UrCommunity - "Creating a better World"
The proposed model operates with volunteer staff that will learn invaluable hospitality skills that will open doors into the industry as well as connect them with the broader community on a daily basis. The training and experience at UrCommunity café is aimed at improving communication, language skills, confidence and community inclusion.
If hospitality is not the volunteers' strength, UrCommunity provides mentoring support to find them a role in different areas of the business which best suits their skill set. The other area we are developing at present is the Business Food Forest and the Backyard Food Forest. There will be additional volunteer opportunities available in these project areas.
As a volunteer at UrCommunity, they will become part of a wider community which believes that everyone has a right to feel valued, respected and which fosters a philosophy that says our efforts should help bring all people together.
The volunteers will be encouraged to join and be part of this unique journey because at UrCommunity we believe it's important for people from all walks of life to respect one another, encourage one another and relate to one another. UrCommunity offers a distinctive new future for community business.
What will the volunteers and participants get?
They will get a unique experience by volunteering at the UrCommunity café as they will have the opportunity to make new friends and connect with our diverse communities as UrCommunity cafe is a multicultural and inclusive community organisation.
They will also earn time credits for the number of hours that each of them contribute, which are redeemable for meals at the UrCommunity café, as well as via the online UrCommunity Exchange portal for an ever-growing range of products and services.
There are also vocational training opportunities as well as the right connections for future work placements.
There are a number of significant benefits provided as part of this model;
Cultural exchange opportunities and connectedness for our patrons and volunteers.
If hospitality is not the volunteers' strength, UrCommunity provides mentoring support to find them a role in different areas of the business which best suits their skill set. The other area we are developing at present is the Business Food Forest and the Backyard Food Forest. There will be additional volunteer opportunities available in these project areas.
As a volunteer at UrCommunity, they will become part of a wider community which believes that everyone has a right to feel valued, respected and which fosters a philosophy that says our efforts should help bring all people together.
The volunteers will be encouraged to join and be part of this unique journey because at UrCommunity we believe it's important for people from all walks of life to respect one another, encourage one another and relate to one another. UrCommunity offers a distinctive new future for community business.
What will the volunteers and participants get?
They will get a unique experience by volunteering at the UrCommunity café as they will have the opportunity to make new friends and connect with our diverse communities as UrCommunity cafe is a multicultural and inclusive community organisation.
They will also earn time credits for the number of hours that each of them contribute, which are redeemable for meals at the UrCommunity café, as well as via the online UrCommunity Exchange portal for an ever-growing range of products and services.
There are also vocational training opportunities as well as the right connections for future work placements.
There are a number of significant benefits provided as part of this model;
Cultural exchange opportunities and connectedness for our patrons and volunteers.
- Employment placement for people unable to get "a foot in the door" of traditional workplace cultures and training experiences tailored to their needs
- Counselling service linkages and community support connections for people from traumatised backgrounds and those in situation of social or physical hardship or disadvantage
- An opportunity to interface with a broad cross-section of the multicultural communities in the areas we establish
- Café service and training in food preparation, barista training, kitchen training, etc.
- Retail operation and customer service training
- Horticultural and food production training
- Arts connection and the opportunity for telling stories and relating through a mixed media approach to highlight journeys, personal growth, experiences of inclusiveness and exclusion to wider audiences, to challenge and/or redefine community views or perceptions
UrCommunity Timebanking System (UTS)
This project will assist to transition attitudes away from an economic transactional perspective towards a social integration perspective using a time credit system.
Time Credits explained
The object of the UTS is to facilitate trade without money, building a sense of community at the same time. The term 'trade' means the normal activity of selling goods and providing services by producers, sellers or providers, and the purchase of these by buyers, customers, clients, patients, consumers, etc., with no money changing hands.
The UTS serves two basic functions:
Get the things you want and need fasterand for less, by trading your timeas a UTS time trader.
Although the UTS is internet-based, it also works for those who do not have their own or direct access to a computer. Each user gets an account number and a password, and this gives them access to their account on the UTS web site. The site works like a true online banking service. Participants can view their current balances and obtain statements of account. They can also keep track of others' trading position.
Access to the online service will be available free for all participants via the system at the UrCommunity Café.
Goods and services are advertised on the website through an 'Offerings List'. Participants look through this list, or do a search, and if they find anything they want, they can contact the seller who then provides the goods or service, free of charge. Payment is effected through a Trading Slip which serves both as a means of payment and a receipt for the goods or service. UTS accounts record debits and credits, giving a balance after each transaction.
People without computers can interface with the system through 'branches' where everything is done manually and information is available on paper.
We are currently developing an exciting new platform for users to exchange goods and services using Time Banking credits. The changes will include:
Time Credits explained
The object of the UTS is to facilitate trade without money, building a sense of community at the same time. The term 'trade' means the normal activity of selling goods and providing services by producers, sellers or providers, and the purchase of these by buyers, customers, clients, patients, consumers, etc., with no money changing hands.
The UTS serves two basic functions:
- it is an online money-less 'banking' system
- it is a 'marketplace' where people sell goods and services
Get the things you want and need fasterand for less, by trading your timeas a UTS time trader.
Although the UTS is internet-based, it also works for those who do not have their own or direct access to a computer. Each user gets an account number and a password, and this gives them access to their account on the UTS web site. The site works like a true online banking service. Participants can view their current balances and obtain statements of account. They can also keep track of others' trading position.
Access to the online service will be available free for all participants via the system at the UrCommunity Café.
Goods and services are advertised on the website through an 'Offerings List'. Participants look through this list, or do a search, and if they find anything they want, they can contact the seller who then provides the goods or service, free of charge. Payment is effected through a Trading Slip which serves both as a means of payment and a receipt for the goods or service. UTS accounts record debits and credits, giving a balance after each transaction.
People without computers can interface with the system through 'branches' where everything is done manually and information is available on paper.
We are currently developing an exciting new platform for users to exchange goods and services using Time Banking credits. The changes will include:
- Easier to use
- Allows user rating of suppliers
- Mentoring for new users
- Social networking for members
- Link in via other social platforms (facebook, twitter, LinkedIn etc)
- Award system
- Smartphone app under development
- Ability to link to retail point of sale software for businesses
- And much more
- New platform will be available early in 2015.
Example of how the UTS works
.png)