Young Enterprise; Social Enterprise
This year I have been working with one of our School’s Young Enterprise Companies. This is is the first time in my teaching career I’ve had contact with YE and I have found the whole experience very interesting. One of the best things I’ve had the chance to do was to attend the Cafe Conversation at Celtic Park last September. This annual event brings together Sixth Year pupils from schools across the Glasgow area to meet over dinner, exchange ideas and reflect on what they are trying to achieve. They also have the chance to hear some very good words of advice from actual entrepreneurs who have carved out a successful business. Very often business success seems to follow personal challenge or hardship, and the common thread that drives them on is determination and sticking power. Mick Jackson (previous post) gave a keynote speech and asked the young people to consider two questions:
1. Who are you? and 2, What do you really want to do with your life?
The pupils instantly warmed to his mix of oratory, passion and self deprecation (the guy has an infectious laugh and laughs at himself), and he certainly seemed to inspire my own YE company.
Hearing Mick speak just the other week, I have started to consider how YE can incorporate both notions of entrepreneurial flair with a desire to help people. I am often struck by how seemingly “ruthless businessmen” are often the most effective at getting things done in terms of supporting charity and identifying opportunities. Mick argues that people want help to get started, they do not want to exist on charity. I know that many companies have a policy for corporate social responsibility. Perhaps Young Enterprise companies could aim to have a similar set up-each company would be required to nominate a member of their Board to handle CSR and to identify SMART ways of helping specific groups in their local area.
I read recently of the Social Enterprise Coalition, and have discovered that there is a Conference-”Voice 08″ for young people, to be held in Liverpool in February, which to quote:
It’s your chance to mix with the UK’s most exciting social enterprises – sharing ideas and shaping a new social economy.
The way in which the global market is operating is not sustainable. Social enterprises offer a solution: they transform lives, strengthen communities, and challenge the rules of conventional business, providing innovative local, national and global solutions.
Social enterprise is the way to do business for a can-do generation; it is a worldwide movement.
If there is going to be a real culture of social enterprise in the UK we need to change society’s attitude to the role of business. As the economic and social challenges we face are huge, we need to be ready to tackle them.
