This is a great piece interviewing Robert Pekin (@robert) and Emma Kate Rose (@EKR) about their journey and lessons learned on starting and sustaining community driven social enterprises. Have a listen!
Do you have further questions that you’re still wondering about? You can ask them here!
Or experiences of your own to add? Would be great to hear how others tackle some of the challenges of starting enterprises such as this.
Great interview as a social enterprise is a hard road to pave with a viable economic model and commitment to systemic change.
I was on the team at Seed with Steve Williams running the day to day logistics as the operations manager, training programs and the Sandbag Community depot. We had a modicum of success and were recognized as doing a good job in the social enterprise arena.
Yet the leap from noble intentions to viable business with measurable social outcomes is full of the foilbles within a system that craters on point 2 in the interview text " Inequity in the whole world (gender, money etc)"
After nearly 4 years I left on good terms with Steve but disillusioned with the barriers to real systemic change within a system that at best gives lip service to social change and a worst exploits any gain with back patting and positioning. Regards Russell
Hi Russell.
I would love to chat further with you about social enterprise activity,
I am developing such activity with success in Melbourne and around the
Globe, all based on a cooperative model. so social enterprise is not
created in isolation but in collaboration with whole communities, schools,
farms, business all working together, but maintaining their individual
status
i am calling this global cottage industries,. the thing is, … social
enterprise alone, can not as you bring about systematic change, but when it
is created in the context of whole communities, with a collaborative
systematic strategy that sees real sharing of resources, for efficiency
and yes an extension of that is sharing of skills
then i believe it can flourish, this is social change, change that sees
equality, encourages indivuality and also brings about a sense of
belonging, but it takes people to look through a window of a new economics.
an economics offing open to sharing,with boundaries, open to unity in
diversity and open to
dialogue that leads to the creation of strong cooperative and collaborative
models with many enterprises supporting each other, in that model
This we are doing with the poorest communities in Africa, and our most
margenalized in Aus. they see the importance of such collaboration,
Happy to chat about our work, we are not lip service we are in their
biting away and social change that brings about strong food security
systems that also support climate smart action, , together can be
real.!!!
Pauline,
Hey Pauline
Please … if you would like to drop a link to any of the projects you are working on feel free to do so, as I am always interested in what is being acted on at a community level, for this I believe will be an important social change directive in delivering a sustainable model for a real sharing of resources to effect systemic change.
The " window of a new economics" is somewhat nebulous phrase and is used along with "cooperative model " in a social change dialogue… this is something I have a strong empathy with … yet marginalization and inequality are still a prevailing part of the landscape of current inept and failed attempts to implement more than a token of systemic change.
Congratulations on your intentions for the successful outcomes you are working toward, as it is a sorely needed vision to enact co-operation on… not only local but as you say a global scale.
Regards Russell
Russel
’ a window of new economics,’’ am not sure about the jargon, but it must
makes sense to me, to work collaborative and for that collaboration to be
sustainable at every step. working with people.
with a focus on people and their different needs. and with respect for the
land, and our creatures while we do.
How do i contact you directly? I can send you this information
take care
Pauline
Hey Pauline
I sent you a PM with my contact details
Regard Russell
Thanks Russell.
i have replied
You have a great day now.
Pauline
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