From Friday September 27th to Friday October 4th, CEiS are co-ordinating a Learning and Development Programme for social enterprise leaders across the world incorporating social enterprise visits on the road from Vancouver to Calgary, culminating with The 2013 Social Enterprise World Forum.

This will be the seventh international visit programme following successful and inspiring visits to California in 2007, Berlin/Genoa in 2008, Australia in 2009, San Francisco/Vancouver and Seattle in 2010, South Africa in 2011 and Rio de Janeiro in 2012. These high paced programmes allow participants to interact with international social enterprises while spending quality contact time with policy makers, funders, support agencies and social enterprise practitioners from the UK and around the world.

The programme will:

• Provide high quality enterprise visits to outstanding social enterprises in inspiring locations
• Provide opportunities to engage with local enterprise leaders and policy makers
• Generate once in a lifetime networking opportunities with international social enterprise leaders
• Influence future investment, development programmes and policy initiatives in the UK and the world
• Provide learning and networking opportunities through attendance at the Social Enterprise World Forum

The event could not have been possible without the 22 social enterprise suppliers who provided everything from lunch to recycling, print to chocolate and water to photography.

CEiS Events were proud and delighted to be the event managers for the second time and were pleased that the event was a success for all involved. The additional support provided by CEiS staff members, a team from KibbleWorks and student volunteers from Glasgow Caledonian and Stow College ensured that the event ran smoothly.

Lynsey Johnston, Events and Marketing Manager said “It takes 6 months of planning to run an event of this size and scale. Our team have been working closely with Social Enterprise Scotland on The Social Enterprise Exchange since October and have been rewarded with a successful day that has seen over 900 social enterprise practitioners, supporters and leaders come together to network, learn and share best practice. We managed to ensure that 22 out of 25 suppliers were social enterprises, for us that is the measure of true success because it is our ethos to trade within the sector where possible”.

For highlights of the day please watch this video provided by VideoWise -

https://vimeo.com/62690694

Having now become established as a not-for-profit centre, Social Innovation Scotland will embark on a programme of policy research, networking events, learning programmes, and collaborative challenges to help rethink the delivery of public services. Of particular emphasis is the role that communities and enterprising third sector organisations can play in supporting public service design and delivery.

The launch event of Social Innovation Scotland brought together more than 60 public sector leaders, academics, and social entrepreneurs to progress the debate on public service innovation.

Speaking at the launch event, Derek MacKay MSP (Minister for Local Government & Planning) commented:

“The Scottish Government is committed to reforming our public services to make sure they meet the needs of communities up and down the country and Social Innovation Scotland is a great example of how policy makers, social entrepreneurs and business leaders can join together to help inform the debate.”

The establishment of Social Innovation Scotland has been driven by the need to find more effective solutions to the pressing social challenges facing Scotland, and to address the associated pressures on its public services.

Commenting on the focus of Social Innovation Scotland, Jonathan Coburn (Founding Director of Social Value Lab and Social Innovation Scotland) commented:

“For me it’s about reshaping public services based on value rather than cost – radically redesigning services to deliver better outcomes with less resource. This is really tough, but the answers are already all out there. It’s often just a case of bringing together people from different backgrounds to look at these social challenges from new angles – local residents, third sector organisations, service designers, social entrepreneurs, business leaders, technologists, and frontline staff in our public services.”

The initiative will begin straight away to tap into the wealth of academic knowledge, resources and networks available to the University of Strathclyde.

Commenting on the importance of the collaboration, Professor Sara Carter (Head of the Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship, Strathclyde Business School) said:

“The Hunter Centre has a long-standing commitment to supporting social entrepreneurship and innovation. We view this as a highly significant opportunity to focus the University’s resources and disciplines towards a defined set of social challenges. This will be truly applied and collaborative research delivered in partnership with public and third sector partners.”

Social Innovation Scotland will take its place as part of a global network of social innovation centres that now operate in most developed nations, from Mindlab in Denmark (www.mind-lab.dk) to SiG in Canada (www.sigeneration.ca).

Commenting on the international significance of the venture, Gerry Higgins (Chief Executive of CEiS and founder of the Social Enterprise World Forum) said:

“There is huge untapped reserve of ideas and learning from across the international community. This important initiative will help to systematically source and share new thinking from around the world. It will also help to reinforce Scotland’s international reputation as being at the forefront of social enterprise and social innovation.”

Further information about the work of Social innovation Scotland can be found at www.socialinnovationscotland.com or you can contact Jonathan Coburn (Director) at jonathan@socialinnovationscotland.com.

Join us for the launch and ­first networking event of Social Innovation Scotland. This inaugural event will focus minds on the big challenges facing our public services and showcase examples of innovations now catching hold across the public sector. Join other Scottish leaders passionate about transforming our public services … and willing to act.Key contributors on the day will include:

Derek MacKay MSP
(Minister for Local Government & Planning)

Mark Batho
(Chief Executive, Scottish Funding Council)

Geof Cox
(Direcor, Geof Cox Associates)

Sarah Drummond
(Co-founder, Snook)

This event will bring together Scotland’s public sector leaders, innovators, and social entrepreneurs.

The event will be held between 11.45am and 2pm on 26 November 2012 at the Lighthouse, 11 Mitchell Lane, Glasgow, G1 3NU. A light networking lunch will be provided.

To book your place at the event please contact Jennifer Fleming at Social Value Lab at jennifer@socialvaluelab.org.uk or on  0141 352 7419.

The Scottish procurement community’s finest celebrated recently at the Government Opportunities (GO) Excellence in Public Procurement Awards Scotland 2012/13, held at the Marriott hotel in Glasgow.The GO Awards Scotland recognise public sector procurement excellence, celebrate Scotland’s thriving business community and, for the past five years, have been the benchmark by which progress in public commissioning has been measured.

Alistair Merrill, Director, Procurement and Commercial, Scottish Government, said of the Awards: “Scotland is at the leading edge of procurement reform and the GO Awards are a unique platform to showcase excellence at a time when the expectations upon public procurement are greater than ever.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for organisations to share best practice, demonstrate innovation and recognise achievement in all aspects of their procurement activity.”

This year’s winners included some of the country’s leading procurement innovators, including Renfrewshire Council, NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde and Brookfield Multiplex Ltd, Capital Document Solutions, Ready for Business, Scotland Excel and Health Facilities Scotland.

Ready for Business, winners of this year’s GO Best Supplier Engagement Initiative of the Year Award, said:

 “We feel absolutely delighted to win and it’s recognition for our innovative programme. We’d like to thank the Scottish Government for supporting us and recognising the role we can play in delivering the objective, which is all about sustainable procurement and recognising the role that the third sector can play in delivering public services. It’s fantastic.”

Visit http://www.govopps.co.uk/go-awards-scotland/ for further details.

Other social enterrpise receiving grants to set-up headquarters in Scotland are The Homeless World Cup, International Network of Street Papers, Challenges Worldwide and Assist Social Capital. Between them they already operate in Africa, Asia, Europe, North and South America and Australia,

The Third Sector – comprising of not-for-profit social enterprises, voluntary organisations and community organisations- makes a direct impact on the growth of Scotland’s economy by creating jobs, helping people back to work and supporting the most vulnerable and disadvantaged people in society.

Speaking at the opening of CEiS’s annual conference, Mr Mackay said: “This support which includes headquarters grant, will further enable Scottish-based international social enterprises to play a key role in influencing the development of the social enterprise model around the world.Given Scotland’s position as the leading social enterprise country in the world it is fitting that we have set-up a programme to support social enterprises with a global reach to be headquartered in Scotland.”

Welcoming the announcement Gerry Higgins, Chief Executive of CEiS, the leading social enterprise support agency which assists communities and disadvantaged areas to realise their potential, said: “This announcement will ensure that Scotland is recognised internationally as the best country in the world to run a social enterprise. Scotland has played a leading role in developing the social enterprise model around the world. Particular highlights include hosting the first ever Social Enterprise World Forum which was set-up by CEiS. Thanks to this grant funding the Forum will now be headquartered in Scotland. The Forum, which meets in a different country each year,gives third sector leaders from around the world the opportunity to share their ideas and best practice, learn from each others experiences and ultimately build more successful and sustainable social enterprise’s in their home country.

“It is significant that the minister chose CEiS’s annual conference to make this important announcement. Today we are joined by 200 colleagues from across the third sector in Scotland. Topics for discussion include how social enterprises can help to tackle youth unemployment at a local community level and also opportunities for the third sector to provide a lasting legacy from the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. During the conference we will also asking our younger delegates to come up with innovative ideas for a new social enterprise and will be awarding a prize for the best one.”

“At CEiS we are driven by a passion for enabling individuals and communities to reach their full potential and flourish. We runs a range of employability programmes to get people back to work and regenerate disadvantaged communities in across Scotland. We also help small business to set-up and grow by providing loan funding through the ethical not-for profit lender DSL business finance. In addition CEiS has set-up Specialisterne, a social IT business which provides jobs for people with autism.”

To help make the connections, CEiS is delivering a free, half-day workshop on integrating social media with business strategy.

The workshop is aimed at: Third Sector Organisations using or about to use social media but who are unsure how to approach it
strategically; and individuals with responsibility and/ or interest in the use of social media to achieve business objectives rather than have a technical knowledge of its delivery.

You can book your place now by emailing Emma Stratton – Enterprise & Communities Team emma.stratton@ceis.org.uk or call directly on 0141 425 2917

For further information Click Here to download the latest programme.

CEiS were delighted to welcome  John Swinney MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth, to our new social enterprise – Catalyst Catering – which was launched today.  Mr Swinney met with our new catering team and heard about the plans for this new venture.

Catalyst Catering is a trading subsidiary of CEiS Ayrshire. The business opened yesterday, in Marathon House, Dundonald servicing the business park occupants; with future expansion in late July to a second site in Kilmarnock and a contract catering operation. Catalyst Catering will
offer meaningful employment and training opportunities for young people aged 18-24 within the café from food preparation, sales,
budgeting, customer service and front of house experience to providing a contract catering service.  Clients will come from the employability programmes managed by CEiS Ayrshire on behalf of North Ayrshire Council and the Community Planning Partnership.

Catalyst Catering has taken over the operation of an existing business on the Dundonald site and was supported in this acquisition by the Social
Firms Scotland programme: Acquiring Business 4 Good.

Initially the intention is to service Marathon House and the surrounding areas.  As the model develops, the venture will explore the potential to expand its external catering operations and customer base to new areas in a small goals/steps approach. Albeit designed to enhance the individual work ethic, social interaction, technical skills, entrepreneurial ability and personal planning and development, this is a venture aimed at income generation and it will function as a sustainable social enterprise.

We would like to thank West Coast Capital, Matthew Algie, Acquiring Business 4Good and North Ayrshire Council for their support.

Departing on October 14^th and returning on October 22^nd, with flexibility to return on the 21^st if required, CEiS are co-ordinating a Learning and Development Programme incorporating a unique Social Enterprise Visit programme in the Bahia province of Brazil and the Social Enterprise World Forum 2012, in Rio de Janeiro. This will be the sixth international programme following hugely successful annual programmes to California, Berlin/Genoa, Australia, San Francisco/Vancouver and Seattle and South Africa. These high paced programmes allow participants to interact with international social enterprises while spending quality contact time with leaders from the social enterprise movement in the UK and abroad.

The programme will:

• Provide high quality enterprise visits to outstanding social enterprises
• Provide opportunities to engage with local enterprise leaders and policy makers
• Generate discussion and analysis on transferrable concepts and systems
• Stimulate a range of business ideas and service changes
• Include attendance at the Social Enterprise World Forum

If you are interested in participating on the visit programme please complete the expression of interest form and return it to lynsey.johnston@ceis.org.uk  as soon as possible. We will then finalise costs and issue contracts and invoices to those who are planning to attend. There is further information on the programme attached.

Currently the ex-UK price will range from £3999 to £4299 depending on numbers, flight prices and sponsorship in Brazil. Please remember that your booking will include flights, accommodation, conference fee for SEWF, subsistence, local transportation, host and event management fees.

If you are an international delegate and would like to join us for the study visits in Bahia please contact lynsey.johnston@ceis.org.uk