Edition No. 82 - Thursday 16th February No images? Click here Dear , Last month, we featured the first instalment from a serialisation of Freer Spreckley’s new book in Pioneers Post. The book - Essential Social Enterprise – a just transition to system change - traces the origin and development of social enterprise over the last 50/60 years. As we mentioned last time, the name may not be familiar to many people – but he has been one of the leading lights in the social enterprise movement globally for over 50 years, and was a key figure in defining the ‘triple bottom line’ in his 1981 book, ‘Social Audit’. The book itself shows how, over time, both the term and values have been altered and sometimes misinterpreted – but contends that the original ideas and core principles of social enterprise are now more urgently needed than ever. This week, the second instalment of the current serialisation has been published – Why true social enterprises reject hierarchy and embrace democracy – which argues that in getting the structure right, social enterprises can both deliver effective services – and also be enjoyable places in which to work. Scottish Communities Finance Ltd (SCF) seeks to encourage ‘ordinary’ people to invest in their communities by purchasing Community Bonds. SCF was established in 2017 on the back of research which showed that most small social and community enterprises struggle to find finance that is appropriate to their needs, particularly affordable and patient investment. With community bonds being a new concept in Scotland, SCF carried out further research late last year to assess and understand better the push/pull factors that need to be considered if Scotland can move towards becoming a nation of 'Citizen Investors' - investing for a social and a financial return. See SCF Survey Key Messages. -------------------------------- Edinburgh Social Enterprise (ESE) held its AGM at the end of January at the newly refurbished Social Enterprise Hub in the Charteris Centre – where ESE will be located from now on. The SE Hub, managed by the Charteris Centre, will provide co-working/hot desking facilities – and they are hopeful that as well as ESE members and social enterprises, ESE partners and supporters will make use of it. ESE, which now boast around 160 active members, also published their latest Annual Report – as well as outlining some of their key areas of work for 2022, which include Community Wealth Building, Community Benefits and Procurement, Climate Emergency and anti-poverty. If you are interested in joining ESE, see details. -------------------------------------- SCVO published a blog last week by Margaret McSporran - head of Social Enterprise Development at Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE). Margaret’s blog - Stepping in when markets fail – looks at the importance of the role of the third sector to both communities as well as to the wider economy and how HIE has supported this work in the Highland region since the 1960s. This activity covers community centres and halls, property, housing, energy, utilities, land, tourism, culture and heritage, and creative industries. The 2019 SE Census identified around 1,200 social enterprises in the Highland area – creating over 7,000 full-time jobs. -------------------------------- The recent David Hume Institute Research on Scottish Charities identified a lack of diversity amongst charity leaders in Scotland, stating that they are, “not representative of the communities they serve” – not only in terms of gender, but also with regard to ethnicity and age. The research also reported that finding the information on charities was difficult and that not all organisations are open about who is actually in control - with the recommendations specifically calling for a ‘publicly searchable register of charity trustees’. SENScot is hosting a virtual Community Learning Exchange (CLE) in partnership with Environmental Health CIC on 9th March 2022 – between 1pm and 4pm. This CLE will provide participants with insights on how community focused Mental Health First Aid can support a collaborative approach to identifying and addressing mental health issues within local communities. See further info and registration details: Following up on last week’s piece on the newly re-formed Aberdeenshire SEN, a reminder that any social or community enterprises in the Aberdeenshire area who may be interested in finding out more, can contact aileeen.longino@avashire.org.uk or janice@senscot.net. Also, for more info, see Aberdeenshire SEN’s Terms of Reference: Cowdenbeath Town House could soon be home to an award-winning social enterprise providing cut-price food as well as life-changing learning and development programmes. Fife Councillors, last week, backed plans to regenerate and repurpose the Town House into a Community Shop outlet following an approach by the Coalfield Regeneration Trust. Good luck to all those involved: Community Land Scotland is currently running a campaign highlighting the ever-growing number of community-owned properties in towns across Scotland. Part of the initiative includes this short video on Langholm Police Station – bought by local community development trust, the Eskdale Foundation. To follow the campaign, see #CommunityOwnedTowns : Glasgow SEN member, The Blankfaces, has adopted a novel approach to the shopping experience at its shop in the Buchanan Galleries – by introducing a table tennis table for customers to pop-in-and-play with while they shop. The table, donated by Table Tennis Scotland, follows on from the success of similar approaches in Edinburgh’s Gyle and Ocean Terminal shopping centres. If you’re in the area – pop in for a quick game: The Circle Academy has extended the closing date for application until this Sunday, 20th February. They have recently received funding from the Scottish Govt to allow 40 individuals to take part in their SQA accredited training programme. See link for details: Reminder: Scottish Govt’s Analytical Exchange Programme is now inviting bids from third sector organisations for short, sharp projects (anything from an afternoon up to 10 person days) where statistical or analytical skills could make a difference to your organisation. If interested, Application Forms have to be submitted by email to chiefstatistician@gov.scot by Friday 4th March 2022: Last week Roma staff in the Community Renewal Rom Romeha team in Govanhill wrote to UK/Scottish ministers about anti-gypsy comments on a Netflix comedy series. If your organisation wants to learn more around anti-racism by educating staff/trustees/volunteers, their colleague Marek can put on a free hour sessions with you on Roma history and modern Roma experiences (first come first served). If interested, contact marek.balog@communityrenewal.org.uk: Reeltime Music, based in North Lanarkshire, is currently looking to recruit a new Development Officer. The new postholder will be responsible for developing a range of charitable and income generating creative projects for disadvantaged young people and the wider community: Monday, 21st February – Thursday 24th February 2022 – Forth Valley Third Sector Conference. Running over four days, this event is a collaboration between Stirlingshire Voluntary Enterprise (SVE), CVS Falkirk and Clackmannanshire TSI (CTSI). The theme is ‘Sustainable Places’ and sessions and workshops will deliver varied perspectives, ideas and discussion on the aspects of sustainability that matter to the Third Sector. These include environmental sustainability, sustaining and improving your volunteer programme, sustainable and inclusive community planning, financial sustainability, and more. See Registration Form:This session, jointly hosted by SENScot and SCVO, is designed to learn about and share Fair Work practices that social enterprises and the wider third sector have implemented within their organisation. Speakers will talk through the Fair Work practices they have embraced. Scottish Govt will also provide an update on the Fair Work Nation consultation, and the upcoming refresh of the Fair Work Action Plan. See link for more details and to book your place: Wednesday, 23rd February (10.30am) - Fair Work in Practice. This session, jointly hosted by SENScot and SCVO, is designed to learn about and share Fair Work practices that social enterprises and the wider third sector have implemented within their organisation. Speakers will talk through the Fair Work practices they have embraced. Scottish Govt will also provide an update on the Fair Work Nation consultation, and the upcoming refresh of the Fair Work Action Plan. See link for more details and to book your place: Tuesday, 1st March 2022 (2pm) – Communities Leading Collectively – a session, hosted by the Rural SE Hub, focusing on collective leadership from a community-led perspective - delving into how collective leadership can be used within communities to inspire collaboration and creativity. See link to register: Thursday, 3rd March 2022 (11am) - Communities Taking a Lead in Tourism is a Community Learning Exchange being hosted by the Rural SE Hub. The event will explore the topic of community-led tourism in rural Scotland – and will hear about two rural communities who have been affected by changes in tourism: Wednesday, 16th March (10.30am) - SEN Session: Social Enterprise: Sustainably tackling poverty through employability. This session will hear from various speakers: The Poverty Alliance on the overall context and policy landscape of poverty in Scotland; the Joseph Rowntree Foundation on research relating to poverty through an employability lens; and FARE Scotland on how they create pathways into employment, providing industry-led training and work experience for people who experience poverty. Discussion will follow on the role of social enterprises in tackling poverty, with a specific focus on employment and employability. See link above to register – or contact Jayne for more info: |