WOMANSHARE now has their own TimeBanks site!

We have officially moved shop to WomanShare at Timebanks.org (womanshare.timebanks.org/welcome).

Come, check out what we're about, join the site (it's free!) and create your profile.  The sooner you do, the sooner your time exchange opportunities begin!

See you soon!

A WRW Update - Upcoming Events!

First of all, congratulations to the 19 founding members of WomanShare, and those in-waiting. The myriad skillsets include professional and life skills that are above and beyond what we could have imagined out the outset of this initiative.

 

It's easy to join, just a $20 annual fee.  If you'd like to sign up right now let us know, or plan to sign up at our 1st potluck.

 

PLUS:  We now have our website up and running:  http://womanshare.timebanks.org/welcome

 

Mark your calendars:  There are two upcoming WomanShare meetings:

 

1. 1st Community Potluck Luncheon Saturday May 26, Noon - 3ish,  NEW:   Bring your children if childcare is an issue!!

 

The point of the gathering is to bring a friend,  introduce new members, have time to network, get to know our skillsets, and of course, my favourite part, to eat.

 

This event will be outdoors if weather permits, and at a member's home in Kitchener (Bleams/Ottawa area).  Allergy alert: there is a puppy and cat in this home. Bring your medication.
Here's a suggestion for food sensitivities. Why don't we label, or add cards beside our dishes, to make note of, for instance, wheat, nuts, white sugar, etc..
We will need a firm RSVP for this event so we know what to plan for. 
Doesn't it sound lovely?

 

2.  We are launching our new website and are meeting for a training session Friday May 11th, 6 pm.  

 

for any 'key players' who want to learn how to navigate the new website and further, to determine who wants to have key roles as coordinators and 'angels'. (*Ask me and I'll tell you more.*) However, we also want any interested members to attend this training to get to know the website--those who just want to learn more so they can help guide new members in setting up their profiles. It's a beautiful system, I promise. So it doesn't matter if you want a coordinator role or just want to learn more about it, come along

 

Please let me know if you're in (we're bringing laptops so we can all learn together. Let me know soonest if you need a laptop so we can bring extra's)

 

 

Read more on our activities, including what we are, vision, mission, values and skills offered at

 

http://www.waterlooregionwoman.blogspot.ca/

 

and of course, do share with the women you know. 

 

Since last Saturday's meeting I've been contacted by women who want to know how to sign up and how to get more involved, so there are some coffee dates in my near future. I'm sure we are all having these conversations, so please do let me know how I can help.

All this to say,

what an awesome group of women coming together! Community builders, one and all.

I pinch myself, knowing that I may have never otherwise met you, nor you me, plus the rest of the pioneers and founding members of WomanShare Waterloo Region.

I do believe we're at the stage now that we'll already number 50 women and that's a HUGE achievement in such a short period of time.

Thanks ever so much for your interest and involvement,

 

Denise

We have momentum!

WomanShare: A Skills Exchange Bank

What we are: WomanShare is a practice of a new socio/economic alternative where our currency is time. We are a community of women who share our skills, our interests, our time and ourselves just as our grandmothers used to do. But WomanShare has one important difference: we have taken women's cultural heritage of sharing and transformed it into a system in which we can earn credit for the time we give.

Vision: That women of all ages and cultures may exchange professional and life skills in a way that empowers and enriches their lives economically, socially, and intellectually, in a cooperative model of trust and ownership by all.

Mission: We recognize that our energy is transformed into value no matter the skill being offered; that our common and most valuable currency is time; that every exchange is measured equally—an hour for an hour; and that any woman can join so we will recruit with diversity top of mind.

Values: By valuing caring skills and life skills, we honour work that women have always done without getting credit for it. We also value work in process, in which the learning and the being together are as important as the final product.

There is also a very strong undercurrent of community building and making connections. Women have expressed very clearly: (1) the desire for organic, grassroots community building; (2) equal ownership in the cooperative; (3) diversity—all ages, all races, you name it, we include it, and indeed, search it out.

P.S. The more you participate, the greater the sense of community and the greater the personal and financial reward.

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There’s a strong and highly engaged group of women in Waterloo Region and beyond who want to ensure that we make WomanShare lift off. After all, there is nothing else like this!

Here's a very quick update from the committee meeting Mar 20:

The Interim Committee for Organizational Structure is meeting for a 4-hour 'retreat' to determine what WomanShare will look like (Mar 31). It's the most important piece of work to move this ahead. Big Picture, Interim management of profiles, what we need technologically, and all that good stuff. It's a lot of work and they will be fully prepped with materials ahead of time.

They will then send on their recommendations for the Executive Committee to sign off on, and we should have it to present at:

Our next General Information / Skills Workshop

Saturday April 14th - 1:00pm to 3:30pm.

at the Embassy Room, King Street Waterloo (across from the Heuther!).

The Member Recruitment committee is meeting next week, and they will have a membership sign up form (with tear-off receipt for $25 fee) in time for April's meeting.

The Member Events committee is also meeting next week to line up the monthly member meetings for the next year--when, where, plus theme around meals! I love that.

The Marketing Committee will work with the 'Who we are, Vision, Mission & Values' that we discussed this evening, so that our messaging is consistent. But they are laying in wait for the good stuff to start working on...you know, like logo, taglines, all those wonderful elements that they are so good at.

Our WomanShare accountant has graciously agreed to be the Treasurer and will be setting up a bank account so that memberships can be purchased on April 14^th. (Cash or cheque at this time please.)

In short, there’s a lot going on.

I do have a request for people coming to the April 14^th meeting at the Embassy. Will you also bring along an elder with you? At the moment we’re thinking that it’s too much for the younger (shorter attention span) set, and so we’ll invite them to member meetings in the coming year.

I expect to also follow this email with the invite from the Marketing Committee, so we’re all sharing the same thing, however in the meantime, feel free to share with your sister tribes!

We’ll have lots of news to share on April 14^th.

Regards!

Executive formation meeting!

Greetings, all.

A quick note of reminder that the next step is now in play - the formation of the Executive and the various Committees that will make up the structure of WRW.

Meeting is Tuesday March 20th, 5:30pm at Kypreos Restaurant, Lancaster Street, Kitchener.

Those who've indicated their interest in participating in the executive and/or committees, please do plan to attend! And for any other women who are interested in finding out how they can participate in the formation and support of getting the organization off the ground are also most welcome to join us on Tuesday!

A visionary outline has been drafted for WRW, as follows:

WomanShare: A Cooperative Skills Exchange

What we are: We are a community of women who share our skills, our interests, our time and ourselves just as our rural grandmothers used to do. But WomanShare has one important difference: we have taken women's cultural heritage of sharing and transformed it into a system in which we can earn credit for the time we give.

Vision: That women of all ages may exchange professional and life skills in a way that empowers and enriches their lives economically, socially, and intellectually, in a cooperative model of trust and ownership by all.

Mission: We recognize that our energy is transformed into value no matter the skill being offered; that our common and most valuable currency is time; that every exchange is measured equally—an hour for an hour; and that any woman can join so we will recruit with diversity top of mind.

Values: By valuing caring skills and life skills, we honour work that women have always done without getting credit for it. We also value work in process, in which the learning and the being together are as important as the final product.

The group meeting on Tuesday evening will discuss the above-noted to review its verbiage and decide on any adjustments/amendments/additions or acceptance of said-same. This is an exciting venture and it is amazing to watch its formation, from the ground up, with such an enthusiastic group of women!

If you have any questions about the group or the upcoming meeting, don't hesitate to drop us a line at waterlooregionwomanshare@gmail.com .

We will post updates and advances on the group's progress here on the blog after Tuesday's meeting.

Regards, all.

Greetings, ladies.

A quick note of 'thank you' to all who showed up yesterday afternoon and participated in the discussion around the great potential that WomanShare is for our Region! From the conversation and feedback given, through the course of the afternoon and with the signup sheets and skillset lists, it is safe to say we have a strong interest and a diverse mix of women who are ready and willing to commence the journey of creating this unique co-operative organization here in our area.

Here is a quick wrap-up of yesterday's discussions:

It’s amazing what this small group has generated already! The lists below are not complete, it simply shows us some of the skills we already have in WomanShare. Actual workshops will begin in April.

First off: We have 28 charter members! ($25 annual membership fee, sliding scale - this fee will cover expenses like web site hosting, nominal expenses like paper/printing, etc.) An exceptional start, bigger than anticipated! A big thank you to all of you... your collective skills and desire to participate in exchange will be the foundation upon which we build!

We will run another information session Saturday April 14th, 2012 for anyone who couldn't make yesterday's event or is interested in learning more (and hasn't yet heard about it!). Time and place to be determined and will be announced on the blog and in email. By all means, share this email forward with any women you know who could/should/would be part of this co-operative group!

Our next meeting, slated for Tuesday March 20th, 2012 (in the evening), is specifically for any woman who is interested in participating on one of the key committees: Executive, Special Events, Marketing, Communications, IT and Membership/Recruitment. Time and place to be confirmed in the next few days.

*********

In summation of yesterday's discussion, here is a sampling of some of the conversational points shared over the afternoon:

What’s appealing?

- The networking aspect is appealing, but what really resonates is the idea of building a ‘community’ that shares with one another, not just skills, but also interests.
- Our professional selves overlap with our personal lives, and it’s oftentimes within our personal life skill sets that we actually shine.
- The cooperative is owned by ALL of the members.
- Workshops that cover off professional interests and personal interests from business marketing to creative writing.
- Affinity groups, natural interest groups, which will splinter off to meet on their own.
- The awesome wide-ranging life knowledge of the group: holistic eating and cooking, hiking, health and personal training, integration of step-families, arts, and so much more.

Comments from Sign Up Sheet:

- “Love the idea of WomanShare.”

- “Hard skills are great, soft skills are wonderful too! The trading of skills will come naturally, as bonds are established.”

- “I am so excited about sharing, learning and building community with other women. Just think of the Power we will generate!”

- “Looking forward to working with anyone and everyone in our Chapter!”

- “Love the concept. Very excited to see it being developed here in the region.”

- “Having been involved with various cooperative groups, I found this concept very interesting (esp barnraising.)"

Future Workshop Possibilities:

Floral Design
Shopping for Healthy Food
Value of Social Media
How to ....? Set up Twitter, Facebook, Linked In, etc
How to de-clutter and organize your home
Writing haiku as a spiritual practice
Spanish
Latin American Cooking
Tactical Marketing Plans
Personal Finance
Dating (Starting Over)
Public Speaking
Event Planning
Creative Writing
Digital Photography—New Perspectives
Getting Started on Your Garden

Finally, here is a sampling of the resident skill sets and wish lists found in the circle of our charter members - this is the heart (and exciting part!) of what will build the co-operative and forge the relationships we're all looking to cultivate and benefit from:

Professional Skills	Life Skills	Wish Lists
Event Planning	Travel Planner	Writing Skills
Professional Organizing	Digital Photography	Herbal Healing
Career Planning	Childcare	Software Training
Social Media	Gardening	Social Media for Business
Marketing	Parenting Advisor	Healthy Lifestyle Training
Proposal Writing	Driving Stick Shift	Carpentry Skills
Focus Groups/Surveys	Scrapbooking	Massages
Health Care Planner	Excel Training	Conversational Spanish
Spanish Teacher	Therapeutic Touch	Self-publishing
Music Teacher	Budgeting	Scuba Diving
Tutor	Cooking/Baking	Home Canning
Landscape Design	Manicures	Sports Psychology
Editor	Drywall Repair	General House Repair
Journalist	House painting	Urban Beekeeping
Business Coach	Wallpapering	Website Design
Brand Specialist	Urban Foraging	Business Planning
Certified Interior Decorator	Camping	Cooking
Facilitator	Canoeing	Legal Advice
Conflict Management	Running	Basic Plumbing
Accountant	Macintosh Computers	Watercolor/Oils Painting
Adult Educator	Knitting
Income Tax Specialist	Dancing
Bookkeeper	Patient Advocacy
Lean SixSigma Black Belts	Dogwalking/Dogsitting
	Catgrooming
	Physical Fitness
	Housecleaning

Our thanks to you all for wading through the afternoon with us and for recognizing that not all answers are yet known. We look forward to watching the development of the executive, in both memberhip and creation of vision, and to watching the organization of such incredible diversity and skill come together to create something unique, fresh and empowering for the women of our community!

In the meantime, share this forward to all you think would be interested.

You can find our temporary blog/website at:
www.waterlooregionwoman.blogspot.com

You can reach us at our temporary email:
waterlooregionwomanshare@gmail.com

Looking forward to the building of new synergies and relationships, all - let's do this thing!

Inaugural Meeting Details - WomanShare, Waterloo Region!

Greetings, all.

Thought we would outline some background information here on the blog, prior to the event, to allow all interested some idea of what they'll be hearing about on March 3rd inside the rough construct of the meeting's draft agenda.

The meeting is a strict 2-hour length... there is a big banquet coming in behind us, so we've got to be wrapped up by 3:00 pm. Since this is a charter kick-off (the WS Group isn't yet formed!), we also request a small $2 coffee donation to help cover the cost of the room rental. Our thanks to you in advance for your kind assistance on this!

AGENDA

1:00 - 1:15 Welcome
- Name tags, handouts and network opportunity and chance to settle in

1:15 - 1:30 Overview Presentation of WomanShare
- How this meeting came to be, the philosophy behind WomanShare, the goals for the day

1:30 - 2:00 Q&A Session/General Group Discussion
- Question & Answer/Discussion session on the "nuts and bolts" of WomanShare
- Defining the Governance structure - the Executive Committee and volunteer opportunities
- General Discussion on the logistics for the organization moving forward

2:00 - 2:50 Building Your WomanShare Profile
- Presentation on 'how to' build the profile, and what's included
- Small groups session, where we build our personal profiles - and become charter members!
- Volunteer canvas for Executive Committee Leaders, Committee Members, Volunteers*

2:50 - 3:00 Meeting Wrap-Up and Next Steps
Defining next steps:
1. Formation of the Executive Committee
2. Formation of the Functional Committees
- Marketing, Communications, Recruitment, IT, Special Events, any other identified
3. First Executive Leadership Meeting: March 31, 2012 (TBC)



*If you know that you would like to volunteer and participate as an Executive or Committee member, or would like to volunteer to be on a committee, do let us know! The more who are involved, the more successful we will be in building a strong foundation upon which to grow!


Below is some basic information about the concept of the organization.

NOTE: this information was taken from the original WomanShare site based in NYC! This will be the information we will use as a starting point for our local formation, which may or may not be kept. The charter group will decide! Look forward to seeing you March 3rd!


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About WomanShare

We are a community of urban women who share our skills, our interests, our time and ourselves just as our rural grand-mothers used to do. But WomanShare has one important difference: we have taken women’s cultural heritage of sharing and transformed it into a system in which we can earn credit for the time we give.

Our vision is that all people can be creators and producers. By valuing caring skills and life skills, we honour work that women have always done with getting credit for it. We also value work in process, in which the learning and the being together are as important as the final product.

WomanShare has been recognized nationally and internationally as a unique model of community building based on a service exchange system.

We are a caring community.

Sharing skills in a spirit of trust and goodwill has built a diverse group of women into a community. In addition to the hour-for-hour trade between individual women and as members interact, exchanges around tasks blossom into friendship and support, and group activities become an increasing part of our life:

Barn Raisings – Group Trading
Members often work together in ‘group trading’, joining in ‘barn raisings’ to help individuals with projects such as moving, putting up shelves, even making a wedding.

Potluck Gatherings
Every month we come together at a member’s home for a potluck supper and meeting. These treasured Sunday evenings are a time for networking, personal views, needs and exchanges, as well as discussions of WomanShare business.

Workshops
There are workshops, by and for members, such as writing a living will, how to use power tools, and self-marketing.

“It is vain to talk of the interest of the community, without first understanding what is the interest of the individual.”
~ Jeremy Bentham, philosopher, 1748-1832

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The Principles of WomanShare

WomanShare is a practice of a new socio/economic alternative in which the resources of each individual are valued independently of the prevailing economy. We value all work that women do, and specifically honour what is traditionally called “women’s work” – work that has been denigrated in our culture.

WomanShare recognizes time as a limited resource and our real wealth. In our practice of economic democracy, WomanShare credits all hours of work equally.

Caring Community: WomanShare is a dynamic, caring community. Our intention is to find a balance between the needs of each individual member and the needs of the larger community. Every activity, whether an exchange of services, a workshop, or a membership meeting, reflects this commitment. In the sharing of our individual resources, self interest and the desire to help others converge.

Simple Living & Ecological Mindfulness: WomanShare honours simple living, recognizing that the misuse of our material world is destructive to our relationships with each other, the environment, and other sentient beings. We recognize our role as caretakers of this earth and are deeply committed to mindfulness and moderation in the way we live.

Diversity: WomanShare honours women’s personal experience and thrives on our differences. The coming together of women of diverse age, ethnicity, economic and educational background, sexual orientation, and marital status enriches our lives and strengthens our purpose.

Linking: WomanShare acknowledges the importance of linking with other groups who share our values in order to create a strong network of alternative communities.

Trust: WomanShare is committed to creating an environment in which each woman’s privacy, integrity and well-being are protected.

Joyous Living: WomanShare regards joy as the birthright of every human being. We nourish that spirit and encourage its expression in our community.

Empowerment: WomanShare encourages women to reclaim their rightful roles as leaders, healers, mentors and visionaries. The quality of life on this planet and even our ultimate survival depend on our recognition of our collective power and the willingness to take necessary action to bring our vision into being.

WE WOMEN ARE A FORCE!

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How Does It Work?

On joining, each member makes a list of what she has to share – skills, interests, resources – and what she needs or wants. These lists are provided to all members and are the basis of a directory of WomanShare offerings.

When a member wants a service, she consults the directory and finds a person who offers it. The provider then earns a credit that she can spend with anyone in the group. The recipient is debited the same amount, a debt that is cleared when she provides a service to someone else. All work time, no matter what the exchange, is valued equally – hour for hour. We are an economic democracy!

For example: Joan needs to have bookshelves built. She calls Anna, who listed carpentry among her skills. Anna does the work and later uses her credits to learn bread-baking from Lynn. Now Lynn has credits she can use, and so it goes. Share an hour, earn an hour... build a community!

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A Small Sample of Skill Offerings & Wish List

Professional Skills:

Contractor
Lawyer
Numerologist
Day Care Provider
College Professor of Women’s Studies
Anthropologist
CSW – Older Women’s Issues
Gallery Owner
Singer
Home Office Organizer
Conflict Resolution Professional
Detective
Caterer
Baker
Speech Therapist
Actor
Storyteller
Writer
Massage Therapist
Marketer
Artist

Life Skills:

Wall treatments/murals
Creating space and decluttering
Problem solver
Brainstorming
Spanish conversation
Drawing lessons
Yoga
Portrait and Pet Photography
Gardening
House/Apt sitting
Knitting
African cooking
Refinishing wood furniture
Medical forms literacy
Traveling for almost nothing
Adoption process advice
Ironing and hemming
Picture framing
Puerto Rican dishes
Good map reader

Wish Lists:

Help with desktop publishing
Carpentry
Bodywork Art
Healing, herbal, etc.
Painting rooms
Learn a language
Single Mom/Daughter events
Closet Organizing
Computer skills
Wallpapering
Help packing to move
Learn stick-shift driving
Software training
Painting lessons
Pet sitting
Career counselling
Personal trainer
Learn how to kayak
Washing windows
Help clean house
Cribbage partner
Travel partner

This is just a small sampling of the possible skills, talents and wants that could be identified in one's personal profile -- hopefully this list sparks ideas and aides you in generating your own personal list and profile!

Come, join us on March 3rd, and learn more about the dynamic potential for community and economic empowerment - indeed, we women are a force!