Something, somewhere, is going wrong. Unemployment is predicted to get worse in 2026; the majority of adults see the cost of living as a major issue; and with all our recent Prime Ministers of the past 5 years receiving ever-lower approval ratings, we are living in times of anxiety and unrest.
When I left university, I knew I wanted to go into a role where I could make a difference, to make the most of my privilege of pursuing further education to help others. We hear that this is a growing sentiment among graduates – despite the increasing concerns over costs, new entrants into the workforce are focused on more than just the figure landing in their bank account at the end of the month. An increasing number of people now care about how their work makes them feel: not just striking a work-life balance, but how their work can bring a fulfilling life of its own.
I was lucky, but the graduate pool is growing, unemployment rates are creeping up, whole sectors are being replaced by new technologies. Most jobs are few and far between, let alone the jobs that can provide people with the sense of fulfilment that they desire. You may not feel any sympathy here – many people, if not most, struggle to find fulfilment in their role, but they get on with it, enduring the hours between 9-5, 5 days a week to keep themselves fed, watered, and sheltered.
But is this really something to encourage? To accept as the default? Is there not something going wrong in a system where people spend the majority of their lives working an unfulfilling job, simply to keep themselves alive? With more people set to lose their jobs in 2026, and many more being ushered into roles they dread returning to after the weekend, an alternative to our economic system has never been more vital. Now, with IIC, it’s also never been more achievable.
Imagine instead a world that tangibly rewards the good you do for others; a world in which your self-esteem and sense of purpose is derived not from how high up the ladder you can climb, but the value you’ve added to your community. An alternative world, where your achievements are not measured in incremental wage increases, but the volunteering that you did to support a lonely person, or the toys that you donated to a child born in poverty.
At Investors in Community, we are taking the steps to turn this vision into reality, using Community Credits™ as a vehicle. We are dedicated to creating a new economic system that encourages cooperation and community, rather than competition, by rewarding those who help others. With each act of kindness, each Community Credit earned can be spent – whether that be on the basics such as utility bills, or on treats, like cinema tickets.
We propose a self-contained economy, where you can earn and spend by going out into your community, picking up litter, helping rejuvenate green spaces. This is not just helping others; it’s uplifting the area you live in – it’s helping yourself. The Community Credits™ economy can bring fulfilment in our times of unrest, regeneration in times of decline, and solidarity in times of division. But most importantly, it is a beacon of hope for those left behind.
This is not just on individuals. Businesses – you have a role to play. Arguably, the most important of all. We know that you are trying to give back, and we know that you, too, are hit with rising costs keeping you up at night. The economy as we know it is not working for you, either. But a thriving community supports their businesses, it grows with them, not against them.
So if you’re a business, maybe a small one, maybe a big one, a struggling one or a thriving one – we ask you to join us. Come and take part in a system that rewards and values the good that you can create, not just the exponential profits you generate. Support and source other businesses that care about the world around them. Resist the trend in our crumbling communities of division and degeneration and be a building block in a new community – a new economy.
