COMPLEMENTARY CURRENCIES AND COMMUNITY ACCESS TELEVISION:
A WORK IN PROGRESS
What follows is the expansion of an idea I began to develop while attending the Alliance conference. Please, keep in mind this is just the skeleton of an idea; an expansion of inspiration, if you will.
I was deeply impressed with the presentations of Bernard Leitaer, the Belgian economist who helped create the Euro and visited Salina recently. His ideas of complementary community currency are already realized in cities and towns in the United States and elsewhere. They are not mere hypothetical situations, or economic counterfactuals, they are being implemented today.
His examples of using these kinds of currencies bubbled and stewed inside my head for a few months. It wasn't until I began to think seriously about fostering substantial programming on Community Access, that his ideas began to seem very relevant to our situation.
Here are a few thoughts I've managed to herd into some sort of sense:
Community Access as an Agent for Economic Development:
Utilizing Complementary Currencies with Community Media Centered Projects
Complementary Currency Unit:
Community Media Credit (CMC)
Value of Exchange:
One CMC = $5.00 USD = One Hour Volunteer Labor
Participating Agencies:
Not-For-Profit Organizations:
For-Profit Businesses:
Relationships of Trade:
Individual to Non-Profits:
Volunteers work to create media projects which highlight the work and mission and community communication needs of local non-profit organizations. In return, they are granted a chit of credit good for the exchange of services from local businesses and non-profit organizations. This comes in addition to the participation in the Heartland SHARE program.
Individuals to Businesses:
Individuals are able to redeem the CMC as cash in return for goods and services from local businesses. Caps on usage and time limits may be enforced in order to encourage the distribution and circulation of the CMC’s.
Businesses to Access:
Businesses are able to redeem CMC’s at Community Access for sponsorships and proofs of in-kind donations in return for generous underwriting production credits.
Businesses to Non-Profits:
Businesses are credited for in-kind contributions to local organizations and recognize a potential tax benefit.
Individuals to Access:
Volunteers are able to redeem CMC’s at Community Access in return for merchandise and production material discounts, as well as discounts on memberships.
Businesses to Media;
Businesses are able to redeem CMC’s at local media outlets same as cash in return for advertising charges.
This is what I've managed to compile so far...and I encourage your feedback, thoughts and ideas as well. The use of such complementary currencies is a perfect tool to encourage the investment of volunteer hours and effort into the creation of targeted content of direct benefit to the community. It rewards volunteers, businesses, and non-profits equally, and results in the generation of a currency that is encouraged to be spent, rather than hoarded.
Let me know what you think...
A WORK IN PROGRESS
What follows is the expansion of an idea I began to develop while attending the Alliance conference. Please, keep in mind this is just the skeleton of an idea; an expansion of inspiration, if you will.
I was deeply impressed with the presentations of Bernard Leitaer, the Belgian economist who helped create the Euro and visited Salina recently. His ideas of complementary community currency are already realized in cities and towns in the United States and elsewhere. They are not mere hypothetical situations, or economic counterfactuals, they are being implemented today.
His examples of using these kinds of currencies bubbled and stewed inside my head for a few months. It wasn't until I began to think seriously about fostering substantial programming on Community Access, that his ideas began to seem very relevant to our situation.
Here are a few thoughts I've managed to herd into some sort of sense:
Community Access as an Agent for Economic Development:
Utilizing Complementary Currencies with Community Media Centered Projects
Complementary Currency Unit:
Community Media Credit (CMC)
Value of Exchange:
One CMC = $5.00 USD = One Hour Volunteer Labor
Participating Agencies:
Not-For-Profit Organizations:
For-Profit Businesses:
Relationships of Trade:
Individual to Non-Profits:
Volunteers work to create media projects which highlight the work and mission and community communication needs of local non-profit organizations. In return, they are granted a chit of credit good for the exchange of services from local businesses and non-profit organizations. This comes in addition to the participation in the Heartland SHARE program.
Individuals to Businesses:
Individuals are able to redeem the CMC as cash in return for goods and services from local businesses. Caps on usage and time limits may be enforced in order to encourage the distribution and circulation of the CMC’s.
Businesses to Access:
Businesses are able to redeem CMC’s at Community Access for sponsorships and proofs of in-kind donations in return for generous underwriting production credits.
Businesses to Non-Profits:
Businesses are credited for in-kind contributions to local organizations and recognize a potential tax benefit.
Individuals to Access:
Volunteers are able to redeem CMC’s at Community Access in return for merchandise and production material discounts, as well as discounts on memberships.
Businesses to Media;
Businesses are able to redeem CMC’s at local media outlets same as cash in return for advertising charges.
This is what I've managed to compile so far...and I encourage your feedback, thoughts and ideas as well. The use of such complementary currencies is a perfect tool to encourage the investment of volunteer hours and effort into the creation of targeted content of direct benefit to the community. It rewards volunteers, businesses, and non-profits equally, and results in the generation of a currency that is encouraged to be spent, rather than hoarded.
Let me know what you think...
posted by Paul Green at 4:40 PM
2 Comments:
Paul, would you want this forwarded to the SRC group, or to the action group that met the last of June?
Just wondering. It would be good for them to have your ideas in front of them.
Could there be a combination Healthcare/transportation/media credit chit available for many purposes in the community?
Would Access or the Community Media Center gain or lose by such a combination?
As with yours, just some random thoughts.
David
Absolutely. Share it with the SRC by all means. I know that during the meetings with Leitaer the crowd seemed in favor of adopting a health and wellness project - but I think that's far too limiting.
Any complementary currency effort must involve community access at some level, and the access organization should become a participant and beneficiary, as well.
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