What if we saw the world through the lens that its you and me, not us and them; if we believed there is enough to go around; that more is not necessarily better; and that just because something is the way it is, it doesn’t mean it has to stay that way.
A Social Enterprise, is a viable commercial organisation that provides services and products in their communities. It is an innovative, inclusive business model that trades as a viable enterprise while also impacting on our community.
Social enterprise is about shifting our perception of what viable trade means to us as individuals and as a collective community, from the sole view of profit. It‘a about co-creation, co-operation, collaboration and in a way that influences and shapes our communities.
It‘s about shared ownership, shared resources and shared assets. It’s about transparency, trust and protection. It’s about creating connection, that inherent need and desire we all have to connect to ourselves, to others and to the community as a whole.
It’s about social responsibility, impacting in a positive way on our social economy. Creating opportunities to improve our social wealth, by coming together to further our mutual interests. Social wealth increases when individuals, families and communities collaborate, cooperate and connect to create mutual benefit. This connection, support and protection in the community enhances wellbeing, creativity, innovation and generates platforms for self and community expression.
It’s about environmental responsibility, basing decisions around the triple bottom line of people, planet, prosperity. Ensuring that practices throughout the enterprise are sustainable.
All of these elements together create financial, social and environmental viability. They ensure the foundation for true sustainable development. This is what a social enterprise sells. Connection is essential, support is critical, and without these resources the challenge facing traders may seem overwhelming perhaps even impossible. All of this is possible and we can let go of old mindsets that no longer serve us and our needs. We must be the change we want to see in the world and the steps we take towards that change are what paves the way forward.
