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Development of Time Banks
Wong Hung, an associate profes-
sor from the Department of Social
Work at the Chinese University of
Hong Kong, was one of the advisors
of COME in 2001.
He says time banks can either ex-
change voluntary services or commu-
nity currencies.
“In the past, voluntary services
were not recorded, which means you
may only gain happiness and certifi-
cates. But now time banks encourage
more people to be volunteers by do-
nating their time. Then they can store
their serving hours for taking services
as rewards in the future,” he explains.
For the latter type, he says it can
help with the community economy as Sham Shum Fook preparation committee members having a meet-
it confines the consumption and pro- ing in Shek Kip Mei.
duction of goods and services to the “
local community.
Wong says the concept of the time It is a community work that needs help
bank, which originated in the United
States in 1980s, has now spread to from social workers. But now the govern-
other European, South American, and
Asian countries. ment has no funding for it. Social workers
He thinks the development of time
banks in Hong Kong is still at its in- need to use their time and source fund-
fant stage.
“It is a community work that needs ings to run time bank. The biggest dif-
help from social workers. But now the ficulty is that social workers do not have
government has no funding for it. So-
cial workers need to use their time and sufficient resources.
source fundings to run time bank. The
biggest difficulty is that social workers
do not have sufficient resources,” he
explains. ”
But he still believes the time bank
has its potential in Hong Kong by Edited by Isaiah Hui
adopting the UK experience, which is Sub-edited by Gloria Wei
having small time banks in different
communities to form a bigger time
bank.
“It is because the ageing popula-
tion in Hong Kong is increasing. Re-
tirees have higher educational levels
so they can handle applications for
using time banks better,” he says.