Ballarat & District Community Exchange
The knowledge & skills of its people is the real wealth of a Community.
The BDCE is a system based on the exchange of goods & services within the Community.
The CES (community exchange system) was formerly known as the LETS system. The LETS groups joined the CES to take advantage of the online tools & to be a part of a global network of alternative trading.
What is LETS? (local energy trading scheme)
The LETS system is designed to deal with the problems associated with conventional money.
It is a not for profit, community based network in which users exchange goods & services with an alternative for money. A locally created unit of value as currency which can be traded/bartered in exchange for goods & services.
Focus is taken off money & onto exchanging goods & services. A successful community exchange can possibly provide users with food, clothing, housing, transport, health, repairs, equipment etc.
The BDCE allows us all to exchange what we specialise in with other members of our Community. Everybody is good at something, so being a part of the BDCE gives each individual a sense of purpose & belonging to the Community. It can benefit the unemployed, single parents, the elderly etc, by helping to meet their needs. It offers an instantaneous social support network.
A local trading system builds relationships & it is a powerful means of regenerating a sense of trust, honesty & abundance among Community members. It keeps wealth where it is created. By supplementing conventional cash flow with a local fictional currency, a community can maintain full employment & protect itself from changes/fluctuations in the money supply.
What LETS is not
It is not a club or organisation. You do not join or become a member. You register to use the BDCE as a new way of trading without using money.
Trading
The BDCE uses Gold Nuggets as our local currency, appropriate for our districts History.
One (1) Gold Nugget is equivalent to $1.00 one dollar. You do not need a balance in your account to begin trading. You start by either going into a negative or positive balance. A negative balance simply means you owe the Community goods and/or services to the value of your debt. Your balance is open for everyone to see and so shows how you have been trading. This creates a system based on honesty.
How to Register & more information
Go to www.communityexchange.net.au/home
Go to join the CES, join an existing group in Australia. Scroll down to BDCE (Ballarat & District Community Exchange).
Your local administrators are:-
Anne-Maree Colvin & Jess Marshall
Contact: bdce311@gmail.com