An Enterprising Future
On Thursday 10th November, I had the privilege of attending ‘An Enterprising Future’ hosted by Social Enterprise UK, the national body and the voice for social enterprises and Community Matters, the national federation for community organisations, which stands for the collective action of ordinary people. The event brought together a number of voluntary and community organisations which provide a service for children and young people with the aim to help support them on their journey towards becoming a social enterprise. The question for some however, was whether a social enterprise is the vehicle to take them to success whilst achieving their social objectives along the way. The Chief Executive of Social Enterprise UK, Peter Holbrook answered that, “not only is a social enterprise the solution to youth services but the solution to the economic downturn”. June O’Sullivan, Chief Executive of London Early Years Foundation reiterated by stating, “the business is the solution”.
It was during the opening plenary that one of the speakers of the day quoted Charles Leadbeater, the leading authority on innovation and creativity, when he said, “critics complain social entrepreneurship is a vague idea”. It was also said that over the years many people have compared social enterprises to charities and that they are just another scheme to get more money from the government or to gain more credibility within the community.
But is this really the case?
What I learnt from this event is that if you have ambition, a vision with social values, the ability to engage others and the willingness to step outside the cultural mindset, then you have what it takes to be a successful social entrepreneur. A social enterprise is not only the best of both worlds but “the creation of your imagination” (An inspiring statement taken from the Platform building in Islington where the event was held – a social enterprise for young people by young people).
The question now is, do YOU have the courage to dream?
