Looking forward
Blog by Martin Avila, CEO
As we move forward through 2022, I am drawn to reflect on the changes we have witnessed over the past 21 months. Our economy and society have been through significant turbulence with the threat from COVID, the changes to legislation and trading driven by Brexit, and the ever-increasing climate emergency. We sit on the precipice of change, and all hold a decision in our hands as to how we want to move forward.
I passionately believe that as individuals, organisations, and a Sector we need to look directly into the eye of the storm and challenge what has come before. Our Sector is one that is not afraid of challenging the status quo as we work together to build a brighter future for Scotland that puts equality at its heart.
The time really is now to build a society in which each of us is best able to reach our full potential by putting social impact and social value at the core of everything that we do. And I encourage you all to question what kind of society we want to build and find a way to use new and existing partnerships to guide our work. We are moving into a society in which it really will be possible to have unlimited energy through renewables and the time is now to think about what kind of society we want to build, at a time when we’re not under the resource pressures that we have been for the entirety of humanity.
We are fortunate to be working at a time where the Scottish government understands this need for Community Wealthbuilding and for a Wellbeing Economy. The policy environment around us has never been more suited to the needs and ambitions of our Sector and this empowers us as a community to move forward in a way that holds equality, community, and growth as the driver for change.
These are not nice to dos but signify the best way forward and it is up to us as individuals, organisations, and a Sector to communicate this. We can only be successful in achieving our goals through collaboration and we at CEIS are passionate about working with others to achieve the greatest possible outcomes for all.
The work that we do through partnerships across the Sector in through Just Enterprise, helps us to connect with others to build a collaborative programme that best serves those who need the support most. We recognize the importance of supporting communities and work tirelessly to provide support and advice for those doing the work on the ground – those who are impacting the most change. We provide employment and training opportunities to help those struggling to navigate the ever-complicating job market. And we work to empower individual organisations and communities by encouraging them to understand how to demonstrate their own social value and impact.
The way ahead for the next year may still appear uncertain in many ways but there is one thing that ties us all together and that is the passion that we all feel towards building a more progressive, equal, and fairer future that holds social value and social impact at the heart of what we do.
