Social enterprise will be at the heart of the new economy and the key to Britain’s economic recovery, according to the Government. It will also be the focus of a free public event taking place next week [9 March], featuring local social entrepreneurs and hosted by experts from the University of Bristol.
The event, entitled ‘What’s so social about social enterprise?’, will be hosted by Professor Bronwen Morgan and PhD student Sarika Seshadri from the University’s School of Law. Participants at the event, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), will have the chance to take part in an interactive-learning dialogue between social entrepreneurs, students, academics and those interested in social enterprise as a career or as an idea.
Social enterprises are distinctive because their social or environmental purpose is central to what they do. Rather than maximising shareholder value their main aim is to generate profit to further their social and environmental goals. Well-known examples of social enterprises include The Big Issue, Jamie Oliver's restaurant Fifteen, and the fair-trade chocolate company Divine Chocolate.
Professor Morgan said: “Social enterprise is an idea that is fast capturing the public imagination, offering a way to integrate profit and altruism that is increasingly attractive – whether as a career path, a way of achieving social change or as a goal of philanthropy. We hope this event will provoke debate on some of the challenges involved in balancing profit and altruism, since this is fundamental to creating a more sustainable society.”
At the event, Katie Alcott from Frank Water will introduce the concept of social enterprise and discuss her own experience founding a pioneering social enterprise that donates 100 per cent of its profits to bring clean water to the developing world.
Jane Burrough from The Pierian Centre in Bristol will discuss how her company has acquired the Social Enterprise Mark to show that it creates social benefits for the community, by providing a local space for learning.
Finally, Sam Robinson, Social Responsibility Manager at residential energy efficiency solutions company eaga, will talk about the relationships that his organisation has built with Childreach International in Tanzania. He will also discuss eaga’s work renovating rural school buildings that was documented by a film crew, as well as the challenges posed by the company’s rapid growth.
The free event will be held in The Architecture Centre, Narrow Quay, Bristol, from 3 pm to 7 pm on Monday 9 March 2009. The event is also part of the public ESRC Festival of Social Science, which runs from 6 to 15 March. If you would like to attend the event or require further information please contact Professor Bronwen Morgan, School of Law, University of Bristol, email B.Morgan@bristol.ac.uk, tel 0117 954 5333. Please note that seating at the venue is limited.