As a part of Global Entrepreneurship Week, today marks World Social Enterprise Day. Socially oriented approaches have emerged as part of alternative approach to development, transcending the traditionally narrow focus on public service provision and providing an alternative to the failures of the market-centred model of development. These are concerned with creating an inclusive society which promotes the wellbeing of local communities. The interaction and interdependence of the public, private and VCSE sectors must be recognised, as each play a part in reducing inequality, recognising cultural diversity and promoting sustainability. Because the social economy focuses on solving social problems while generating income to ensure sustainability, the model has the ability to strengthen both the social and the economic pillars of the city.
BSWN is therefore focused on the social economy as a key driver of sustainable and inclusive local development, which is why we were delighted to be commissioned by Connect Fund - Barrow Cadbury Trust to carry out research into Engaging the BAME Social Enterprise Sector in Social Investment (2018). This insightful review of the BAME Social Enterprise Sector across the South West of England seeks to explore and understand the barriers and challenges faced by BAME social entrepreneurs in accessing social investment. The need for networking spaces, access to information and resources were identified as the key barriers to growth. Targeted capacity building is vital to the development of a strong business and social enterprise sector. Collective and collaborative approaches within the BAME social enterprise sector can lead to more radical and sustainable paths. “We need a space that we can all access to enable better collaboration, but we need multiple spaces to ensure different perspectives are met.”
As part of a global digital campaign, #WhoKnew is being used to give social enterprises the chance to connect, to tell their stories, to show what makes them different from traditional businesses, and to shout about the impact of their work. The campaign highlights the diversity of the sector across the globe and is an opportunity for all social enterprises to take part in a public facing campaign. To find out how to take part, please see the website here.
