West Midlands
In the West Midlands, people are coming together to imagine and build a fairer economy.
From Birmingham to Coventry, we’re working alongside local organisers, campaigners and community groups to explore the root causes of the challenges we face.
Together we’re running workshops, creating spaces for learning and connection, and supporting grassroots changemakers to grow their confidence, skills and collective power.
Our aim is to help communities not only challenge an unjust system but also begin shaping alternatives that put people and relationships at the centre.
Our Birmingham workshop offer
From autumn 2025 until spring 2026 we’re offering free, one-off workshops to community groups and organisations working for change across Birmingham.
We’re able to tailor the content to suit what you’re working on. Some example topics might be:
- Jobs and pay: building an economy which provides good work for all
- Understanding the economy: what is it, and how does it relate to our lives?
- Understanding economic root causes of the UK’s housing crisis, and how to tackle them
- Government spending: ensuring government (from national to local) funds what our communities need
- Climate crisis and a just transition
If you’re based in Birmingham and would like to explore what we could offer to your group, we’d love to hear from you.
Economic Justice Brum
Economic Justice Brum is a growing city-wide movement tackling the root causes of economic injustice in Birmingham and beyond.
It is formed of campaigners, community groups, civil society organisations, and communities with loved experience of economic injustice.
The current economic system isn’t broken, it’s working exactly as it was designed – concentrating wealth and power in the hands of a few – while extracting from and neglecting communities which keep it going. Economic Justice Brum has been challenging this system, empowering people, and helping to build alternatives.
People’s Economy sit on the Economic Justice Brum advisory group and help inform and guide the strategic direction of the Network. We’ve also been proud to serve as EJB’s comms partner. Our role has been to help empower the network through building an accessible space for shared learning and organising for those at the sharpest end of the economy.
Celebrating two cohorts of Shift Birmingham
Last October we completed the second cohort of Shift Birmingham with a beautiful in-person celebration at Ngopi Café in Birmingham.
Since 2022, Shift has brought together a remarkable group of grassroots changemakers united by a shared ambition: to rebalance power and resources in the city.
Across two programme cohorts, 43 participants – from nursery managers to housing campaigners – have explored the systems shaping Birmingham’s economy and communities
Over the course of Shift, we’ve run sessions covering everything from government spending to the housing crisis, from jobs and wages to media skills and just transition. We’re proud to celebrate not just the knowledge shared, but the community built: a network of people committed to making Birmingham fairer, more inclusive, and more resilient.
Everyone who has been involved in one of our programmes in Birmingham is now invited to stay connected with us through our quarterly Community of Practice, where we meet up to share updates, learn from each other, and offer mutual support to keep work for a fairer economy feeling sustainable.To learn more about Shift, read this blog of stories from our very first cohort, and watch this video from their end of course celebration.
Birmingham Community of Practice
Everyone who has connected with us in Birmingham – from Shift to our one-off workshops – is invited to stay connected through our local community of practice.
This is a regular space where grassroots organisers, campaigners and community members can come together to share updates, swap learning, and support each other’s work for a fairer economy.
Our meet-ups are informal but purposeful: a chance to reflect on challenges, celebrate wins, and strengthen relationships across the city.
Whether it’s exploring how national issues show up locally, learning new tools and approaches, or finding solidarity with others, the community of practice helps keep the energy and momentum of our work alive.
If you’ve joined one of our programmes or workshops and would like to stay involved, get in touch with Jo to find out about the next gathering.