Kola Community Solutions Timebanking & Social Capital Toolkit

Mike Strode Articles, Case Studies, Community Currencies, Social Capital, Timebanking, Toolkit Leave a Comment

During the past three years of research and public engagement, there have been several tools which have proven useful in helping me grapple with the practicality and possibility of timebanking. Our key offering, The Time Salon, was born of a desire to create a space where communities could engage in conversations about how they might best see a time-based skills …

Community Councils Working Group Assembly Toolkit

Mike Strode Assemblies, Case Studies, Toolkit Leave a Comment

During the summer of 2018, a small contingent of organizers within Chicago DSA (Democratic Socialists of America) developed a Working Group committed to the task of incubating and facilitating neighborhood level democratic assemblies with the goal of empowering the voices of local residents and citizens in the total governance of their communities. Unlike the institutions offered in our representative democracy, …

The Ujamaa Hour: Mid-Year Recap on Developing Solidarity Economy Initiatives in Black Communities

Mike Strode Case Studies, Cooperatives Leave a Comment

Thus far in 2019, we have hosted conversations with Danielle Mkali of Nexus Community Partners, Me’lea Connelly of Village Financial Cooperative, LaTierra Piphus of Womanist Working Collective, Dara Cooper of National Black Food & Justice Alliance, Jamila Medley of Philadelphia Area Cooperative Alliance, and Deon Lucas of E.G. Woode. This follows on the heels of launching near the close of …

The Ujamaa Hour: Four Episode Pilot Webcast on Developing Solidarity Economy Initiatives in Black Communities

Mike Strode Case Studies, Cooperatives Leave a Comment

In the fall of 2018, the Kola Nut Collaborative partnered with BRIJ Embassy for Black America in order to develop a commentary and interview segment broadcast within the online community, BEBA, which would deepen member awareness of several cooperative economic strategies employed within Black communities in historical and contemporary times. Below are the five initial segments produced during this partnership. Four …

Cooperation For Liberation Study & Working Group Forum Toolkit

Mike Strode Case Studies, Cooperatives Leave a Comment

Having completed shared readings of “Collective Courage” and “Jackson Rising”, we are breaking from the Study Group to develop projects which have been proposed by the Working Group including a forum, zine, gallery, and web series. Over the course of 12 weeks, a core group of participants have endeavored to make deep study and exchange thoughts about Dr. Jessica Gordon …

Cooperation Chicago: Building Chicago’s Worker Cooperative Ecosystem

Mike Strode Case Studies, White Paper Leave a Comment

“As worker cooperatives create living wage employment opportunities for low and moderate- income and marginalized workers, IWCA believes that fostering the growth of the worker cooperative ecosystem is the single most important thing that the City of Chicago, Cook County, and the State of Illinois can do to address worker exploitation and inequality, while promoting economic stability and community wealth …

People Powered Money: Designing, Developing & Delivering Community Currencies

Mike Strode Case Studies, Community Currencies Leave a Comment

“In regionally diverse and digitally advanced economies – whether local, national or sectoral – there is no one-size-fits-all money. What is more, though money evolves along with social and technological changes, it must not be forgotten that people ultimately control its path. In towns, regions and online networks people have quietly been creating their own currencies for decades: testament to …

The New Wealth of Time: How Timebanking Helps People Build Better Public Services

Mike Strode Case Studies, Timebanking Leave a Comment

“Our public services remain largely focused on addressing needs once they have emerged. In essence, over the last 10 years due to increased funding in public service we have improved our capacity to ‘pull people out of the river’. This money has improved the lives of many people, but as financial resources are squeezed it becomes vital that we stop …

Grace Hill’s MORE: Neighbors Helping Neighbors (February 2008)

Mike Strode Case Studies, Timebanking Leave a Comment

“While the professional services provided by public and nonprofit agencies are important, they are neither a sufficient nor ideal way to meet all the needs of residents in low-income communities. The reach of these agencies is limited, both by the available revenue and because they are crisis- and deficit-oriented, so that people generally delay turning to them until problems have …

Member Organized Resource Exchange: A Guide to Replication

Mike Strode Case Studies, Coproduction, Timebanking Leave a Comment

In 1997, Lois Wright undertook the task of documenting the history, model and practice of a program at Grace Hill Settlement House named “Member Organized Resource Exchange (MORE)”.  While Grace Hill had been operating human service and self sufficiency programs in St. Louis since the early 20th century, MORE represented a shift towards incorporating deep residential participation into its service …