Social enterprises are designed to achieve special social objectives and change the world. Social enterprises strive to maximize profits while also maximizing positive impacts on society and the environment. The profits generated are primarily used to fund social programs. Social enterprises often focus on benefiting marginalised or economically disadvantaged groups by permanently improving their socioeconomic conditions.
Finding out more about different social enterprises;
In the UK wider enterprises are supplying goods and services to businesses, the public sector, and the public to smaller enterprises that make a transformative difference to communities and the lives of disadvantaged people- social enterprises are everywhere and are growing for the betterment of society.
Examples-
NAViGO
-NAViGO are an award-winning social enterprise that provides mental health services across North East Lincolnshire in the south of the Yorkshire and Humber region. They provide specialist services to a range of different people. Being an independent social enterprise working for the NHS family has allowed NAViGO to do things differently. This includes creating commercially viable businesses which help fund services and which provide training, education and employment opportunities for people that NAViGO supports.
Butterfly Books
-Butterfly Books are books that help tackle gender stereotypes in children's books. It is a business that creates playful and thought-provoking stories that aim to transform the lives and minds of children and families. This idea was coined by a women named Kerrine Bryan who felt like she had a lack of understanding around what career opportunities there where for her in such a male dominated industry.
Homebaked Bakery
-Anfield has always had such a strong sense of community and at its heart was Mitchells Bakery, selling pies to locals and to football fans on match-days. However, a lack of investment and an apparent decline in the city resulted in it closing down. What followed was an ambitious attempt by members of the local community to save the bakery and take ownership of the local area to steer development to benefit residents. It all started with an arts project, 2 up 2 down, which worked with local people to rent out the bakery space and use it as a site for public discussion on planning the future of the area.
Why is the Big Issue a social enterprise?
The Big Issue produces a magazine that is bought by homeless and vulnerably housed people and is then sold by them to the public, offering them the opportunity to earn a legitimate income. They say that they exist as a social business to create impact and make a profit, always re-investing this profit back into extending their mission, to help millions of people in the UK affected by poverty to earn, learn and thrive. The Big Issue state that they give vendors a "hand-up not hand-out" like most enterprises do. They obviously want to make a social change.
Comments