To coincide with Global Entrepreneurship Week, UnLtd Worldare is launching a one month campaign to get social entrepreneurs to blog throughout November.

For every day of the month, UnLtdWorld will be inviting social enterprise leaders to write a blog post which looks at social enterprise from an array of different angles and perspectives, from health to tackling climate change and government 2.0, from marketing and business modelling to fair trade and social investment.

The aim is to raise awareness around social enterprise, to foster a lively debate and ultimately encourage and inspire more people to embark on a social entrepreneurial journey.

Contributors will include:  One Water, Social Enterprise Magazine, Divine Chocolate, Red Button Design, Bright One Communications, Pants to Poverty, UnLtd and 10:10 and many more

You can follow and have your say on the November SHOUT OUT for Social Enterprise blogs at www.UnLtdWorld.com/blog or contact Community Manager: nicola@unltdworld.com for more information or to contribute.

What do they mean by ‘responsibly’?

Here’s Striding Out’s definition:  a ‘responsible business, is one which demonstrates a balance between economic, environmental and social goals to achieve ultimate business success’.

So, are you doing something to help tackle some of these key global issues – Climate Change – Poverty – Gender Equality – Health?

Then think about applying to be one of the Future 100.  This is what winners will get:

• networking opportunities with public, private and third sector representatives

• media and PR training to help raise their profile

• business coaching, training and professional mentoring support where possible

• an invitation to an exclusive celebration party on Social Enterprise Day which, this year, is Thursday 19 November

The deadline is 5 November so don’t waste time – click here to apply Future100awards

Maybe your school is running leadership training for groups of students but wouldn’t it be good to share experiences with young people in other schools in your area?   Yes?  Then the Your Turn programme, run by Common Purpose is for you.

Your Turn challenges young people to think in new ways about their area and their world.  It is delivered across regions in three-day programmes that bring together students from a number of different schools.  Working with senior leaders in a very wide range of organisations, they explore the levers of power, examine how decisions are made and consider how they can make change happen.  

If you need to persuade your school to let you attend, tell them that Your Turn:

• exposes young people to the people who make the decisions that govern their world - people like chief constables, business executives and community leaders – and there’s so much you can learn from them
• will give you an enhanced knowledge of how your area operates and how decisions are made
• will give you an appreciation of the diversity within your region and amongst young people your own age
• will help you develop a skill-set that prepares you for life beyond school
• will help you realise your potential role as an active citizen and give you a knowledge of the opportunities that can nurture this role

Fees start from £50 per participant, where Common Purpose can secure sponsorship.  An excellent investment.

Find out more at: www.commonpurposeyourturn.

Social enterprise is now on the national curriculum, and more than 200 schools in the UK already run their own social enterprises.  Are you one of these pioneers?  Tell us your story so we can feature it here.

Approximately 10 million people in the UK are members of a co-operative – a form of social enterprise.  What do you think the benefits of a cooperative are?  Please share your ideas.

10% of municipal recyclable waste in the UK is collected by social enterprises.  What are the opportunities for you to recycle more at school?

The Co-operative is Britain’s biggest farmer with 85,000 acres of land.  Buying from the co-op could reduce the airmails of your food and so your carbon footprint.

Over 50% of social enterprises are located in the 40% most deprived areas and play a role in urban regeneration. Why do you think that is and what benefits do you think they bring to the area?

Innovation – for young people with great ideas who need training or support to get their campaign off the ground.

Performance – to celebrate the achievements of young campaigners who have already taken positive action.

Photography – young people’s photos that capture campaigning in action or how they see change taking place around them.  

Find out more by going to www.changeit.org.uk

And good luck!

Social enterprise and social entrepreneurs just got a massive boost from Twitter. A whole bunch of well-known people and organisations from this field were added to the suggested users list, normally reserved for the likes of Ashton Kutcher.

Why? Not sure, but it seems like Twitter wants to give some attention to the likes of Kiva.org, who provide small loans to entrepreneurs all over the world to help lift them out of poverty.

Social Edge have put together a list of the top 100 social entrepreneurs to follow. Check out the list, have a click through. We found some cool, insightful stuff in there.

The people behind vinspired.com have come up with a project that lets 16-25 year-olds tell MPs what they care about. Except, the telling will be done by a robot.

Yes, this might be a bit bizarre, but it’s worth a shot. The Voicebox website wants your submissions, 160 characters long (about the same as a text message) and the best submissions will be written out by a robot set up in the Houses of Parliament.

The robot idea isn’t the only thing worth looking at here. The Voicebox project allows you to see what other young people are thinking, give your own answers to questions on life and the things that are important to you. This makes a lot more sense if you actually visit the site, so, don’t let us stop you…click here

But what of social enterprise?  The founders of Ventures in Development, a social enterprise that incubates and implements ideas that yield social benefits in Greater China, argue that, despite great need (including widening income inequality and environmental degradation) and opportunity, social entrepreneurship is still in its infancy in China due to poor understanding of the concept, lack of home-grown examples, lack of capital and lack of expertise.   

Ventures in Development is currently incubating two social enterprises, Shokay and Mei Xiang Cheese Farm, both of which help nomads utilise resources from their yaks to achieve sustainable economic development.    Shokay is run by VinD itself.  It specialises in high-end knitted products. Including a baby clothing line made from yak down hair which is similar in softness to cashmere and sourced in Qinghai province from indigenous Tibetan yak herding communities. 

Shokay (which means “yak down” in Tibetan) currently works with 2,600 villagers from the Hei Ma He Village of the Qinghai and 15 hand knitters of Chongming Island, off the coast of Shanghai. A portion of the company’s profits is returned to these communities to assist the herders with local development needs in areas such as health and education.  In less than two years of operations, Shokay has brought a marked increase in income for the Tibetan herders.   Mei Xiang Cheese Farm is run by a Tibetan family that oversees the production of the cheese and it’s now being sold in whole food shops in Chinese cities.  Find out more at Ventures in Development.  

We’re keen to hear more about social enterprises worldwide especially ones run by or involving young people, so please send us your stories.

Upstarts Achievement Award

Judges will look for an individual, other than an elected official, who has contributed to a regeneration and renewal scheme on behalf of a community or neighbourhood and has overcome the inevitable setbacks, challenges and objections along the way.

Best Community Renewal Project

Judges will be looking for the community-based project that has renewed or invigorated a community spirit for those that live and work in the relevant area.

Best Local Authority for Regeneration

Judges will award the prize to the local authority that has set the highest standards in its regeneration projects and so leads the way in renewing a community or a neighbourhood for the benefit of those that live and work in the area.

Best Social Enterprise Serving a Community

The winner of this award will be the organisation that clearly represents the qualities and attributes of a successful social enterprise and that serves the needs of a neighbourhood community with either goods or services and thereby contributes to social renewal.

Best Developer in Regeneration

With this award the judges are looking for a champion within the construction and development sector. The winner will have demonstrated excellence at every stage of the regeneration scheme from conception through consultation to completion and will have shown a commitment to working with all stakeholders.

Best Elected Advocate for Regeneration

Judges will look for evidence that the elected representative has brought together stakeholders, encouraged partnerships and brokered solutions to the challenges that beset these schemes.

How best to get a grip and focus?  

Well, apart from checking out some of the tips in Learning for Doing and searching out social entrepreneurs who’ve been through the same stages and know what you’re going through, you could try getting help from the Social Enterprise Ambassadors: socialenterpriseambassadors.org.uk/.

The Ambassadors – appointed by the government – are some of the most inspirational social entrepreneurs in the country.  Their businesses give you a sense of the breadth and depth of social enterprise in different markets – the environment, healthcare, the arts, transport, finance, young people and much more. 

Through sharing their stories, experience, and expertise, the Ambassadors help raise awareness and help social enterprise spread and grow throughout the country. They do this through interviews in the media, speaking engagements, targeted meetings, engaging with influencers and policy-makers, and through writing about their experiences on- and off-line. 

Don’t think you’re too small to seek out their help – check out the website above and see what they can do for you.