Swap Day
Introduction
Have you ever hesitated to throw your old pullover away, because it is kind of still good, however it does not fit you anymore? It keeps collecting dust in your wardrobe year by year… And how about the beautiful set of Christmas-themed cups and plates that a friend of yours gave you? Or your old MP3 player?
Have you managed to grasp how it is at all possible that this world is just not willing to pay for your God-given talents? Otherwise you could give up your 9 to 5 job and teach piano classes or give massages to people, while baking delicious cupcakes in the afternoons…
There are countless possibilities to make use of the talents and (unneeded) things we already have. It can even become a positive addiction that can change your life - literally! It might take a single Swap Day with your friends and neighbours to get new fancy clothes, books, arts and crafts without spending a penny.
Swap Days means swapping - for free. It can be a backyard party with your neighbours or a huge event in the local town hall welcoming everyone who has something to offer and something that someone else might need.
Activity Type
Experiential group activity
Duration
1 day for organizing
1 day for the event
Learning Outcomes
To have ideas for minimising consumption / excess stuff
To practice basic concepts of gift economy
To understand local possibilities for sharing in your area
Instructions
Required Materials and Tools:
Things to be swapped
Equipment for arranging the place of swapping (tables, chairs, noticeboard, post-its, etc.)
Step-by-Step Instructions:
Have a chat with friends to choose the theme of the Swap Day: clothes, books, household appliances or everything together. Decide on the organisational aspects - venue, time, who is going to be invited etc. Do the appropriate advertising and make sure that the Swap Day will draw a crowd big enough to get a wide variety of swaps going.
Clean your room / wardrobe / bookshelf / etc. Put aside the things that you do not need any more - but that are good enough to be used - and might be of interest for the participants in the Swap Day.
Meet the others in the Swap day. Depending on the size of the event, share the information about the things you brought with you either in a circle or on a noticeboard. Make another round / noticeboard for the things that people wished for but could not find that day. It may be a good idea to collect and share e-mail addresses for people to continue swapping later on.
Resources
Reflection
What challenges did you face?
What was the best deal you experienced?
What would you do differently next time?
What is the potential of swapping days in your area?
Do you know any websites / Facebook pages that enable swapping?
What is likely to be your next swapping action?
Instructions for Submission
Upload 1 photo from the Swap Day and submit your written reflection, so that your peers can give you feedback. Instructions on how to upload photos and how to submit things in Moodle can be found here: Instructions on Submission&Uploading
Instructions for Assessment
Provide feedback to at least one participant that has done this activity. Instructions on providing feedback can be found here: Instructions on Feedback
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