a service and 'spend' it by receiving a service.

Unlike conventional monetary systems, points created from any type of work has equal value. At its core, timebanking encourages people to use their own unique and valuable skills to help others, which helps timebank members develop a sense of belief in own capacity and achievement, trust, collaboration, and collective efforts, regardless of their professional or income level. This enables potential services that may not otherwise be offered as they fall outside of the standard money-market.