Barter Up and One Free Community:
A Collaborative Journey in Community Building and Social Justice
In an era where capitalism erodes community support, Barter Up and One Free Community (OFC) shine as beacons of inventive community building. Both initiatives share a common mission: crafting spaces where meaningful exchanges, mutual aid, and positive change thrive. Their collaboration showcases the power of uniting like-minded communities, fostering inspiration, learning, and growth, while also magnifying the impact of mutual aid groups in championing social justice.
Barter Up’s Path:
Barter Up challenges the requirement of money for the exchange of goods and services. Their shared frustration with consumerism’s demands led them to reimagine a world where needs are met through community connections, not currency. The notion sparked during a casual chat and bloomed into reality – Barter Up. Their events let individuals trade goods and services using non-perishable donations or a “pay what you can” model. Funds raised flow back into the community, nurturing collaboration, mutual aid, and interconnectedness. Beginning in December 2022 and launching on January 1st, 2023, Barter Up faced the pandemic head-on. Their commitment to safety and accessibility persevered, ensuring all participants felt welcome.
Find them on Instagram & TikTok
One Free Community’s Vision:
OFC epitomizes inclusivity and social justice. This BIPOC- and neurodivergent-led project aims to establish an accessible, functional, and inclusive global mutual aid network through OneFreeApp (still being built). OFC’s values rejects discrimination based on gender, sexuality, neurodiversity, disability, race, nationality, class, or status. Their Spoonie model and Holacratic approach emphasizes equity, decentralization, and accessibility.
Read More on Calling Up Justice
A Powerful Collaboration:
Barter Up and OFC united to learn from each other’s strengths. Barter Up sought OFC’s expertise in community building, admiring their organizational structure and community agreements. OFC found inspiration in Barter Up’s ability to transform virtual engagement into real-world events. Together they are co-authoring a workbook that bridges online interactions and in-person experiences became a shared aspiration, empowering future community builders.
Amplifying Social Justice:
The partnership between Barter Up and OFC exemplifies shared learning and mutual support’s potential. By merging their insights, they amplify impact, spurring change in their communities and beyond. Networking mutual aid groups reveals a transformative force. These alliances pool resources, knowledge, and passion to challenge systems, combat inequalities, and cultivate social change. This ripple effect extends far beyond immediate boundaries, demonstrating grassroots efforts’ capacity for profound transformation.
In a world yearning for genuine connections and social justice, Barter Up and One Free Community exemplify communities’ transformative power. Their collaboration demonstrates unity’s ability to reshape narratives, challenge norms, and craft a fairer, more compassionate world.
About the Author
Jesenia, a collaborator with Calling Up Justice and cofounder of One Free Community, is trying to find ways to survive capitalism while experiencing burnout from working in an inaccessible world of corporate healthcare tech. She recently launched her business with an anti-capitalist focus. Check out her Website or Read Jesenia’s Bio.