A new way to share and swap skills

Transition Sydenham is proud to announce a new partnership with localskillswap.com, a website that helps you find like-minded people in your area so that you can swap your skills and get things done for free.

Localskillswap.com is a nationwide site, but is actually the brainchild of Katrina Gillard, a Crystal Palace resident who is in the process of setting up a Transition Town there. The site is divided into regional umbrella groups (London & home counties, Devon, etc.) and more local groups within this – a Sydenham & Forest Hill group has been set up within the last week.

To take advantage of this and start mapping who knows how to do what in our area, simply register as a member on the website, including any skills you have that you would be willing to share. You can search your area for particular skills, and post specific requests (what you need and what you can offer in return) on the home page. You can also post requests for local knowledge on the home page, and tap into the wealth of information that local residents often share. If you are contacted by a fellow member and invited to swap skills but can’t for whatever reason, there is the option to offer your skill at the going rate.

The idea of swapping local skills and pooling knowledge is a key part of what the Transition movement is about – increasing local resilience as oil supplies reduce and the impact of climate change increases.

What does this mean in practice? Well, it could be swapping products and services: getting a massage/haircut/piano lesson/bike repaired/wall built from someone in the next street rather than you or them driving several miles; or, it could involve sharing knowledge of one thing in return for another: you teach me how to keep bees, I’ll show you how to do DIY loft insulation.

The effects? A community better equipped to look after itself if resources are in short supply; individuals learning new skills and developing interests; the opportunity to get things done without spending any money; and maybe making a few new friends into the bargain.

The more people that join, the better the resource. Once a large enough number of people from Sydenham and Forest Hill are signed up, we hope to run a skill-sharing event of some kind in collaboration with localskillswap.com – watch this space!

So sign up now, and let’s get skill-swapping…