This article was submitted to My Story by Wil Heidt

ONE SOLUTION – COMMUNITY BARTER!

There are more than 1500 community barter groups in more than 40 countries. You can check this at www.complementarycurrency.org  These community barter groups are different from business barter groups such as Bartercard and other business barter organizations in that the members of these groups barter with people in their own community using an alternative currency with no or limited financial cost.

Barter, of course, is not a new phenomena. For thousands of years people have bartered goods and services long before printed money or coins were invented. The modern form of community barter started in the 1980’s in Canada, known as LETS – Local Exchange Trading System and has since spread to many other countries. In Australia there are more than 50 LETS groups (www.lets.org.au)

Thousands of years before European people occupied Australia the aboriginal people exchanged “goods and services” all over the continent. They functioned perfectly well without modern currencies such as dollars and cents, cheques, money orders, or credit cards.
Presently many countries find themselves on the edge of financial collapse.
Tax payers’ money is being used to shore up the various financial interests responsible for the worst economic crisis since the Depression in the 1920’s.

As a result many people have lost or are about to lose their jobs or savings. Financial hardship is being faced by millions of people all over the world. Even the experts are in disagreement as to how this economic crisis can be overcome. The consensus is that it could take many years.

In the mean time many people are concerned with providing themselves and their families with basic necessities such as housing, food, clothes, transport and childcare. This is where COMMUNITY BARTER can assist in providing a solution. Even businesses can benefit from bartering their goods and services.

So, you may ask, where can I go from here? How can I become involved or organise a community barter group in my own local area? There is a lot of information available by checking the above websites as well from a book written by James Taris
(www.lets.org.au)

There will be regular instalments on this website concerned with community barter organizations or activities, including articles from people who have initiated a community barter group in their own local area.

(This article was written by Wil Heidt, a member of LETS South, a community barter group involving over 100 families or households in the southern metropolitan area in Adelaide, South Australia)

About the author
I have been involved with community barter systems for over 15 years. I feel strongly that barter helps to re-create communities while being supportive of small business and individual people in need.

I run a small business in the building industry, employing long term unemployed people as well as young workers who want to learn a trade.  I have also been involved with city farms, community groups, housing associations and resident groups.  Wil Heidt wilheidt@adam.com.au

Positive Stories: What’s your story?
If you’re a Creative Change Maker we’d love to hear about what you’re doing.

If you want to promote your initiative on this site, I’d love to hear from you. Send me an email with your story, project, or inspired idea, or comment, and a relevant image, and I’ll post it with a link to your website or any contact information you want made public.

Cheers,
Caroline