Co-ops are powered by people and as a larger co-op development we’re privileged to have members from all walks of life, who are doing fantastic work inside and outside of Stirchley Co-op Development (SCD). Each month we’ll be introducing you to one of them, so you can meet the faces behind SCD.
In our second edition of our Meet a Member Series, we had the privilege of speaking to Kartik.
What’s your role in Stirchley Co-op Development SCD?
I’m a resident and I’m currently involved in the Tech & Energy working group.
How long have you been involved with SCD?
I joined SCD in March 2024, so I’m a relatively new member.
What inspires you most about SCD? What motivated you to get involved?
I previously worked for a co-op The Warehouse Café, so I knew a little bit about co-ops beforehand. It just seemed like an amazing initiative to build more equitable housing, in a country where landlordism is such a growing problem. In my mind co-op housing has always been such a great solution to addressing the housing crisis, so the idea of that growing in such a big way in Birmingham is inspiring. I’m hoping that SCD will have an impact beyond just this specific building, because there will be a community around it, and I hope to see more projects like this happen as a result.
So you’re part of the Tech & Energy working group. What kinds of things are you working on at the moment?
I’ve only got stuck in recently, but currently we’re looking ahead to when we move into the building. So we’re considering questions such as: Can residents pool their resources and share internet access? Can we have an online forum where members can share requests and things like food waste? We’re working with other co-ops and discussing what solutions they’ve used and what works in practice.
We’ve also been solving technical issues with Cloudron, the software we use for files and the website. There’s day to day maintenance and addressing any issues that present themselves. I’m not the most techie person, but it became clear when I joined the group that I didn’t need to have technical skills in order to be able to help with basic tasks.
Would you tell us a little bit about your life outside of SCD?
I work in the non profit sector supporting asylum seekers and refugees in Birmingham and the Black Country. I’ve seen how there’s a huge problem when it comes to housing and how it’s a huge area of inequality. Especially when it comes to the collapse of council housing provision in this country. Beyond that I quite like to read and engage in political activism such as Palestinian solidarity.