2026 – The Year of Gratitude

As we step into 2026, we’d like to begin the year with a simple and heartfelt theme for our exchange: Gratitude.

The _Cape Town Talent Exchange_ exists because people are willing to give, share, help, and trust one another. Every transaction recorded here represents real value — time, skills, goods, care, and effort freely offered by one member and gratefully received by another. This is something worth celebrating.

Many members currently carry a balance in the red. This is not a problem, nor a failure. It simply means that, at some point, you received value from fellow members who were willing to give. That willingness is one of the great strengths of a mutual credit exchange. It shows trust, generosity, and belief in the community.

Gratitude, however, is not only something we feel — it is something we can express. In a mutual exchange, gratitude is most beautifully expressed by offering value in return. Not necessarily to the same person, and not all at once, but back into the shared pool that supports everyone.

As we begin this new year, we invite you to reflect on what you have received, and then gently ask yourself: What do I have that others might need? It could be a skill, some spare time, a practical service, knowledge, something to recycle, creativity, or simply a willingness to help. Every offering matters, and often the simplest ones are the most valuable.

One of the most important ways to participate is by advertising your offerings. If people don’t know what you have or what you can do, they can’t ask. An exchange only comes alive when members make themselves visible to one another.

Giving and receiving are two sides of the same flow. When they remain in balance, the exchange stays healthy, resilient, and welcoming. When more members step forward with offerings, opportunities multiply for everyone.

So let us make 2026 the year we say “thank you” — not with words alone, but with participation, presence, and shared value. Whether you are returning after a long pause or continuing an active journey, you are warmly welcome here. The exchange works best when we all take part.

CTTE Home

CTTE Logo 2000x2000pixl PNGThe Cape Town Talent Exchange (CTTE) was the first exchange group in the Community Exchange Network. It was launched in February 2003 with just a handful of members, mostly those who served as its initial steering committee. Within a year membership had grown to 324 and then things really started to take off.

From that time on, membership has grown steadily to its current total of 6984, though not all those members are active.

Today the CTTE is one of the largest communities in the world using an alternative exchange system. Many members have benefitted enormously, being able to acquire goods and services that they would not otherwise contemplate. By giving and helping others a support network has developed, which all members can call on.

If you would like to experience trading without using Rands, click on the Join button above and sign up for an account. You will be able to start trading immediately; there is no need to earn 'currency' first. Whatever you receive, you 'pay' for it by doing or giving something to someone else.

Experience a new way of 'doing' money, that will make you friends at the same time!