Introduction:

This is our second year of celebrating social enterprise day with North East Social Entrepreneurs and friends of the sector. Our aim is to grow the event year on year until it becomes the ‘go to’ event for Social Entrepreneurs across the North East. Infact, we’d love it to become a festival of Social Enterprise in the future with activities spreading across a longer period of time.  Do get in touch if you’d like to help!

This year, we achieved our target of doubling audience numbers from 2022 to over 80 people in attendance. Next year, we hope to grow again.

We often hear that the number one challenge facing this sector is not funding but isolation. Events like this provide the buzz, excitement and connections to remind Social Entrepreneurs that they’re not alone. Infact, they’re part of a movement of Change-makers. Each uniquely contributing to a bigger picture of positive change. But these events wouldn’t be possible without the amazing sponsors who keep costs to a minimum for audience members. This years sponsors included: North East Business and IP Centre, Talbot Jones Insurance Ltd, Reviving the Heart of the West End, Celebrate Difference and Durham University.

“Loved the event. Everyone was so friendly and passionate! You couldn’t help but feel motivated by the energy in the room!”

Social Enterprise Day Event

As always, we put Social Entrepreneurs at the heart of all of our events, from the speakers to the caterers to the venue. As part of the panel discussion, we welcomed Ibrahim Doumbia (People’s People CIC), Colin Waters (Business for Good CIC), Sharon Lashley (Climate Action North) and Jasmine Inaiyah (Making Changes NE). They discussed the importance of making connections on their journey to success. This included business support connections, partners and keeping strong rooted connections with the people their social enterprises aim to support.

The event theme was ‘Making Connections’ and so, the fantastic Jeni Smith (NetKno) facilitated a dynamic activity encouraging even the most reluctant of ‘networkers’ to chat to each other and make new connections.

Jamie Driscoll, North of Tyne Combined Authority Mayor spoke of the importance of the Social Enterprise sector in achieving real change at a community and regional level. He spoke of new support programmes to boost growth including a £4million social investment fund which will be launching soon.

This event also marked the launch of Kind Currency’s ‘Kind Directory’, a one-stop shop developed by Social Entrepreneurs to encourage kind shopping with a difference. Social Enterprises and Trading Charities can be added to the directory free of charge. You can find out more here: https://www.kindcurrency.co.uk/

Kate Duffy, Managing Director of Junction Point CIC closed the event by reminding participants that we don’t operate in a vacuum. This means there are whole systems and actors required to achieve the difference we wish to make. This could be as simple as funders/customers, your staff/freelancers and the wider environment in which you operate. Like all systems, they are much more effective when pulling in the same direction and working together. Connections are therefore vital to impact, so spending more time building strong and meaningful relationships are key to the success of this sector.

Raising the sector profile:

Not only did we host the brilliant Social Enterprise Day, but we also showcased five local social enterprises through sponsorship from North Of Tyne Combined Authority and Power to Change. Videos can be viewed here.  Our aim was to use Social Enterprise Day as a spark to raise the profile of this amazing sector. So far, through social media we’ve received over 6,000 views of these videos. Thank you to Flamingo Heights for producing the films. They also recorded some interviews at the event which we will be sharing soon so be sure to follow our social media accounts and give those videos a share to increase reach.

It’s never been a better time to be a social entrepreneur in the North East

There a host of amazing training and coaching opportunities available across the entire North East for both pre-start and established social enterprises. If you’d like to know what’s available to you, please fill in our short form and we’ll send over the relevant contacts to your unique situation: https://forms.gle/cukAZhPPdxxXCrjZ7

If you’d rather email, then please do get in touch