Our Gift Economy Approach
At Peace Talks, all of our services (our courses, workshops, programmes and individual sessions) are offered on a Gift Economy basis. This means that rather than setting a "market price", we invite you to contribute an amount you are willing and able to give. This page gives more detail about how we offer our services, and what this means for you.
What is the Gift Economy?
What would the world look like if the principles of care, compassion and awareness of human needs that are at the very core of Nonviolent Communication (NVC) were integrated into every part of our lives...including our economic interactions with each other?
Which of our many current world crises (e.g. poverty, inequality, polarisation, the climate crisis, wars) might be resolved if the world’s resources flowed to human needs rather than to those who have the greatest advantages of birth or more savvy business strategies?
We are committed to taking concrete steps to creating a world where we can truly care for each other, operate from connection to community and give and receive from a generosity of heart.
Instead of considering “what is the price?” (as in a typical economic exchange) a gift economy approach asks you to consider your needs and our needs together: What do we each need? This isn’t always easy; but it is very powerful, and potentially life changing.
A gift economy is an attempt to recreate a world where, even in our economic interactions:
- we can all care for each other;
- we acknowledge that our well-being is inextricably tied up in each others’;
- our focus is on need (not greed).
"The gift economy represents a shift from consumption to contribution,
from transaction to trust,
from scarcity to abundance and
isolation to community"
~ Charles Eisenstein, Sacred Economics.
Why do we operate this way?
A gift economy approach transforms the moment of economic exchange into a relational moment - your wellbeing and ours are brought together into shared consideration. We are brought into awareness of our inter-dependence, our shared humanity and our mutual longing for trust and cooperation: “I” and “you” become “we”. It creates a tiny microcosm of possibility; a world where we care for each other, where the implications of our economic choices are a little more visible to us, and where we are able to use our daily financial decisions as a way to meet needs and support each other. We do it this way because we want to:
Create systems where resources flow to needs.
We want the support, care and guidance that we offer to flow in the most direct way to anyone who needs that support, care and guidance, regardless of their financial circumstances.
“I think that everybody carries in their hearts the knowledge that a more beautiful world is possible.
Children feel it.
Teenagers especially feel it very strongly, and we call it idealism.
But many forces conspire to tell us:
'That’s just youthful idealism...you’ll grow out of it.' ”
Charles Eisenstein
Our Gift To You
All of our courses and services are offered as a gift. We put a lot of heart into creating our offerings, including a large amount of time, energy and passion. In this day of online separation, social media and AI, it is sometimes hard to know what you are getting when you register for a course. We would therefore like to explain some of the less visible, “behind the scenes” elements that go into our work:
♡ Expertise and experience
We both have extensive training and expertise that underpin everything we teach. We are both internationally certified in Nonviolent Communication, and between us have years of training, qualifications and experience in nonviolent communication, psychology, mediation, neuroscience, research, community building and communication. This is our passion, our life’s work and our love. (Learn more about Sally and Jorinde).
♡ Research and development
We put hundreds of hours each year into researching, planning, creating, writing, filming, editing, and developing materials for the people we work with. We live and breathe the question of how to create more peace and connection in families and communities, and everything we learn, we strive to put back into our offerings.
♡ Lived practice and Integrity
We conscientiously practice what we teach, working daily to bring nonviolent communication into every aspect of our lives. As a participant in our courses, you can be confident that anything you hear from us is something that we actively integrate in our own lives with our children, communities, friendships, families, business practices and in our work with each other.
♡ A fierce commitment to what actually works
Our aim in all of our work is to use our skills, expertise and training to create something that will genuinely contribute to your life. Our courses are not just theory; they are carefully designed using pedagogical principles, cognitive behavioural techniques. We focus on offering community and individual connection with us to motivate and support you to make lasting changes in your life. We are constantly refining our offerings in line with the feedback we receive to make them as useful and engaging as possible.
♡ Authenticity
Every word you read or hear from us was written by us. We research, write and create all of our courses, newsletters, emails, blogs, materials, resources and marketing. We have a deep commitment to authenticity, because we believe in the life-changing power of real, imperfect, heartfelt human communication. This commitment takes a lot more time than “more efficient” methods, like using AI to write emails, articles and courses (....yes, this is now a common practice!) We trust that you will feel that difference when you engage with our work.
♡ Support and Care
We put a lot of care and individual attention into supporting people through our courses and programmes. We personally engage with the people we work with, including through individual email, phone, text contact and one-on-one check in sessions. We know that everyone's situation is different, and that sometimes making changes in your life can be really challenging. We want to walk beside you for a time and support you to make the change you are after.
Sam, Invercargill
"Thank you ever so much Jorinde and Sally. You make such a wonderful team, and I'm so grateful to you both for introducing me to this way of parenting. It really is such a life changing gift. You are doing such valuable work which the world needs so much more of! Keep it up beautiful people!"
How Does The Gift Economy Work?
The Gift Economy is a very different way to contribute, and we realise it can be confusing at first! We have answered some of the common questions we receive about how to contribute to help acquaint you with this way of offering our service.
How much do your services cost?
Does this mean all of your courses are FREE?
So your courses are all externally funded?
I really want to do this, but I do not have the financial means....
I don't have time for this - I just want to pay something
How do I decide how much to give?
How do you come up with your recommended ranges?
What is a Gift Economy and why do you offer your courses this way?
Do you want to support our vision?
At this tender stage of Peace Talks development, we are inspired to explore a new step of building a much needed “Circle of Support” for us, to offer financial and other kinds of support that would hold us with loving and caring arms as we do the same for the parents and families we support.
We are inviting people who are passionate about the gift economy approach, alternative economic systems, sharing Nonviolent Communication (NVC), or who are simply interested in supporting our work. This suport might include:
- Financial support (e.g. regular contributions)
- Support sharing our work with friends, family, on social media or through your community networks.
- Offers of skills or practical assistance (e.g. skilled assistance with editing, administrative, social media, marketing or accounting).
- Mutual learning, networking and collaboration about the gift economy.
- The act of simply taking time to understand the how of our work (a deeply meaningful contribution for us).
We can imagine ourselves being inspired to reach out to this group through periodic writing and sharing about the gift economy and our work through a periodic email newsletter (separate from our Peace Talks Reflections).
If you feel moved to take part in this group, we would be so excited to welcome you into this early conceptualising stage of our Peace Talks Circle of Support. We don't know what form this will take yet - it is collaborative and emerging, but for now, an interest and enthusiasm for this vision are the only prerequisites. Please sign up below if you are inspired to hear more.
Join the Peace Talks Circle of Support