Written by A digital festival for those who believe that changing how we do business is vital to building a fairer, more sustainable world.
Social Enterprise Futures 2021 – running from 8th November – 8th December, 2021
There is a growing consensus that our economic system is failing – unable to deal with the climate emergency or the vast inequalities of health, wealth and opportunity which the pandemic brought so clearly to light. Big business continues to greenwash, the fight against racism continues and young people increasingly look to jobs which offer purpose not the pursuit of profit. It is against this backdrop that social enterprises are offering inspiring solutions to the challenges we face – creating jobs, empowering communities and protecting our planet.
Social Enterprise Futures will run over four weeks, featuring 12 sessions combining a mix of inspiring key-note speakers, practical advice for social enterprises and peer-to-peer learning and networking.
To inspire the next generation of social entrepreneurs, student bursary places are available to gain free tickets!
Join us for inspiring speakers from the world of business, politics and across the social enterprise sector. Attend live to connect with other entrepreneurs, take part in discussions about the future of the sector, generate new business opportunities and take away practical learnings to support your business.
This event is hosted by Social Enterprise UK, in partnership with: Social Enterprise Scotland, Social Enterprise Northern Ireland, Wales Co-operative Centre.
Agenda
Each week will have a different theme with topics ranging from the climate emergency to building markets for social enterprises, with three 50 minute sessions for each theme followed by 30 minutes facilitated networking. The event will take place on the Digital Leaders Remo platform – an interactive platform allowing you to meet fellow attendees, share learning and make connections.
Week 1 – The future of social enterprise. This week will look at what the sector needs to grow, how we challenge a business community prone to greenwashing and claims of responsibility, and how we make social enterprise the destination for young talent so we foster the next generation of social entrepreneurs.
Week 2 – From grassroots to global. Week two’s focus will be on communities – how social enterprises have supported communities through the pandemic, what role they have in rebuilding our highstreet and how we build support for them at a local level. We’ll also look in more depth at social enterprise as a global movement, bringing in speakers from around the world.
Week 3 – Social enterprises and the climate emergency – With the climate emergency posing the biggest threat we collectively face we look at how social enterprises are dealing with the crisis. We will investigate how environmental impact links to social impact, what opportunities there are in the green economy and what the social enterprise sector needs to do better.
Week 4 – Building markets to build a movement. The final week will look at social value, corporate procurement and consumer awareness and how we build a movement around social enterprise which can achieve economic reform.
Photo credit: The New York Public Library