Community Skill Exchange was founded in Brookline in June of 2008.  That summer saw twenty participants, thirty-five different skills, six partnerships, two community meet-ups, one Brookline Tab article, and one Boston Globe article.

The inspiration for the Skill Exchange is the Empowered Learners Partnership Program at Bryn Mawr College. The ELP Program matches up students and staff members in reciprocal teaching/learning partnerships. Three students learned about plumbing, electrical, and heating/cooling systems from staff in the Bryn Mawr facilities department in exchange for teaching about Chinese language and culture. They had a great time and learned how to fix their apartment's perpetually broken toilet.