by doverall | Oct 8, 2014 | Social Enterprise World Forum 2013
Two of the many goals of the annual Social Enterprise World Forum are to build international linkage and galvanize the government of the host. By those measures, SEWF 2013 got off to a rousing start with greetings from Wayne Chiu, Chairman, The Trico Foundation (host of SEWF 2013); Peter Holbrook, Chair, Social Enterprise World Forum and CEO of Social Enterprise UK; and both the provincial and federal levels of government with The Honourable Heather Klimchuk, Alberta’s Minister of Culture, and Candice Bergen, Canada’s Minister of State (Social Development). You can access video of the greetings below. More About SEWF The Trico Charitable Foundation was honoured to host SEWF 2013. It made history in a number of ways – it was a first for Canada and attracted a record number of speakers and attendees (1,000 individuals from more than 30 countries and over 100 speakers from 20 countries) – but we are most proud of the quality of the discussions on Skills Building, Social Finance, Indigenous Social Enterprise, Collaboration, Policy and Research, and Social Innovation. A special thanks to Photos With Finesse by Suzan McEvoy for the pictures, BizBOXTV for producing the videos, and Employment and Social Development Canada in helping to make this post-event coverage possible. We would also like to thank the following partners for making SEWF 2013 possible: Organizing Partners: Social Enterprise Council of Canada MaRS Centre for Impact Investing Social Innovation Generation (SiG) The Canadian Community Economic Development Network Lead Sponsors: Suncor Vancity Government of Canada Canadian Youth Business Foundation (now Futurepreneur) Social Change Rewards Presenting Partners: Enp (Enterprising Non-Profits) Canada Supporting Partners: Capital One KPMG Friends of...
by doverall | Oct 7, 2014 | Social Enterprise World Forum 2013
By Jasmine Retzer, Student, Mount Royal University • The Calgary social enterprises profiled in this article will be the subject of SEWF tours on October 2, 2013. In total, 15 local organizations were toured. A special thanks to Thrive, who helped set up the tours. • This article is part of an ongoing collaboration between the Trico Charitable Foundation and Mount Royal University.[/author_info] [/author] It comes as no surprise that many of our daily actions impact the environment, from the products we use, to the food we eat, and the businesses we support. A conscious and active effort towards living our lives sustainably along with spending our dollars wisely is needed in order to better our planet’s future. With their green thinking caps firmly on, REAP and DIRTT are two Calgary businesses who are catapulting the city into a more sustainable and eco-innovative world. REAP (Respect for Earth and All People) is a non-profit social network that connects locally owned and sustainably-operated businesses, who each share a deep concern for the greater well-being of the city, environment and planet. With over 100 members within the association, Reap helps to advance sustainable efforts amongst Calgary’s businesses, while raising awareness on the positive impact of supporting local and living an eco-conscious lifestyle. DIRTT (Doing It Right This Time) Environmental Solutions customizes and builds functional and adaptable interior spaces suited to clients’ strategic and social needs. Approaching sustainability from an environmental and long-term investment point of view, DIRTT builds eco-friendly, innovative and productive spaces within existing buildings as an alternative to conventional and toxic drywall construction. DIRTT Seven years ago, DIRTT...
by doverall | Oct 7, 2014 | Social Enterprise World Forum 2013
By Michelle Strutzenberger, Axiom News In one of the Social Enterprise World Forum’s closing sessions, author and entrepreneur Ron Schultz made a number of rallying calls to the delegates gathered, including asking those who’ve launched and run social enterprises, “How many of you are willing to put yourselves out of business?” The implication was that social enterprise is in the business of solving problems and ideally there comes a day when that problem has been solved – eradicating the need for the enterprise. But might there be opportunity to expand the definition of the social enterprise role from that of simply solving problems to creating new possibilities? If so, how might the guiding questions one asks in shaping an enterprise be different? What could be the ramifications of doing so – for the enterprise itself, its supporting ecosystem and society in general? Even, how might the energy around the enterprise be different? The argument could be made that this just comes down to subtly different paradigms framing the same issue, and that it’s an unnecessary complication of simple matters. However, if we agree with organizational thought leader David Cooperrider that “words create worlds,” then one’s choice of paradigm could indeed be critical. What kind of world do you want to live in and help create? Consider the difference in questions a possibility-oriented approach to social enterprise could include: What new possibilities might this social enterprise create for our neighbourhood, our region, the world? What energizes me most about this? How does it link to what else is emerging in the world? What’s possible now that wasn’t possible before? What...
by doverall | Oct 7, 2014 | Social Enterprise World Forum 2013
By Michelle Strutzenberger, Axiom News Author Ron Schultz’s favourite social enterprise story has that engaging blend of the bold, bizarre and exciting possibility – an African start-up that is training rats to detect landmines and saving thousands of lives. But the greater social enterprise promise is not so much in the creation of these brave, fresh ventures as it is something that’s often more painful, a number of presenters at the recent Social Enterprise World Forum (SEWF) in Calgary said. Co-operation is the greater social enterprise promise, Canadian entrepreneur and author Al Etmanski says. He has identified three types of entrepreneurs who must work together to generate widespread social change – the disruptor who dreams up and begins to create the new; the bridger, who translates the new to the rest of the world; and the receptor, who eagerly embraces the change and then spreads it around. Al is candid about the pain of collaboration, especially with strangers and those with whom we disagree. But, “imagine if we focus on the goodness of our adversaries, imagine if we stop blaming the other and took responsibility for our own behaviour, our addictive nature, our consumerism, our carbon expenditure, and approached each other with the splendour of our gifts and yes, our imperfections,” Al said during a SEWF plenary. The implication is in that wide generosity and humility of spirit the difficulty of co-operation will be overcome to yield the kinds of gifts that cannot be birthed any other way. Two separate labs during the Oct. 2-4 forum provided delegates an opportunity to “practice” this collaboration. They could hear the challenges...
by doverall | Oct 7, 2014 | Social Enterprise World Forum 2013
By Michelle Strutzenberger, Axiom News The Social Enterprise World Forum delegates convening in Calgary this week bring a rich blend of social enterprise questions and issues they’re keen to explore with peers in the field. Meghan Dear‘s question centres on modelling social mission. “It’s one thing to talk about mandate and social purpose, but it’s another to get into the nitty gritty of how you model it,” says the Alberta founder of a two-year-old social-mission business, Localize. The growth and scale of social enterprise is a pressing topic for Heather O’Hara these days — figuring out the sweet spot in terms of self-sufficiency and at what point a social enterprise is too big or growing for growth’s sake. “It’s not that I’m looking for what’s right or wrong but more of a different perspective on growth and scale generally,” says the director for a B.C. Social enterprise, Potluck Cafe and Catering. This story originally appeared on ENP Canada’s website. ENP Canada has partnered with Axiom News to explore the Canadian social enterprise movement one story at a time. Each story will provide snapshots and profiles of local social enterprises and the emerging, supportive environment. This story is one of hundreds we will be publishing. Check in every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for the latest news. Axiom News is also a SEWF 2013 media partner. More About SEWF The Trico Charitable Foundation was honoured to host SEWF 2013. It made history in a number of ways – it was a first for Canada and attracted a record number of speakers and attendees (1,000 individuals from more than...
by doverall | Oct 7, 2014 | Social Enterprise World Forum 2013
By Elisa Birnbaum, editor-in-chief, SEE Change Magazine Moving Beyond the Silos It’s no secret that many folks in this space we call “social entrepreneurship” spend a lot of their time working in silos. Sometimes it’s by choice, with practitioners believing the only way to get work done is with blinders on, nose affixed to the proverbial grindstone, intimately focused on their next bold step forward. For others, it’s just the reality of getting so bogged down in the day-to-day that they seldom notice the world around them. No matter the reason, silos are as commonplace as pumpkin-flavoured everything in October, whether or not you enjoy the big orange fruit. I, for one, do not but that doesn’t prevent baristas from trying to convince me to ingest their god-awful squash lattes at every turn. But I digress. That’s what made SEWF so refreshing. A synergistic confluence of discourse, knowledge-sharing and networking, the event successfully pulled socially charged zombies from the woodwork and into common ground with positively impressive results. You may have seen these folks, they’re kind’ve hard to miss. They walk slowly at first, uncertain, sniffing about their new environment, eyes and ears set at high alert, trepidatiously taking in the sights and sounds. Eventually, like any mammal who finds safety and potential in novel surroundings, the siloed start to warm up. Like at a Star Trek convention – with its shared language, values and heated opinions but without the turtlenecks and autograph sessions – they began to delight in like-mindedness. Soon, with caution thrown to the wind, these folks proceed to engage, banter, commiserate, collude, imbibe, no longer relegated...
