Acronym for Banque d'échanges communautaires de services (Community Service Exchange Bank)
BECS was incorporated as a non-profit organization (NPO) in 1996 by a group of Montreal ecological activists who wanted to put their ideals of social ecology into practice. Drawing inspiration from the local exchange trading systems (LETS) that existed in Europe and similar experiments carried out in Western Canada, they launched their project with the ultimate goal of building a better, more inclusive and supportive world.
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Deeply rooted
values!
From its founding, BECS put in place measures that value the individual, their knowledge and life experience, in a spirit of living together where respect, mutual aid and generosity take precedence over the very nature of the service offered or received. And to give work a meaning other than a monetary one, BECS chose to be part of an alternative economy movement that gives equal value to all services and explicitly prohibits seeking monetary profit.
By serving as a unit of exchange, the BECS hour helps anchor the idea that one person's time is worth as much as another's. This philosophy allows less well-off people to integrate with dignity into our community group, while others see it as an opportunity to concretely express their solidarity and give back to society.
Finally, BECS continues to cultivate the ambition of helping its members reduce their ecological footprint by allowing them to exchange, recover, and even lend goods that are still useful. Whether directly on our website, at a bazaar, or by making their offers or requests known through our weekly Calls to Members or by posting in our private Facebook group, these are all ways to consume more responsibly.
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A functional
framework
Over the years, BECS has refined its communication tools and operating rules to better support members' experience within our community group. The general by-laws, the code of ethics and the policies in effect have therefore been adjusted to reflect reality — notably the fact that several people apply for membership after being won over by our philosophy and values, without fully grasping the commitment this approach requires.
To maintain vitality and democracy within BECS, member contribution is truly essential. Members need to be able to arrange their schedule to free up at least a minimum of time to carry out exchanges and to take part, as much as possible, in activities and the annual general meeting. Better still, members who offer the group their skills by taking on a responsibility on one of our committees, or by supporting our development efforts, contribute directly to ensuring BECS's long-term sustainability.
Since May 16, 2021, actress Ève Landry has served as ambassador for our community group to the general public.
