Common types of collaborating events and their benefits

Common types of collaborating events and their benefits In Toronto

Collaboration is no longer a matter of working closely together on a project. Collaborative exchanges are a rising form of sharing items and objects. The objective of sharing and swapping items is to save money and effort while building up social relationships. 

There are several common types of collaborating events: 

•Tool cribs and tool lending libraries permit members to exchange spare tools. They may loan one out that they do not need to the library in exchange for the right to borrow a tool they do not. The tool exchange eliminates the need to rent a specialized tool by the hour from neighbors while avoiding the hassle of neighbors visiting a dozen homes in hopes of finding a working wood chipper or press. Adding members to a tool exchange increases the odds of rarely used tools being fully utilized and for members in need of a rare item finding it among the larger lending community. 

•Seed exchanges allow gardeners to swap advice along with locally grown seeds. Farmers and gardeners do not have to pay for seeds and can personally vet the source as organic, not genetically modified or suited for the local climate.

•Free stores operate on an exchange basis. Members of the community or free store club can take whatever they would like as long as they leave the same number of items behind. This is similar in concept to freecycle except that members do not have to look for someone to haul the item away. If the free store ends up with items it cannot use or find a home for, it can then donate them to a charity that will use it. Free stores reduce the appearance of perfectly good items being thrown in the trash. 

•Skill shares or trade schools are communities that exchange teaching opportunities. Skill shares have grown up in the arts and crafts and survivalist communities. One member teaches others how to bake with a solar oven while another then teaches the group how to can fruit. One member teaches the group how to create stained glass items in their own oven while another teaches sewing techniques. Each member is expected to teach at least one lesson in exchange for attending other presentations. Members get to learn without having to pay college course rates for learning life skills. 

•Clothing swaps bring together members to exchange clothing. A common form of this is “Moms of Multiples”, all getting together to hand down clothes their children wore to a younger set of multiples. Clothing swaps have expanded into the adult range with women swapping clothes sitting in their closets for new-to-them fashions.