Yes, it is National Social Enterprise Day today. (But you knew that, right?) And for the first time in three years I’m not formally celebrating it, which feels rather strange. In my previous job, almost all my work over a year culminated in the third Thursday of November. And this year…nothing.But I still fundamentally believe in the potential for social enterprises to radically change the way our public services are delivered and to deliver the sort of community regeneration that the statutory sector could only dream of.
So, in honour of the many social enterprises that deliver real benefits to their communities, I would urge you to listen to Tim Smit’s keynote speech to this year’s VOICE, the national social enterprise conference (which I won’t be attending in 2008 – boo!) and feel inspired. Smit is the founder of the Eden Project and enthuses about the whole subject of social enterprise far better than I ever could. It’s 15 minutes long but it’s worth it.
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I’ll admit you start talking about this and I just gloss over. (Please still be my friend). So instead of making a snide comment I’ve instead put it on my iPod and will listen to it on the way to school.
I am so glad it’s Friday.
OK, first off a few things. He swears, speaks like the world is about to end, has a clear enthusiasm and says canny twice.
That said, it was something nice and wholly positive to hear this morning. I think though I took more of a general sense of what he was saying from it. The idea that there are different ways of doing things, not just social enterprise. You know?
I have a feeling I’m not going to get a very high mark on the test that follows, but I am massively impressed with his enthusiasm and I really liked his rules of business. (I won’t tell you which *hideous* multinational makes all it’s staff work a day or two a year on the frontline per annum as it will upset you though).
I feel like a private sector mercenary 😦
Full marks to Omar and Rob. Listening to a man talk about social enterprise for 15 minutes – that’s friendship 😀
I like what you both said about it too. It wasn’t about getting you to agree that social enterprise is brilliant (although I clearly think that, when it’s done right, it can change the world) but about letting you know that there are other ways of making a difference.