New National Social Enterprise Awards launched Application before 28th Sept 2009.

[Robert De Souza]

The Social Enterprise Coalition is calling on social enterprises from across the UK to apply for the brand new Social Enterprise Awards, a nationwide competition that will find and reward Britain's best social enterprises. The application period will run until 28 September 2009.

The Social Enterprise Awards are searching for Britain's most successful and inspiring social enterprises to win the following categories:

Best Social Enterprise (turnover of £1 million plus);
Best Social Enterprise (turnover of less than £1 million) and
Best New Social Enterprise. Winners can receive up to £5,000
as well as business support packages and a national media platform to promote themselves.

More information about applications, rules and a complete timeline for all the awards can be found at: http://www.socialenterpriseawards.org.uk/

The awards are sponsored by The Office of the Third Sector; the Department for Children, Schools and Families; the Department of Communities and Local Government; Partnerships UK; Unity Trust Bank and the Wates Family Enterprise Trust. The media partner is The Daily Telegraph.

Jonathan Bland, chief executive of the Social Enterprise Coalition said: "We are delighted to be launching the inaugural year of the Social Enterprise Awards. We are working with incredible partners and sponsors across the UK to deliver these new national awards that we believe will have a far reach and a big impact in celebrating and promoting social enterprise.

"Social enterprises have been increasingly under the spotlight as the nation looks for a new approach to business and to solutions for social and environmental issues. We are very proud to be involved in rewarding the very best of social enterprise in the UK."

Angela Smith, Minister for the Third Sector said: "The best social enterprises are innovative and inspiring business models proving what can be achieved when social and environmental values are placed at the heart of business practices.

"There is a strong public appetite for socially responsible business, particular in the current economic climate, and social enterprises have a key role to play in creating a more responsible economy of the future. Across the UK, social enterprises are providing solutions to some of our communities' most pressing concerns. We are very pleased to be supporting the Social Enterprise Awards in rewarding and promoting Britain's best social enterprises."

Schools across England to be rewarded for spirit of social enterprise

Amongst the prizes in the brand new Social Enterprise Awards is the award of ‘Best Social Enterprise in Schools.' The award is committed to recognising some of the UK's most enterprising students using business to make a positive difference.

The award is open to all social enterprises operating in schools in England during the academic year 2008/09. The application period is open now and will run until 26th October 2009. A panel of judges will announce the three finalists on Social Enterprise Day, which this year takes place on 19th November. At this point, the public will be given one week to vote online for their winner. Finalists will be invited to attend a gala event in London on 10th December where the winner will be revealed.

Delyth Morgan, Minister for Children, Schools and Families said: "We are very pleased to be supporting the Best Social Enterprise in Schools category of the new Social Enterprise Awards. We believe this award represents a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the entrepreneurial talent and community spirit displayed by so many young people across the UK."

"Young people are increasingly engaged with social and environmental issues and are using the vehicle of social enterprise within their schools to tackle some of the challenges faced by their communities. This award will recognise and reward their success."

[chris macrae]

robert - do you know anyone involved in this well enough to ask whether they are prepared to identify dr yunus style social busiensses in a way that they can be searched out from other models? this is an absolutely critical question for us.. there is no point I can see being ivnolved in networks that mix up unsustainable social organisations with sustainable ones

[Robert De Souza]

Hello Chris,
I believe that Prof. Yunus was asked about other social business models that are delivering results at grass root levels. My good friend Bremley is one of those peoples who walks his talk with projects in Sri Lanka, India and up to 7 other countries he has mapped out. Below you can see how he shares his mission with passion

About Worldview Impact
Worldview Impact is a Social Enterprise based in London that is working on mitigating climate change by creating sustainable livelihoods for the poor while reducing poverty to improve their living conditions in the developing world. The aim of the company is to invest in green business opportunities at the community level starting in seven countries in Asia, namely Sri Lanka, India, Bhutan, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.

Feature Products or Services

* Carbon offsetting
* Climate Change Mitigation
* Poverty Reduction

Competitive Advantages

* Sustainable business for a sustainable future
* Making your green investments grow
* By investing in organic rubber trees

My Customers and Partners
Ideal Customer is...
Companies or individuals who want to voluntary offset their annual carbon footprint by buying our organic rubber trees in our plantations in Asia.

* Transportation >> Airlines
* Energy >> Energy
* Transportation >> Auto Dealers

Ideal Partner is...
Investors who are interested in making their green investments grow while using their to make a difference in the lives of the poor people living in the project countries that we work in.

* Finance >> Banks
* Finance >> Private Equity
* Finance >> Venture Capital

What I am looking to Buy

* Energy >> Alternative
* Manufacturing >> Packaging
* Services >> Marketing

What else I would like you to know:
Worldview Impact has an objective to create an enabling environment for local people to actively participate in an array of climate change mitigation and adaptation projects such as carbon off setting through planting rubber trees and other relevant activities, complimented by renewable energy technologies to support organic agriculture, fisheries and forestry on a sustainable level. For more details, visit:

www.worldviewimpact.com/wif.php

[Jeff Mowatt]

Hi Robert/ Chris.

I'd been blogging recently on the P-CED model for sustainable business, a for profit social enterprise model where a social purpose, is the primary objective of making profit. It seems to have touched both the UN and Vatican in the llast month

http://www.ecademy.com/node.php?id=132188

I can't really figure out what our government hopes to achieve in their approach to promoting social enterprise. We have millions being spent of quangos and Tsars who don't have anything new to offer, while social enterprises are expected to compete for scraps from the table. Our kind of social enterprise doesn't want to be drip fed on handouts, it needs work and contracts to turn into profit which gets directed toward poverty eradication.

It's been a decade since the "solidarity group" lending model pioneered by Yunus was introduced an replicated in Russia, and our government hasn't wanted to know about it, or anything else not of their conception.

http://www.ecademy.com/node.php?id=131725


Jeff