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Articles by Gerry Higgins
Just launched: Ventures Lab to offer early-stage entrepreneurs in Scotland loans of up to £100,000 and business support
A new initiative called the Ventures Lab, launched last week in Edinburgh by the Challenges Group with support from the Scottish government, will provide 0% loans of up to £100,000 for a minimum of five new purpose-led businesses in Scotland every year for the next five years.
Wave of support for SENScot after government backs rival Social Enterprise Scotland
SENScot, one of the two representative bodies for social enterprise in Scotland, predicts that it will close after it lost out in a competitive bid for more than £400,000 of annual government funding from summer 2022. Yesterday, Scotland’s social justice secretary Shona Robison announced that the government would give core grant funding only to Social Enterprise Scotland with the aim of that organisation becoming the sole representative for social enterprises in the country.
Social Enterprise Scotland v SENScot: Scottish government announces victor in bid to become country’s single representative
Today’s grantmaking decision follows Scottish ministers’ plan to support just ‘one clear voice’ advocating for the country’s social enterprise sector. The Scottish government this morning announced that it will fund Social Enterprise Scotland to become the sole representative organisation for social enterprises in the country, in preference to competitor SENScot.
Long-running Edinburgh incubator opens shop in Glasgow
Glasgow has inched closer to its vision of becoming Scotland’s ‘social enterprise capital’, with the expansion this week of a long-running incubator outside of its Edinburgh base. Applications opened earlier this week for Good Ideas Glasgow, following two introductory workshops in April and June. There are 12 places on the six-month incubator, with additional spots on the two-day workshop that kicks off the programme in September.
Scotland’s social enterprises offered free help to export to African markets
Scotland-based social businesses can once again access free support to help them export into fast-growing African markets. The Access Africa Programme, which opened its second round last week, is funded by the Scottish Government to the tune of £100,000 for this year, and is a rare example of export assistance specifically designed for social enterprises.
"After a decade of growth, social enterprise has a platform to take off"
How did you get into social enterprise? When I was young I wanted to join the police. But I’d gone straight to university from school, so they told me to go and get some ‘life experience’ and then come back. I ended up volunteering at an outdoor activity centre before moving to Crieff to work with young people.
Teaching social enterprise: Scotland leads the way
“Social enterprise should be an organic part of the curriculum, because it’s connected with the fundamental principles of justice and creating conscience-led communities.” These are the words of Clare Harker, headteacher of St Albert’s primary school in Glasgow, speaking at a social enterprise conference in Scotland in 2017.
Teaching social enterprise: Scotland leads the way
“Social enterprise should be an organic part of the curriculum, because it’s connected with the fundamental principles of justice and creating conscience-led communities.” These are the words of Clare Harker, headteacher of St Albert’s primary school in Glasgow, speaking at a social enterprise conference in Scotland in 2017.
Global focus: Pakistan
“When we create an impact it creates a larger buzz than the amount of money that we make.” Azima Dhanjee is 20 years old and a student at Karachi’s Institute of Business Administration. She’s also the CEO of a start-up which she founded during last year’s summer vacation and which, as she has gradually discovered, is a social enterprise. Azima is one of a growing number of Pakistani young adults who are waking up to the possibility that they can become social entrepreneurs.
A nourishing solution in Argentina
Friday evening, Buenos Aires. A group of people are gathered round a table at a vegetarian supper club in the San Telmo neighbourhood. On the menu are three courses: beetroot gazpacho, Moroccan tagine and strawberry cheesecake, all made from fresh ingredients. It’s a great opportunity to meet new people, indulge in healthy food – and bond over the cause that brought them here. Delicias de Alicia, based in the Argentinian capital, is a vegetarian pop-up restaurant and catering service.
Taking a walk on the social enterprise side
The route Starting in Edinburgh's picturesque Grassmarket, then looping past the famous castle, bustling Princes Street and back again, the tour stopped at and explained the work of a variety of social enterprises, including the Grassmarket Community Project, Social Bite, Serenity Cafe, The Melting Pot and Streetwork.
WISE conversations: Edinburgh
If you’re a woman (or know one) making a tangible difference in social enterprise, impact investment and mission-driven business, nominate for WISE100 2019 now! If you took some of the UK’s leading women in social enterprise and put them around a dinner table, what would they talk about? For the first in our WISE conversations series in Edinburgh, we found out. For the first in our WISE conversations series, we headed to Edinburgh for a dinner hosted by the Royal Bank of Scotland on 17 September.
SEWF 2018: It ended with a roar
The Social Enterprise World Forum 2018 ended with a roar as the host city passed from Edinburgh to Ethiopia's Addis Ababa with a celebratory performance from traditional Ethiopian dancers. During the ceremony, delegates heard from a selection of the forum’s leading figures, with many speaking on theme of inspiring a new generation of social entrepreneurs through education.
Nicola Sturgeon and MSPs unite in praise of social enterprise at SEWF 2018
Scottish ministers from across the political divide have united in their support for social enterprise during the week that Edinburgh is hosting 1,400 delegates from across the globe at the Social Enterprise World Forum.
Global Focus: Scotland
Scotland has a long history of developing models of business for social good – from the co-operatives and mutuals of the 19th and 20th centuries to the social enterprises of today. Since devolution in 1999, successive Scottish governments have supported the growth and development of the ‘third sector’ (eg charities and voluntary organisations) and within that, social enterprise.
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