Civic Dollars project launches in Dublin, following successful pilot programme in Belfast

by Startacus Admin

Dublin 8 to trial innovative community currency scheme with Civic Dollars parks pilot programme to encourage use of public parks and drive better health outcomes.

Following a successful launch in Belfast earlier in the year, with over 3,000 hours of activity having been registered in participating Belfast parks, 1,530 Civic Dollars redeemed and 1,043 donated to community groups, we’re delighted to see that a new Civic Dollars pilot project has just been launched in Dublin.

Smart D8, a community driven health and technology initiative for Dublin 8 has introduced ‘Civic Dollars’ community currency to encourage use of public parks and drive better health outcomes for the community. Civic Dollars is the brainchild of Moai Digital founder Stephen McPeake and is the first major pilot project to be carried out under Smart D8, following an open call for projects in March this year.

The project, led by Dublin City Council, will use a smartphone app to reward visitors with the new Civic Dollars for spending time in participating Dublin 8 parks, which can then be exchanged for goods and services from local businesses or gifted to local community organisations. 5 parks in Dublin 8 are participating in the pilot and Dublin City Council aims to roll the scheme out to other parks under its control if it is a success.

Companies participating in Civic Dollars by offering direct rewards to users include Epic Ireland, The Bike Hub, Mobility Genie, and Little Bird Café. In addition, users can gift their Civic Dollars to participating community groups and organisations who can exchange these for a range of useful services such as marketing advice, IT consultations, legal consultations, and graphic design work.

Speaking on the initiative, Lord Mayor of Dublin Alison Gilliland said: “Dublin’s parks are an asset to the city, and during the pandemic many Dubliners have realised the importance of access to green space for recreation and leisure. We need to encourage increased use of our parks, and the Civic Dollars project will do that while having the added benefit of contributing to local businesses and community organisations. Civic Dollars and the wider Smart D8 project are prime examples of community-focused innovation which will improve the health and wellbeing of our citizens.”

Stephen McPeake, Founder and CEO of Moai Digital, said: “With a successful version of Civic Dollars already underway in Belfast, it is a great opportunity to bring the platform to Dublin. Users can use their dollars at forward thinking businesses like The Bike Hub, or Little Bird Café, or gift them to community groups who can then use them to pay for services like IT support or graphic design. Dublin 8 has a strong community spirit, so I’m hopeful that this concept of a new community currency will both boost health and wellbeing and stimulate community engagement.”

Best of luck to all involved in this pilot project - no doubt there will be plenty more to follow!

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Published on: 6th December 2021