Introduce yourself

:waving_hand:
First time here?

Tell us a bit more about yourself and your interest in exchange communities

1 Like

I start :slight_smile:

I’m Sergi from Barcelona, now living in a rural area in the center of Catalonia. Since 2004, I’ve worked in the digital space, specializing in web development, communication, marketing, and self-managed teams. In 2009, my path shifted toward time banks, leading me to found the ADBdT.org association and develop the TimeOverflow.org platform. Later, I co-founded Coopdevs.coop , a cooperative dedicated to creating open-source tools that empower cooperatives and Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) organizations. Recently I started another cooperative project related to self-managed teams facilitation Facil.coop

I take part in Community Exchange Network’s governance meetings, helping to coordinate and improve the efficiency of our work. Virtual collaboration at international level is quite a challenge, and English isn’t my strong suit, as if the journey needed even more obstacles :sweat_smile: . Even so, these are challenges I take on with joy and enthusiasm.

4 Likes

Hi all, My name is Liam, I’m 25 and based in Northern Ireland. Predominantly a full stack web developer who was recommended the CEN project by Olivier (hopefully get an intro from him soon :] ) I look forward to working with everyone :slight_smile:

4 Likes

I’m Olivier from the Nantes region in France, now living on the north coast of Ireland. I’ve been drawn to open-source software since the nineties, I love the idea that tools can be shared and collectively improved and owned. It has shaped my path in IT infrastructure and system administration ever since.

My interest in alternative economies goes back just as far. I started taking part in mutual credit groups in France in the late nineties, so when I later co-founded the North Coast Community Exchange (NCCE) on the Irish coast, using ā€œWavesā€ as its community currency, it felt like a natural continuation. That’s how I discovered CES and Tim Jenkin’s remarkable work. What started as a local initiative quickly drew me into the broader network.

Today I’m a core contributor to the Community Exchange Network, where I wear several hats: infrastructure, and sysadmin for CES1 and CES2, tech support, system documentation, meeting minutes, community onboarding, and localisation. I also contribute to the Komunitin codebase that powers CES2, primarily on the deployment, configuration, and translation side.

I’m interested in digital sovereignty, federated systems, and the idea that communities can organise their own economies without depending on a central institution. Virtual collaboration across continents and time zones isn’t always easy, but the people in this network make it worthwhile.

3 Likes

Hello!

My name is Esteve, from Catalonia. I participate in a local exchange community here in my region since around 2011 (ecoxarxadelbages.org). We started using CES and now we use Komunitin. I’m a Software Engineer and I’ve been the main contributor to the Komunitin open source project. My dream is to provide all CEN networks with the best possible software platform that really has an impact for the better. And I have a small flock of sheep :ewe: :ewe: :ewe:

5 Likes

Hi, I’m Maarten!

Born in Africa, raised in Asia and (southern) Europe, I ended up making Amsterdam (I’m Dutch) my base for further travels and adventures.

Having come to webdevelopment in the late nineties from a background in music, photography and design, I have mainly worked as a Frontend developer and have been lucky enough to mostly have worked on projects that were meaningful to me (and hopefully made a positive social impact ;-).

This desire to make a positive contribution to the planet - as well as my life-long habit of thinking about (and acting on) sustainability, resilience and adaptation - have ultimately led me to contribute to the CES2 project, where I mainly work on the UX/UI side of things, since the summer of 2025. But most of all, joining CES as a contributor has felt like ā€˜coming home’!

4 Likes

Hi there

Mark ffrom West Hertfordshire in UK.

Joined a local LETS group (HempLETS) back in 2020. Was on its management committee for a few years.

Still engaged there, but in process of establishing a new regional group (Friends in Grand Union) that will not use any medium of exchange or token.

Idea being to disolve the habit (distortion?) of measuring our engagement in our local area.

I am a market gardener, carpenter and general builder. I commit to offering my goods and services more unconditionally.

This happens already within family and friendship circles. FIGU will expand the field.

My dream is to have money-free thinking and living being as normal as monetary thinking and transacting is today.

4 Likes

Hi, I’m Ana, and I live in Valencia. I grew up speaking Catalan, Spanish, and French :wink:. Years ago, I participated in the Valencia Time Bank, but I took a break until now, when I’m collaborating with the ADBdT. Since my son is interested in Linux, I’ve made friends at gnulinuxvalencia.org, but I don’t know how to code…
I’ve always worked in the social sector, as I really love people.
I love learning, sharing ideas, and connecting people. I’m really interested in education in all its forms, and I’ve worked in gender equality. Right now, I’m also learning about edible forests.

3 Likes

Hello dear friends,

I’m Maria, and my hobby is timebanks! :hourglass_not_done:

I’m currentrly an active user and member of the coordination teams of the timabanks of Sants and Badalona and president of the Association for the Development of Timebanks (ADBdT) in Spain.

I was introduced to the idea of tiembanks in the aftermath of the economic crisis of 2008 as a solution to the lack of money. Nevertheless, I really got addicted to it for the human connections and the friends I made. :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

4 Likes

I’m Tim, the creator of the original CES software, which began in 2002 using 1990s technologies! CES launched in 2003 with the Cape Town Talent Exchange. In the following years, CES spread to many countries around the world. This original software is now called CES1 and is being replaced by new software employing modern technologies.

After smartphones appeared on the scene, a mobile version of CES was created and continues to evolve as administrators and users make requests for additional features. While I will contribute to the evolution of CES2 in whatever ways I can, my days as the main developer are, thankfully, over. We now have a great team who will take the CES software to new heights!

I now hope to devote my energies to promoting the Community Exchange Network through writing articles, preparing videos, getting the message across in any way that I can, and turning the CEN website into a true hub promoting community exchange globally.

3 Likes

Hello - delighted to be here. I am Karin and part of the Agivey River Catchment (ARC) Exchange in Co Derry, Northern Ireland. We have been up and running for a few months now thanks to the support, wisdom and encouragement of the North Coast Community Exchange. Our exchange is part of a broader project valuing & growing relationships between place and peoples in the small river catchment.

4 Likes

Hello, my name is Adriana, and I am from Bucharest, Romania, Europe. I believe the formula for the Community Exchange System is quite simple:

NEED → OFFER → CONNECTION → EXCHANGE → RECORD-KEEPING → VALUE RECIRCULATION.

This formula served as the starting point for the concept of the Bucur Community in Romania. We are in the very early stages of building the community. For us, the CES represents the infrastructure for exchange and record-keeping, while Bucur encompasses the community itself—the relationships, contributions, projects, and collaborations built around it.

1 Like

wishing you all the best with your exchange group in Romania. Let us know how things evolve and share your stories and insights with us!

Good morning, everyone. I joined CES in the summer of 2025. That was when I first learned about the time-banking concept, and my research led me to CES. That marked the start of a journey that seemed simple but turned out to be quite complex.

I began building the ā€œBucur Communityā€ on my own; a few members signed up, and we even carried out some exchanges. Activity is currently on hold because I want to learn and fully grasp the concepts so I can explain them simply to future members. These ideas are not well-known in my country. I am still in the process of designing the community’s conceptual infrastructure. I am reworking the website content to ensure it is easy to understand—constantly refining and revising. As the founder and administrator, I still have many tasks ahead of me. I want to get the foundation right from the start so I don’t waste effort moving in the wrong conceptual direction.

I deeply identify with everything the CES concept stands for—its values, vision, and mission.

2 Likes

Hi! I’m Evan, lifelong citizen of the US of A and its 40 Trillion dollars of national debt (and counting!).

Over the past twenty years, I’ve seen and experienced the insidious effects of the world’s dominant monetary system, but I could never really imagine a better way. That is, until I discovered the concept of Mutual Credit. To call it a revelation would be an understatement, and as the pieces of this new understanding fell into place over the next few days, I discovered Tim’s CES project and knew that this was it…what money should be; a simple ledger free of interest or debt that could allow anyone to participate in a truly free economy. My hope is to be able to communicate this idea to the people in my own community so that we can build something special to enrich everyone through unhindered giving and accepting.

2 Likes

Hi I am Jessie, living in Logan Queensland Australia, who grew up helping each other in the bush, fighting fires, local shows etc.
A Logan Council Community support worker introduced me to Logan LETS that had been established by a Num im 1994, while I was President of a Neighourhood Centre. It and another Neighbourhood joined, as had other Centres in Brisbane. There was even a dentist member. Insurance was introduced in 2000 which LETS exchanges couldn’t afford so they could no longer have events at Centres, Parks etc. Logan LETS President was a computer tech so he set us up on the SANE System created by Tim. Quickly after that the Logan LeTS folded as did quite a few others. James Taris travelled the world using LETS and was participated in TV shows and newspaper interviews as other groups like Trades for Trades and Barter Card emerged. We had QLETS (Queensland groups) and OzLETS (Australia Wide) calls on Google so got to know other people. I joined BrisLETS in 2008, doing the Newsletter to start off then management roles. BrisLETS has had 38 AGMs, I am currently Secretary and loving that I can use Chat to do the website and content creation. Love being able to talk to other admins on the InterLETS quarterly zoom calls and in the Telegram group. And really appreciate all the work going on in the background. So many people from so many walks of live have passed through LETS over the years. We have had students from Korea and Africa connecting - so we know people are interested. We have quite a few original members still attending trading days but aging. So many very talented members who have lost eyesight etc and still creating what they can and enjoying the interaction at Trading Days which are mostly at Libraries and private places.

2 Likes

Hello all :waving_hand: I’m based in the Northern Rivers of NSW Australia (near Byron Bay to those of you who be more familiar with it). I had some experience with LETs back in my uni days in the late 1990s and have been intrigued ever since about alternative economic concepts. I’m hoping to revive the dormant Byron & Surrounds Community Exchange (BSCE) and look forward to getting some inspiration and wisdom on how to do that. Can someone point me in the direction of the Australian crew?

The region I live in has a long history of being counter-culture and we have lots of aligned initiatives like repair cafes, crop swaps, community gardens etc, so I believe it has a lot of potential to flourish as the values and mindset are there. Great to be here, also a fan of discourse forums :slight_smile:

3 Likes