BarterWorks is a local trading organization of individuals, businesses and community groups. Members trade goods and services through the exchange of barter currency or a combination of barter currency and Canadian dollars.
The Working Centre supports BarterWorks as a community economic development initiative that provides an infrastructure for organizing, planning and creating exciting barter possibilities. The network has a diverse range of businesses and individuals offering goods and services including construction, work accounting services, legal services, child-care, graphic design, clothing, food, health-care, entertainment, computer services and much more.
It is a network whose membership combines individuals, organizations, home-based and small businesses. BarterWorks provides the opportunity to trade skills and talents, whether it is a skill used professionally as a hobby, or is a skill not used in a current job.
BarterWorks:
- Brings people together around the common goals of skills exchange and cooperation
- Recognizes the gift of skill and good work
- Encourages people to define and describe their skills and abilities
- Assists individuals to work towards developing small business and income-generating ideas
- Provides a base of over 150 members for businesses seeking to promote their product or service
- Starts from the premise of "ability" and is based on the ideas that we all have skills and strengths to share with others
- Creates a local currency that recognizes the important role that the informal economy plays in a strong and healthy local economy
