HSSE Newsletter April 2010
The Tools for Social Change
As Hampshire’s first cohort of Social Entrepreneurs near the half way mark they tackle one of their toughest decisions yet.
Choosing a legal structure for a new social enterprise is a tough nut to crack. Even with the support from the school for social entrepreneurs, some HSSE students are still reeling with frustration over the current minefield of legal forms on offer.
There is a bewildering array of possible formats available and it’s certainly not a case of ‘one size fits all’; each has its own advantages, disadvantages and quirks.
It is important when choosing a legal structure for a social enterprise not to let the tail wag the dog. This means being very clear about what you want to achieve and what activities and services the new organisation will engage in, and then selecting the business format best designed to deliver success.
Today’s conditions are ripe for a wealth of new social enterprises to emerge, with government seeing them as a key factor in boosting the UK economy.
Students at HSSE are making the most of this opportunity through a range of services from healthcare to education, social care and unemployment. But it is bureaucratic barriers such as these that wear down even the most tenacious.
This is where we get to see the most precious aspect of the school. At HSSE the togetherness is tremendous and where one person stumbles another picks them up. This isn’t something you can fabricate, it just happens. And with this current cohort it’s amazing. Social change is people powered.
Conroy Williams
Student Profile - Sue Stokes
Going back to school has been brilliant! Hearing real-life stories and tactics from visiting entrepreneurs, personal mentors, and my 2010 classmates has been really inspiring.
My social enterprise - The Green Flower Café - will source and sell locally grown Fair-trade flowers, plants, cakes and art-works.
I’ve been working with photographers ‘Foto-Union UK’ and exhibiting locally. I think Art-space in the café would work. We aim to work with area schemes, like 'Healthy Towns' to help people get fit, and to take care of their environment.
I plan to pilot a ‘pop-up’ service with Italian coffee carts, at city events, and to identify a long-term seafront café.
This will be an open space for anyone to ‘refresh’, with a cuppa, a book, bouquet of flowers, workshop, exhibition..
Watch this space: www.greenflowercafe.co.uk
Ethical Trading in Southampton
Students from the Hampshire School for Social Entrepreneurs attended the recent 3Market ethical trade fair. 3Market provided opportunities for businesses to source more ethical products and services from local ‘Social Enterprises'. Watch the video below.
ESF Success for Steve & Steve
Projects developed by HSSE students Steve Surridge and Steve Bomford have been awarded ESF Community Grants.
It’s a great spur to both students and tangible recognition for the hard work they have put into their respective projects.
Feel Good UK, managed by Steve Surridge, aims to support long term unemployed Portsmouth residents back into the workplace by helping them identify and address their personal barriers to employment.
Steve Bomford of NebMedia, will use the grant to fund its Streetlight project; a series of short photography courses for long-term unemployed young people.
Power to the People
Ann Carver
A gentleman sat down to relax on the sofa at the HSSE stall at the 3Market Event. Thinking he had sat down to chat, I joined him. He said he’d only meant to rest his feet, but went on to ask me about HSSE and my involvement.
He made the observation that if you want to make a difference you need to be able to relate to the people in the community where you are working.
This remark really struck a chord in me, as I hadn’t thought of this up until now. I knew as a student at HSSE, that social purpose, willingness to serve and a good idea were key ingredients.
But benefits also come from being a person of the people, who wants to roll the sleeves up, and to help others. Reality will become a greater place to be, if we can work to get there, together.
As a working class girl I grew up knowing how to earn money, how to spend it and how to borrow it, but not how to manage it very well. This lesson I learnt the hard way. True ‘power to the people’ needs to come from individuals’ decisions to take responsibility and from getting the right type of help to climb to a new level, away from the desperation and despair that debt guarantees. We owe it to ourselves and to future generations too.
Who ever this man was I would like to say ‘thank you’ as his listening ear and words fired me up inside………….
Ann Carver is launching an innovative project called “Hey Big Spender” which will help people and communities deal with debt and manage money better.
