A local swapshop and charity-bank in Pécs

What you organized, when, where and for how many people?

We planned to organize a local swapshop and charity-bank kind of activity in our home town, Pécs. We started with a meetup for some likeminded people (an informal group called Pécsi Zöld Fórum) in May where about 20 people showed up and exchanged ideas in open space. 2 ideas came out as favourites, one of them the swapshop activity, which was then discussed in a smaller group, facilitated by me.

What were the main goals and objectives of the activity?

Providing a platform for like-minded locals to give away or swap surplus goods (from used household items to hand-made things or homestead products) where your time and skills can also be offered in exchange for items. The activity helps waste-reduction by reusing and shows a positive example of how to control consumption.

What were the main outcomes and results of the activity?

The small group came up with interesting ideas, we actually started swapping in this tiny informal circle. We then created a closed FB group which is still under construction as we have not decided if the social media platform works best for our needs.

Are there any other relevant aspects related to the activity, a conclusion or future plan?

We have discussed several aspects of the project including obstacles that are hard to avoid at the social media platform. We realized the idea needs more input to run on long term and we are busy with other projects so we plan more meetups to work this out maybe next year. We might want to get a software or an app developed for this special activity in the future.