The Exchange Experiment.
Exchange, a term defined by the Collins New English Dictionary (1999) as: ‘Anything given or received as an equivalent or substitute for something else’ or ‘(of two or more people, governments, etc) to give each other (something similar) at the same time.’
The Exchange Experiment is a project conceived to explore the reasons behind the widespread uptake of wwoofing or working in exchange for accommodation and food. Why is it that so many people believe in this system? Is it purely for financial reasons? Is it because of the opportunity to get work completed without involving the ‘normal’ financial system? Is it a way to obtain the benefits of the social media phenomenon in a real and tangible way? Does working in exchange change peoples view of what their time and labour is worth? Is it simply a lifestyle?
This experiment seeks to answer these questions, and more, from both sides. The reasons no doubt will be as varied as the people participating in this system. We have entered into this experiment with our own preconceptions and shall be taking great interest in how ‘correct’ they prove to be.
Society is evolving, more and more people are seeking alternatives to the ‘normal’ way of doing things. What are the reasons behind this evolution? Is working in exchange a step along the journey or is it an answer in itself? We seek to change how people view and impact on the natural environment. Is working in exchange a viable way to meet those people who are more open to new ideas? Is it really possible to provide solutions to environmental problems simply in exchange for food and shelter? Will this degrade the impact of the changes simply because there is not large sums of money involved?
While we seek to change the way people impact on the environment, we realise that we will undoubtedly change along the way. Will the positives outweigh the negatives? We can only hope that they do. This site will record our journey and the results of our experiment. It will also provide a means for those people who have participated in our journey to track our evolution as ‘wwoofers’.
Simply put, this site will detail the changes given and received in exchange.
Let the journey begin!
Gregory & Claudia
2014
Exchange, a term defined by the Collins New English Dictionary (1999) as: ‘Anything given or received as an equivalent or substitute for something else’ or ‘(of two or more people, governments, etc) to give each other (something similar) at the same time.’
The Exchange Experiment is a project conceived to explore the reasons behind the widespread uptake of wwoofing or working in exchange for accommodation and food. Why is it that so many people believe in this system? Is it purely for financial reasons? Is it because of the opportunity to get work completed without involving the ‘normal’ financial system? Is it a way to obtain the benefits of the social media phenomenon in a real and tangible way? Does working in exchange change peoples view of what their time and labour is worth? Is it simply a lifestyle?
This experiment seeks to answer these questions, and more, from both sides. The reasons no doubt will be as varied as the people participating in this system. We have entered into this experiment with our own preconceptions and shall be taking great interest in how ‘correct’ they prove to be.
Society is evolving, more and more people are seeking alternatives to the ‘normal’ way of doing things. What are the reasons behind this evolution? Is working in exchange a step along the journey or is it an answer in itself? We seek to change how people view and impact on the natural environment. Is working in exchange a viable way to meet those people who are more open to new ideas? Is it really possible to provide solutions to environmental problems simply in exchange for food and shelter? Will this degrade the impact of the changes simply because there is not large sums of money involved?
While we seek to change the way people impact on the environment, we realise that we will undoubtedly change along the way. Will the positives outweigh the negatives? We can only hope that they do. This site will record our journey and the results of our experiment. It will also provide a means for those people who have participated in our journey to track our evolution as ‘wwoofers’.
Simply put, this site will detail the changes given and received in exchange.
Let the journey begin!
Gregory & Claudia
2014