Swapshops are spaces where people can turn up and learn, at the cost of teaching others what they know. They can be set up and taken down quickly, and thus could be set up in shop fronts and community spaces.

The hard part is getting the spaces, which requires agreement from the lot owner and would inevitably involve insurance and such. To ensure the space is available to the owner when they require it viewings, etc.) the organisation could be orchestrated on an online calendar. Perhaps the users of the space could be an incentive to allowing this, since the eventual business there (cafe, etc.) could attract these people as customers when the space moves. The skills on offer themselves could be payment; technical users can create and improve virtual profiles for the owner, photographers can take promotional shots of the property for free, etc. Perhaps legislation from the council could be put in motion, in the long term, to improve highstreet environments by allowing such things in vacant properties. The council may even have such properties themselves. To start with, scouting for spaces can be crowdsourced, mapping the empty spaces found submitting it to a central location. Without a doubt, pitching will be the make or break part. Perhaps finding someone with a corporate background who can give some clout through their presence would be useful.

If this is set up, how does it build momentum? There are similar organisations and efforts going on at the moment, so partnering with them can provide a kickstart. Whilst many people may initially come to gain skills, many would eventually share.

Could it be monetised? A voluntary donation, or a nominal fee could be taken from users of the space, giving what they think its worth.

Those wanting to help out can add their details to the appropriate flip-chart, or go to the Sheffield Swap Shop group on spacemakers.ning.com.

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