The Sants Time Bank celebrates its 10 years of life at Lleialtat Santsenca

» Last Saturday, November 25, the Sants Time Bank, a member organization of the Time Pact of Barcelona, celebrated 10 years of history with a celebratory event

On November 25, the Sants neighbourhood was celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the Sants Time Bank. It was a day of meetings at the Lleialtat Santsenca, where both the members of the Time Bank and the neighbours passing by, could enjoy a sample of the activities that are usually exchanged in this space: languages, computer classes, manual work or sessions with a chiropractor. However, in a Time Bank, services are not only exchanged, but loneliness is combated, new friendships are made, and in short, a social network is created in the neighbourhood.

The district councillor, Raquel Gil Eiroá, who is responsible for time policies at the Barcelona City Council, she was present and recalled that Barcelona has been a pioneering city with time policies. “Like many women in the neighbourhood, we try to combine demanding jobs with family, with social life, with activism, and having time banks is a good space to network, to have meeting spaces, and to share with other people, better or worse, we know how to do”, highlighted Gil.

This entity, an important reference for the neighbourhood, promotes the exchange of services and knowledge using time as a form of payment, no matter which service is exchanged. The final objective of these exchanges is to create a network of mutual aid and to help cover certain needs of the users who make up the Sants Time Bank. Organizational tasks are carried out between the members of the management team and the users, and everyone is welcome. To create a space of trust, a first interview is held by those who show interest, before starting. Right now there are more than 140 people signed up, but around 500 people have gone through the project since it opened its doors. 60% of the people registered are between 30 and 85 years old, and the bank also collaborates and networks with other banks in the city and even outside Barcelona.

This type of entity is part of the broader movement of time banks in Catalonia that already has a 25-year history, the first one being opened in Horta neighbourhood in Barcelona as well. As it could not be otherwise, the organization is also part of the Time Pact of  Barcelona.