Shift Birmingham participants begin a journey together to understand and reimagine the city’s economy

“I want the words and language to argue for change!”

“I’d like the community I work in to know how the economy could change to benefit them.”

These are just some of the reasons participants gave for joining Shift Birmingham, which kicked off at Stirchley Baths in the south of the city in September. The free training programme brings together changemakers from across Birmingham to look at how power and resources in the city can be rebalanced.

The cohort includes 23 people making a difference across Birmingham in various ways- from a nursery manager to a housing campaigner and a community hub manager at a local college. With the first session postponed due to the unprecedented heatwave in July, there was an atmosphere of excitement and anticipation as the inspirational group met face to face for the first time.

The first session set the foundations for a ten month journey where the cohort will be looking at how to improve the local economy and the lives of communities they live and work with, who are being hit hard by the cost of living crisis. They’ll look at opportunities for change that build on the strengths and assets that exist in Birmingham.

Participants will explore pressing economic problems that affect the city- from the housing crisis to the climate crisis — and get confident understanding and talking about their root causes, how they are connected and how to address them. They will also be supported to get their voice heard in the media, and to influence people in positions of economic power to make the type of change this participant called for:

“Jobs for local communities. Skills for local people. Services where we need them.”

Shift Birmingham is delivered by Economy and funded by Birmingham City Council’s Neighbourhood Development Support Unit and the Barrow Cadbury Trust. Meet just a few of the inspiring cohort:

Florence Cadge

With a background in events pre-pandemic, I began volunteering in the third sector during lockdown. I have since become further involved and I’m currently the Food Justice Programmes Co-ordinator for the Active Wellbeing Society (TAWS).

When the pandemic started, group chats were set up for organisations, mutual aid groups and volunteers to have a coordinated response, and from this the Food Justice Network (FJN) was born as there was a need for something more long-term.

My aims within this work are to work towards the most efficient ways to share and make the most of resources and knowledge, capture feedback and common issues faced by groups, and ensure this is communicated to bodies with influence wherever possible to help towards real change.

I hope that I can learn from the Shift Birmingham course and my peers in the cohort, to better my understanding of our local economy, explore causations and solutions.

Nadeem Aziz

I created the ‘Friends of Stechford Green Spaces’ (FOSGS) community group. What draws me day to day to FOSGS is the tireless work of all of our members who all share a deep passion for preserving and conserving our local green spaces.

FOSGS have identified and selected key ‘green space’ locations within our ward that remain a strong influence on people’s quality of life. These carefully selected locations are the places that people come together for shopping, work, sports and leisure, and so to access local community services. Our aim over the coming months and years is to strengthen, improve and unlock the potential of these places to support growth and to provide a better inclusive environment for local residents.

As the current elected chairperson, my vision, mission and ambition is to ensure that FOSGS is seen as the ‘go to’ organisation supporting the sustainability of Stechford’s green spaces.

Clare Caudery

I am a single parent carer to my two children, and a campaigner against housing injustice with Birmingham Fair Housing Campaign. I am also an artist when I find the time. I’m a Brummie and love my city, Birmingham. I greatly appreciate its diversity, friendliness and its beautiful green spaces.

I’m passionate about helping in the Fight for Home [a campaign from Shelter]. Using my lived experience to shine a light on our city’s hidden homeless and the housing crisis, I hope to help change popular over-simplified narratives and reshape housing opportunities for our younger Brummie generations, so they have a city they can thrive in.

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