Social Enterprise Hunter

 

 

Local Social Enterprises Explore Opportunities for Growth & Expansion

On Friday 2nd March, Social Enterprise Hunter and Career Links presented the Financial Inclusion for Social Enterprises Workshop in partnership with Foresters Community Finance and Social Enterprise Solutions.

Recent shifts in community finance have seen an increase in support for organisations and communities with limited access to mainstream financial institutions. The free interactive workshop was focused on building an understanding of community finance and its use for asset purchase and business development.

The event was held at the Hunter Trade & Investment Centre, kindly provided free of charge by Regional Development Australia Hunter, and attracted twenty five guests from community, business and education. 

        

Watch footage from the 2011 Hunter Social Enterprise Forum which was held at Crowne Plaza Newcastle on Friday 11th November and featured Simon McKeon, 2011 Australian of the Year, as keynote speaker.

What is Social Enterprise?

Social Enterprise around Australia and the World

Social Enterprise in the Hunter

The Vision

2011 Hunter Social Enterprise Forum

Interested in getting involved?

 

What is Social Enterprise?

A social enterprise is a business that uses its profit primarily for social good.

Social enterprises build a more just, sustainable world by applying market-based strategies to today’s social challenges.

They are different to a commercial business that exists primarily to make money for its owner or shareholders, who then may donate money to good causes, such as The Body Shop. In comparison a social enterprise exists primarily for the benefit of the community and uses their profits for social good.

Types of social enterprise include:

  • Employment – Businesses that provide employment for marginalised groups such as the long term unemployed or people with a disability.
  • Service Delivery – Businesses that provide services in direct response to social or economic needs in the community.
  • Income Generation – Businesses that generate profits to support community or not for profit activities.

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Social Enterprise around Australia and the World

The social enterprise sector has been growing for some years. Considerable resources have been invested into developing the sector in the UK where they refer to the emergence of ‘the fourth sector’. The other three sectors are government, commercial and community, but the fourth sector is social enterprise which is essentially a hybrid of commercial and community.

Research indicates that the social enterprise sector is also growing in Australia with social enterprises operating in every industry of the Australian economy. Social enterprises in Australia respond to local and regional issues and act as a vehicle for social inclusion by providing opportunities for people to participate in their communities.

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Social Enterprise in the Hunter

There are a number of social enterprises currently operating in the Hunter. For example, the Worimi Local Aboriginal Land Council operates a business called Sand Dune Adventures through which it conducts quad bike tours of the Stockton Sand Dunes. Local Aboriginal guides are employed to conduct the tours and profits from the business go back into other programs to benefit local Aboriginal people.

Another example of a Hunter based social enterprise is the Olive Branch Café which is fully operated by young people who are trained in hospitality under the guidance of professional staff. The café is run by the Salvation Army with any profits being reinvested into the work they do.

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The Vision

Our aim is to facilitate a groundswell of interest in social enterprise in the Hunter. To do this we need more people to understand what social enterprise is and how it can benefit our community.

We want to bring together members of the community, business people, government agencies, education and research institutions, and existing and potential future social entrepreneurs in an effort to develop a thriving social enterprise sector in the Hunter.

We are currently developing a vision for a centre of excellence in social enterprise in the Hunter that would:

  • Attract ongoing funding from the community, the corporate sector and government
  • Provide start-up funding and support funding to social enterprises
  • Provide support and guidance for social enterprises to build capability in the sector
  • Encourage the establishment of social enterprises in the Hunter.

We have formed an alliance with Melbourne-based Social Traders, the leading organisation in Australia in these areas. They are kindly assisting us to develop and realise this vision for the Hunter.

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Career Links would like to thank everyone who attended the 2011 Hunter Social Enterprise Forum at Crowne Plaza Newcastle on Friday 11th November. We were overwhelmed by the level of support and enthusiasm for the event and are confident that social enterprise in the Hunter has a bright future.

Click here to read more about this event.

Watch the 2011 Social Enterprise Forum television commercial.

Career Links would like to thank our event supporters Hunter Business Chamber, Regional Development Australia Hunter, The Newcastle Herald and NBN Television. We would also like to acknowledge allour presenters, Crowne Plaza Newcastle and Hunter TAFE Production Team for their contribution.

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