I built Prodana before knowing about the term The Gift Economy.
Of course, the idea was all around me – inspired by the Buddhist concept of Dana, and expressed by the unique free loan ‘gemach’s that are very popular in the Jewish world.
But having a framework to describe what I had been calling “paying it forward”, allowed me to express what we are trying to do more clearly, find additional thought leaders who have been advocating for similar values, and finding more case studies and examples of generosity being used every day to create more impact.
So, that’s what Prodana is – a way to bring the gift economy to the world of mental health – to allow givers to give more freely, and to allowing receivers to give in turn, when and how they choose to.
There are some fascinating speakers on the topic. From Daniel Suelo, who stopped using money over 20 years ago, to Charles Eisenstein, who is a de-growth activist campaign for less ownership and more sharing.