You are not a loan. You are not alone.
-Strike Debt
Our work began by asking the question: In a world without extractive student loans, what would be possible?
Maybe some of us would show up for city council meetings to fight for black lives. Others would garden more. Perhaps we would all have more spare income to support our neighbors through crises like the COVID pandemic. Would we have more small businesses owned by millennials? Spend more time with our kids? Could more of our lawyers afford to go into environmental law or social justice?
The building blocks of the “New Economy” are simple acts. Neighborly acts. I borrow a cup of sugar from you. Later, I bring you a slice of the cake. Together we feast. Gratitude brings forth abundance.
Reciprocity is the economy of trust and of care.
This is a guidebook, and a living document about how to build a co-operative that can issue credit to its members and in doing so, grow our collective power, and our ability to self determine and make choices in the best interest of community health and wellbeing.
It doesn’t happen all at once. It happens step by step. It happens together.
Thank you for walking with us.
Resources and Sample Documents
A GUIDE TO COOPERATIVELY TACKLE
THE STUDENT DEBT CRISIS IN YOUR COMMUNITY.
Written (cooperatively) by:
Erika Lundahl and John Beatty
With significant contribution from:
Nathaniel Blair-Stahn
Derek Hoshiko
Doug Indrick
Fan Kong
Natalie Lubsen
James Trimarco
Tom Zuvela
Copyediting by:
James Trimarco
Layout by:
Erika Lundahl and Katie Kuffel
Published 2022 by Salish Sea Cooperative Finance
salishseafinance.coop
With gratitude to the New Economy Coalition
for their support of this guidebook.