Reflections from Scotland Social Enterprise Tour

How has Scotland become a global leader in social enterprise? What can Canada learn from the vibrant landscape of 5,000+ social enterprises in that country?

In early September, a pan-Canadian group of social enterprise stakeholders visited Scotland to tour the landscape. Hosted by Community Enterprise in Scotland, the largest third sector business support provider in Scotland, we met with government representatives, intermediaries, and a diverse mix of social enterprises.

This webinar presented key findings from the tour and shared reflections for the continued evolution of the social enterprise landscape in Canada.

SPEAKERS

David LePage, Principal with Accelerating Social Impact CCC, Ltd (ASI)

ASI CCC was created to serve and promote the emerging blended value business and social finance sectors. David works as a consultant, trainer and advisor with a cross section of social enterprises, social purpose businesses and social impact investors. He is a founder of Buy Social Canada, an initiative to promote social purchasing and social enterprise certification.

David is the Chair of the Social Enterprise Council of Canada. He serves as a Program Adjunct to the Sandermoen School of Business MBA in Social Enterprise Leadership. He is a member of the Social Enterprise World Forum Steering Group, the Canadian CED Network's Policy Council, Imagine Canada’s Advisory Committee, and the BC Partners for Social Impact. He is also a Board member of the Vancouver Farmer's Market and a Board member of Ethelo Decisions. David is the former Team Manager of enp-BC and played a lead role in the development of enp-Canada.

Nabeel Ahmed, Network Coordinator for Social Enterprise Toronto

Nabeel is the Network Coordinator for Social Enterprise Toronto. Previously, he was a Financial Analyst at the University of Central Asia in Bishkek as part of a fellowship in microfinance and microenterprise with the Aga Khan Foundation Canada. He was also the Managing Editor of SocialFinance.ca, where his keen eye and deep knowledge of the field aided him in supporting the conversation around social finance and impact investing in Canada.

This fall Nabeel returned to school to complate a Master of Environmental Studies, City/Urban, Community and Regional Planning with York University.

Darcy Penner, Social Enterprise Policy & Program Manager with the Canadian CED Network

Darcy has been working in community economic development since graduating from the University of Winnipeg with a BA (Honours) degree in Politics. Starting at CCEDNet in 2013, his role has seen him work with member-organizations to pursue a broad policy agenda through workshops, presentations, budget submissions, policy papers and community-organizing, while specializing in supportive social enterprise policy and research – including coordinating the Manitoba Social Enterprise Sector Survey and the Manitoba Social Enterprise Strategy being co-created with the Province of Manitoba. Darcy was also a contributing author to the Alternative Municipal Budget for CCEDNet-Manitoba.​

BROADCASTED LIVE ON WEBTV.UN.ORG

5:30pm to 7:30pm Eastern Time
To be followed on Twitter : #ESS #LeadingGroupSSE

This high-level event is organized by France on behalf of the International Leading Group on Social and Solidarity Economy (ILGSSE) and coordinated by the association The Mont-Blanc Meetings (MBM) – International Forum of the Social and Solidarity Economy Entrepreneurs as permanent secretariat.

In view of the Habitat III Conference, this event will gather high profile actors to promote an economy that reconciles environmental, social and economic efficiency, providing multiple solutions coherent with an overall goal of sustainable development.

Watch the Social and Solidarity Economy event here

PROGRAMME AND SPEAKERS

SSE as a vector of sustainable urban development

• François Hollande, President of the French Republic
• Head of States who will attend the event
• Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development of Canada
• André Vallini, Minister of State for Development and Francophonie of France
• José Graziano Da Silva, Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and Chair of the UN inter-agencies Task-Force on SSE (UNTFSSE)
• Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi, General Secretary of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)

Public policies for the Social Solidarity Economy (SSE)

How can local public policies support SSE’s development?

• Denis Coderre, Mayor of Montréal and President of Metropolis
• Christian Yaccarini, President and CEO of Société de développement Angus (SDA)
• Yvon Poirier, Vice-coordinator of the Intercontinental Network for the Promotion of Social Solidarity Economy (RIPESS) *Secretary of CCEDNet's Board of Directors*
• Carlos de Freitas, Director of Programs of the Global Fund for Cities Development (FMDV)

Social Solidarity Economy (SSE) for social and economic inclusion, social and environmental justice of cities and human settlements

How does SSE make it possible to build sustainable cities and human settlements and to provide a framework of urban inclusion?

• Mercedes Peñas, First Lady of Costa Rica
• Gilbert Houngbo, Deputy-Director General for Partnerships and Field Operations of the International Labour Organization (ILO)
• Video "The housing cooperatives to access housing in Mali and Senegal”, ADER RIED project, co-financed by the European Union and the French Development Agency (AFD)
• Rodrigo Gouveia, Director of Policy of the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA)
• Elisa Carolina Torrenegra, Latin America Vice-president of the International association of mutual benefit societies (AIM) and Executive Director of Gestarsalud

Social Solidarity Economy (SSE) to finance cities and territories

How does SSE mobilize and generate resources revealing the territorial development potentials?

• Maria-Elena Querejazu, Vice-president of the International association of investors in the social economy (INAISE)
• Chantal-Line Carpentier, Head of United Nations Conference on Trade And Development’s New York Office (UNCTAD)

Progress on implementing the International Leading Group on Social and Solidarity Economy (ILGSSE) joint declaration: one year later

• Abdou Salam Fall, President of the Scientific Committee of the Mont-Blanc Meetings (MBM) - International Forum of the Social and Solidarity Economy Entrepreneurs

Announcement of a declaration from the International Leading Group on Social and Solidarity Economy (ILGSSE)

"SSE: key sector for a sustainable urban development"

• Thierry Jeantet, President of the Mont-Blanc Meetings (MBM) – International Forum of the Social and Solidarity Economy Entrepreneurs

Discussion with the audience

Conclusion and acknowledgements

1:00 to 2:00pm Eastern Time

Across the country, new opportunities like the BUILD Health Challenge are pushing community organizations to form cross-sector partnerships in order to improve population health and promote health equity. One valuable collaborative partner is the $200 billion community development sector, which brings public and private investment into place-based initiatives. How are communities leveraging Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) and other community development organizations to address their population health goals?

At the October 5th discussion three local leaders wil be featured – spanning community development, public health , and health care – who are all in the midst of deepening their relationships with CDFIs. The speakers are grantees of the BUILD Health Challenge and the Joining Forces Grant.  This discussion will be practical and interactive.

Register for Community Development Financial Institutions as Health Equity

The Network’s Managing Director, Colby Dailey, will be joined by:

• Jennifer Hadayia, Senior Policy Planner/Health Equity Coordinator, Harris County Public Health and Environmental Services, Texas
• Michelle Melendez, Development Director, First Choice Community Healthcare, New Mexico
• Jay Minkarah, President/CEO, Develop Springfield, Massachusetts

It’s easy to attend Network Commons, even if you’ve never been to a live online discussion. Here’s how:

• After registering, login information will be sent via email.
• Log in on October 5 from 10:00am-11:00am PT / 1:00-2:00pm ET. The conversations will also be archived on teh Network Commons' YouTube Channel if you are not able to catch it live.
• Join the conversation before, during, or after the event on Twitter by using the hashtag #NetworkCommons.

Check out how each speaker has partnered with a CDFI to advance health equity goals:

• Building Community Around Food Access
• Three Ways that Connecting with CDFIs is Furthering Health Equity Goals in Harris county
• Addressing Healthcare’s Blindside in Albuquerque’s Southside by Joining Forces

Launched in 2015, Network Commons is a live online discussion series on cross-sector strategies to improve neighborhood health and well-being.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alison Moore is the Project Assistant at the Build Healthy Places Network. She is a MCP/MPH candidate at UC Berkeley.

5:30pm to 7:30pm
Amber Room of the Matrix Hotel
10640, 100 Avenue

November 22 is an opportunity for the co-operative and credit union sector to get to know the MLAs and vice-versa. We’re expecting a business-casual environment, where everyone in attendance is open to networking and relationship building. Refreshments and light appetizers will be available, with the focus being on conversations, not presentations.

Register for the ACCA MLA Reception

Who’s Invited?

This event is open to all ACCA members and Alberta’s Members of Legislative Assembly. This stand-up reception will be hosted by the members of the Alberta Community and Co-operative Association (ACCA), and made possible through ticket sales and attendance of member organizations. MLAs are not required to RSVP and will attend free of charge. Many NDP, Wildrose and Conservative MLAs have already expressed their interest and commitment in attending.

How to Get Involved:

1. Buy your tickets early and make sure you attend the reception. Become an active part of the conversation and inspire your local and surrounding MLAs to understand Alberta’s co-operative advantage.
2. Contact your local MLA and extend a personal invitation, after all this event is being hosted by you, ACCA members.
   • Click here to find contact information for all MLAs in Alberta.
   • Click here to see the copy of ACCA’s Invitation to MLAs.
   • Scroll down for sample messaging you can use in your personalized invitation.
3. Join the #TalkCoop2016 conversation on Twitter. Use hashtags like #ABLeg and #ABPoli to let the government know co-ops are important to you and that you hope they’ll attend our reception on November 22 to find out more about them.

Resource Material for co-ops and credit unions:

• How can co-operatives invite thier local MLAs?
• ACCA Invitation to MLAs

If you’d like to chat more about this event, please contact Seth Leon, Manager of Co-operative Services at sleon at acca.coop or 587-216-2144.

Sample Messaging for Personalized Invitations:

I am writing to invite members of the legislative assembly to an all members’ reception hosted by the Alberta Community and Co-operative Association (ACCA).

The event takes place on Tuesday, November 22nd from 5:30-7:30PM at the Matrix Hotel (10640, 100th Avenue NW, Edmonton, Alberta) in the Amber Room. This wine and cheese event is an opportunity for all MLAs to meet with boards of directors and executives from Alberta’s co-operative business and credit union sector. Board members of ACCA represents some of the largest co-operatives and credit unions in the province including, UFA Cooperatives Ltd., Federation of Alberta Gas Co-operatives, Calgary Co-op, Credit Union Central of Alberta, Servus Credit Union, and many more.

Event Details:

Alberta Community and Co-operative Association MLA reception
Tuesday, November 22nd from 5:30-7:30PM
Amber Room, Matrix Hotel (10640, 100th, Edmonton, Alberta)

Co-operatives are in every constituency, and across all industries. They are owned by and committed to, the people who live there. It is regarded as one most resilient business structures and a driver of economic development in the province.

Please drop by the Matrix Hotel to meet and mingle with the leaders who run co-ops and credit unions in our province, and discover what Alberta’s Co-operative Advantage is all about.  If you have any questions, or would like to learn more about the event, please do not hesitate to contact me. 

Global Business Centre (Terrace Room)
136 8 Ave SE

Are you looking for innovative ways to engage in meaningful, impactful conversations in your workplace, community or family? Are you interested in new forms of leadership that generate fresh thinking and create a shared commitment to solving critical challenges in sustainable and inclusive ways?

Many of the problems and issues we face in our organizations and communities can only find creative and wise solutions in collaborations with others.

No matter what sector we work in, what community we live in, or what family we were born into, we are all faced with situations that demand people working together across their differences.

The Art of Hosting is a participatory approach used worldwide for leading, convening and engaging in a depth of conversation and leadership that transforms our relationships and gets the necessary work done. Drawing on centuries of human wisdom as well as some new ways of thinking about how we work well together, the Art of Hosting is accessible and engaging in a wide range of contexts.

Register for the Art of Hosting Meaningful Conversations & Participatory Leadership

Build Stronger Teams and Partnerships. Broaden the skill set within your group, work more effectively and enjoyably together, engage teams, organizations, and community stakeholders in meaningful conversations that promote resilience, belonging, innovation, and collective impact.

Enhance our skills and abilities to work with complexity, uncertainty & change. Develop leadership confidence for facing challenges that don’t have solutions, learn practices to engage skillfully with fear, conflict and stuck patterns, use wise process planning architectures for small and large scale initiatives, and host strategic conversation

Apply what you are learning directly to the change projects that are important to you, your community or organization.

Elevate your ability to facilitate groups small and large in participative ways and really discovering the power of collective intelligence

Who should attend

Experienced and young emerging leaders, managers, facilitators, teachers, community builders, public officials, social innovators, educators and anyone attracted to the call! 

All experience levels welcome.

Hosted by a team of highly experienced practitioners:
Chris Corrigan, Tim Merry, Brenna Atnikov, Cheryl De Paoli and Matt Mayer

6:30pm to 8:30pm
The Alex Community Food Centre 
4920 17 Ave SE

Today co-operatives are innovators and leaders in community economic development! They are found in every part of the economy and provide important services such as housing and health care. They are an important part of our history, have built strong communities, and thrived in times of economic uncertainty.

Our introductory presentation informs participants about what makes the model unique. It features an overview of the movement, the co-operative structure, values and principles, and explains how these factors have contributed to their success.

This two-hour evening is presented with the following audience in mind:

• Learners interested in different types of business structures
• People who work in, or who would like to start a co-operative
• Business owners interested in succession planning that involves selling all or part of their business to their employees
• Economic development officers or those interested in the benefits of community investment

Register for the Co-op Basics Workshop

The workshop will have a strong focus on community economic development, and provide a strong foundation on the co-operative movement, structure and advantage. This includes:

History and evolution of the co-operative movement

• A global phenomenon that has grown to one billion members worldwide.
• An important part of Alberta’s history.

The co-operative structure

• What makes a co-operative different than a corporation, charity, or not-for profit.
• Understanding the co-operative advantage.
• How local ownership and control strengthens the local economy.

How co-operatives are responding to present day needs

• Local food
• Succession planning
• Renewable energy
• Raising local capital

To learn more about the event please contact Seth Leon, Manager of Co-operative Services, at sleon at acca.coop or call 587-216-2144

SOURCE: Alberta Community & Co-operative Association