Last week I introduced myself as the new Social Enterprise Coordinator for a partnership project between Staffordshire University, VAST, Staffordshire University Students’ Union and other partners. The team has been working hard over the last week, and we are very excited to reveal that we have a name for the project!
*Drum rolls please*
The name for the project is: Social Enterprise Matters.
You may be wondering what the thinking behind the name is. Well, the team all agreed that Social Enterprise ‘matters’ in lots of senses of the word.
Social Enterprise is all around us; companies (and individuals) who trade for social or environmental purposes. Just in the county of Staffordshire, a recent research report found 458 social enterprise businesses; everything from a bike repair shop to community ‘hubs’ and even health services. Many Social Enterprises are filling a ‘need’ that the private sector can’t, as they are able to put their profits generated by their business back into the hands of the community through fantastic projects.
Social Enterprises not only matter to the community though, they matter to the economy too, as they generate much needed income for the country, as well as locally. This is why supporting Social entrepreneurs is important, because they need to understand how to make their business sustainable and ready for the long term challenges they may face.
Social Enterprise Matters aims to do just that; through our series of workshops, networking events, peer mentoring hub and our showcase event, we will empower and support any social entrepreneur through their journey, whether they are just starting out or have a business already.
Talking of workshops, we are kick starting our project with an ‘Introduction to Social Enterprise’ workshop on the 9th March, held at Staffordshire University.
This will be the first of 5 sessions, each with a different theme intended for you to come and learn more about starting and running a Social Enterprise. You can attend for the whole programme, or just book on the session that suits you. Book your place on Eventbrite or email Kimberly.bond2@staffs.ac.uk for more information.
