Dear ,

The response to the new 2020 Pockets and Prospects Programme – Collaborating in Communities to Improve Mental Health -  has been really encouraging. This year’s Programme focuses on addressing the emerging mental health and wellbeing needs (resulting from the Covid-19 crisis) within local communities.  Such has been the level of interest, that we have now been receiving approaches from partners with a view to developing the Pockets and Prospects model with a specific focus on mental health in the workplace. We expect to have more on this shortly. To date, over 15 community anchor organisations have signed up – with nearly 50 SEN members offering to supply over 160 different services and/or activities.  This introduction from this week’s Scottish Community Alliance Briefings captures the ethos that underpins the Pockets and Prospects model and suggests it could be a forerunner of how our sector works together in the future. The current programme runs through until May 2021. For more info’ on Pockets and Prospects 2020, please see Web Platform or contact mary@senscot.net

As previously reported, SENScot is hosting a Community-led Tourism Pilot Project which got underway this month and will run through until March 2022. The Project is being run in partnership with Creetown Initiative Ltd – with its focus being on Brechin (in Angus) and Girvan (in South Ayrshire). We are now putting out this tender brief for the evaluation of the project. Closing date for applications is Tuesday, 5th Jan 2021 – with interviews due take place on 12th/13th January. For more info’, contact sarah@senscot.net

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Homelessness in Scotland in the 21st century is a national disgrace. In spite of numerous initiatives over the years – and extensive coverage across the media – little has been done structurally to address this problem. Now Homeless Network Scotland – a coalition of thirty organisations - has produced a Route Map to address this issue. Its campaign - Two Parliaments to End Homelessness – is asking the Scottish Parliament to get behind five ‘key asks’ as part of a ten-year commitment to eradicating homelessness in Scotland.

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Community Land Scotland has commissioned this short survey in order to document and showcase the diversity and scale in which communities that own land and/or buildings are using these assets to respond to the climate emergency. This research seeks to identify the range and extent of previous and current initiatives involving community owners of land and built assets. On this same theme, the Scottish Land Fund has announced its latest round of awardees which sees 29 community groups receiving £3.6m.

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This week has seen the launch of the BuySocialScotland website – a campaign to encourage Scottish consumers to purchase products from social enterprises and social businesses. The campaign is funded by Scottish Govt and overseen by Social Enterprise Scotland – with support from SENScot and other partners.

Wednesday 20th January 2021(10.30am) – a Joint Culture/Employability session on the theme – ‘Film, Media & Employability : an open conversation’. If you’re working in film and/or media and are already involved or are interested in employability, please join us for this informal discussion about the issues you face and the opportunities open to you.  Email Jayne to book

Nourish Scotland is producing a series of helpful and important guides as part of their Worrying about Money initiative. These step-by-step guides help people to find financial advice and support in their local authority area. This example is for North Ayrshire – with guides also available for Argyll &Bute; West Lothian; Highland; West Dunbartonshire – with more area guides coming out shortly

Scotland’s International Social Enterprise Observatory (ISEO) was set up with the objective of capturing learning from across the world – and, in doing so, support Scottish social enterprises looking to break into international markets. This short survey is seeking feedback from social enterprises who have an international dimension – on the impact of Covid and Brexit has had or will have on their enterprise

The Basque Country, in northern Spain, is home to the Mondragon Co-operative Movement. Established in the 1950s, the Co-op now accounts for around 10 percent of all jobs in the Basque Country and accounts for 17 percent of exports. Over and above this considerable economic contribution, however, they are clear that this economic contribution is not an end in itself – but a means towards human and social progress and advancement. This philosophy permeates much of the way the Basque Country is seeking to address the challenges of the 21st century – in its approach to climate change; economic inequalities; and local empowerment and democracy. Former Basque President, Juan Jose Ibarretxe states: “Today, in the ‘global society’ it is ‘the local’ that embodies real hopes that another world is possible”. This Open Democracy article gives a glimpse of what we could learn from our Basques colleagues.

This week’s Guest Blog comes from Sarah Cameron – Development Manager (Culture, Tourism & Local SENs) with SENScot. Sarah’s theme is ‘Culture is a vital component within any society - we need to recognise its wider role and contribution’ – and she reflects on the last decade and how, through her experience, she has come to realise that there are few social enterprises that are not involved, in some way, with health and wellbeing – and , equally,  few that do not involve culture or creativity in some capacity.  Sarah highlight how so many social enterprises have responded to the impact of the Covid crisis by looking at innovative and creative ways in with they can support local communities – as well as one another. SENScot has been supporting thematic SENs for over a decade – and whilst they operate in different ‘sectors’, their core objectives are essentially the same.