It’s Only a Matter of Time…

THIS MONTH’S ORIENTATIONS:  

• Tomorrow, Sunday the 13th from 4-5pm. Location: Soma Vida – 1210 Rosewood Ave.  78702
• Saturday, January 19th from 1:30 to 2ish. Location: Hot Mama’s Cafe - 2401 E. 6th St. #1004  78702.
  This is part of the Austin Sustainable Swap (see below!)

Thanks to Thao Photography for the photos of ATEN’s reps. Cliff and Elton, at the December’s Swap.

Have you heard of the Austin Sustainable Swap?  Going on 3 months now, it has existed on Third Saturdays at Hot Mama’s Cafe and is a great addition to Austin’s alternative-commerce landscape.  From their website, Austin Sustainable Swap is:

• a meeting space where folks can gather and exchange home-grown produce, home-made crafts, as well as skills and services.
• an educational space, for individuals or groups to provide free workshops and classes to those interested in learning.
• a space for raising awareness; for local non-profit organizations to educate us on how they contribute to our local community, and how we may help them to succeed.
• a place for folk to gather and exchange ideas, plan projects, plant seeds, and gather each other–as resources.  Because when we work together, we can accomplish so much.
• a place to let go of the tools or objects you no longer need: clothes,shoes,toys,books,excess supplies…and trade them out for ones that are new, to you, and may serve you better, now.
• a space to play, and dance, and hoop, and spin.

ATEN is grateful to Austin Sustainable Swap for creating this space and the opportunity to reach out to potential new members.  Come participate!

And looking into the Future…

• Want to get together for a potluck in February?  Okay!  In an effort to be more present in areas of town other than East, we would love to find a place (a home, or other free-to-use space) willing to host that is South or North.  Please get in touch if you want to host or have a suggestion.
• This year we will be working on a new version of the ATEN web site.  It will also be open source and available for other time banks to implement.  We might have fewer features at the beginning but hope to scale it up over time and continue to add features according to what the ATEN community needs.  More info to come later, so stay tuned!

“I really appreciate how versatile ATEN is!  I’ve used it for everything from tutoring to building design and know I will continue to rely on it more for all the interesting things i want to know more about/be able to do, but am just not ready for DIY quite yet.  Thanks for being here!”  –Leta

Do you have a story about what ATEN has done for you? Please share with us at info@ austintimeexchange.org

Leading others to a newfound sense of Community

Next Orientation ~ Sunday, Dec. 9th 4pm – Soma Vida: 1210 Rosewood Ave.

Request an orientation in your area of town or on a different day/time: Write to info@austintimeexchange.org

———————————————————————————————————————————-

The Austin Time Exchange Network is seeking energetic and focused individuals to join our leadership team!  Whether your strengths lie in one-on-one communication, speaking to groups, writing promotional materials, video editing, code-writing, event-organizing, project brainstorming, grant-researching, or something else, you have FOUND an organization that will gratefully use your talents!

All of the people-powered initiatives that we hope to see growing in the coming year will be pushing ATEN in the direction of higher trading volume and broader reach, ultimately creating a thriving community of people who are using complementary currency to make their lives easier and more connected, as well as helping their neighbors.

To get involved, please send an email with some information about yourself and how you would like to help to  amanda@austintimeexchange.org

Still Looking for Leaders…

Next Orientation ~ Saturday, Nov. 17th @ 1:00pm ~ 2608 B Rogers Ave. (outside)

Request an orientation in your area of town or on a different day/time: Write to info@austintimeexchange.org

———————————————————————————————————————————-

The Austin Time Exchange Network is seeking energetic and focused individuals to join our leadership team!  Whether your strengths lie in one-on-one communication, speaking to groups, writing promotional materials, video editing, code-writing, event-organizing, project brainstorming, grant-researching, or something else, you have FOUND an organization that will gratefully use your talents!

All of the people-powered initiatives that we hope to see growing in the coming year will be pushing ATEN in the direction of higher trading volume and broader reach, ultimately creating a thriving community of people who are using complementary currency to make their lives easier and more connected, as well as helping their neighbors.

To get involved, please send an email with some information about yourself and how you would like to help to  amanda@austintimeexchange.org

Still Looking for Leaders

Next Orientation ~ Sunday, October 14th 4pm – Soma Vida: 1210 Rosewood Ave.

Request an orientation in your area of town or on a different day/time: Write to info@austintimeexchange.org

———————————————————————————————————————————-

The Austin Time Exchange Network is seeking energetic and focused individuals to join our leadership team!  Whether your strengths lie in one-on-one communication, speaking to groups, writing promotional materials, video editing, code-writing, event-organizing, project brainstorming, grant-researching, or something else, you have FOUND an organization that will gratefully use your talents!

All of the people-powered initiatives that we hope to see growing in the coming year will be pushing ATEN in the direction of higher trading volume and broader reach, ultimately creating a thriving community of people who are using complementary currency to make their lives easier and more connected, as well as helping their neighbors.

To get involved, please send an email with some information about yourself and how you would like to help to  amanda@austintimeexchange.org

Another Season, Another Reason to Connect with the Time Exchange Community

*** NEXT NEW MEMBER ORIENTATION: SUNDAY, June 10th, 2012***
4PM (sharp) – 5pm at SOMA VIDA – 1210 Rosewood Ave. 78702 

Summertime is a JUST the time to give TIME EXCHANGE a try.  Think of what you could do with some extra help!  Think of what you could learn by helping someone else…

ATEN also has plenty of room for passionate people who want to take charge of making things go well.  Check out this cool resource for leadership, and consider the following roles:

• Recruiting – Talk up ATEN to your friends and associates, neighborhood or activity groups, to other organizations you’re a part of, to service providers you go to, etc. This could also involve disseminating literature (a.k.a. “fliers”).
• Outreach/Organizational Liaising – To function at our top capacity, ATEN needs to have regular opportunities for many people to earn hours at once.  This can be achieved through partnerships with organizations and projects which need lots of volunteers.  Liaisons would help make those connections with the organizations needing help and organizing the opportunities to earn hours, as well as working with the org to plan how they can even out their ATEN balance.
• Technology — Our web-based exchange system needs dedicated techies for maintenance, hosting, and improvements.
• Orientations – Learning to lead an orientation is pretty simple, and very needed!  Just show up to an orientation to observe, then become empowered to activate new members.  You could start a regular orientation in your part of town, or within another group you are a part of, etc.
• Event organizing – Think up ways of rallying community spirit, or even just getting people together socially, all in the interest of encouraging exchanges… the sky’s the limit!
• Content  - Writing, researching and documenting are all skills that we are need of for blog and newsletter content.  Let’s be a team!

Our membership is in the hundreds, but our organization is teeny-tiny… let’s work together to support ATEN’s growth. Contact the board members at info@austintimeexchange.org to get involved.

Celebrating All of Our Un-Taxable Exchanges…

*** NEXT NEW MEMBER ORIENTATION: SUNDAY, APRIL 15TH, 2012***
4PM- 5PM (please be on time…) at SOMA VIDA – 1210 Rosewood Ave. 78702

followed by our 6th-year Celebration, a Tax-Free! Potluck + Soiree from 5-7pm!

This year holds some exciting opportunities for the Austin Time Exchange Network to grow and flourish, and it may be the right time for you to get involved.  Running and growing this organization requires help, which can roughly be divided up into these categories, or committees:

• Recruiting – Talk up ATEN to your friends and associates, neighborhood or activity groups, to other organizations you’re a part of, to service providers you go to, etc. This could also involve disseminating literature (a.k.a. “fliers”).
• Outreach/Organizational Liaising – To function at our top capacity, ATEN needs to have regular opportunities for many people to earn hours at once.  This can be achieved through partnerships with organizations and projects which need lots of volunteers.  Liaisons would help make those connections with the organizations needing help and organizing the opportunities to earn hours, as well as working with the org to plan how they can even out their ATEN balance.
• Orientations – Learning to lead an orientation is pretty simple, and very needed!  Just show up to an orientation to observe, then become empowered to activate new members.  You could start a regular orientation in your part of town, or within another group you are a part of, etc.
• Event organizing – Think up ways of rallying community spirit, or even just getting people together socially, all in the interest of encouraging exchanges… the sky’s the limit!
• Content  - Writing, researching and documenting are all skills that we are need of for blog and newsletter content.  Let’s be a team!

Leadership
Within the next 4 months, we would like to fill at least one seat on the Board of Directors.  The Board of Directors is a consensus-based group and it’s purpose is to keep the organization focused on its mission, which is to “[provide] a complementary currency that enables members to build community through the exchange of services.”  In addition, Board members are actively engaged in the various tasks of running the organization.  Ideal candidates for the board will be active in the network and/or exquisitely suited to ATEN’s purpose, and have skills in one or more of these areas: public relations, event coordination, outreach, technology, grant-writing, or their own unique contribution.

Great tips for alternative gift-giving

For all of my adult life, I’ve been on a tight month-to-month budget.  Combine this with having a big family and an aversion to shopping, and you can see why the Christmas season always leaves me feeling pretty inadequate.  HOWEVER… all is not hopeless, even if I have very little money to spend!  I can still offer hand-made gifts, vouchers for my own services, AND vouchers for services that are being offered on the Austin Time Exchange Network!

Brandi of the AustinEcoNetwork has put together a truly fantastic article listing lots of great ideas and resources for environmentally-conscious holiday gift-giving.  Check it out!  Also, join ATEN today, and stay tuned (to your inbox) for when and where we will be getting together for a holiday service swap!

Time Banking “in a nutshell”

Next Orientation and Potluck…

Come find out what it’s all about!  Meet people who want to give their time and also need help with things!

Sunday,  June 12th : Orientation @ 4; Potluck @ 5

Soma Vida – 1210 Rosewood Ave. 78702

We will also soon be advertising the time and place of our next Open Board Meeting.  Stay tuned for more details…

December Gift Market and Orientation

Member Mary Kraemer is hosting a Holiday Market Gift Party at her home and garden on Saturday, December 11th, from 4 until dark.

At this event, you are invited to bring any and all vendor items such as crafts you make or sell, extra gifts you have around your home, or gift certificates for services you provide — sell or exchange your items and shop amongst the goodies for your loved ones.  This is an opportunity to use your Exchange Hours OR money to purchase beautiful things, so tell all your friends.  (You can come early if you have things to set up.)

At 4:45, we will hold a new member orientation, so you can actually join ATEN at this event!

Location is 2405 e 2nd St. — RSVP to luckymary22@gmail.com or in the Forum.

Mary's backyard labyrinth!

 

P.S.  Here is another great piece about Time Banking…

http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2008/03/13/an-introduction-to-time-banking/