Social Enterprise Day:
New generation of social entrepreneurs gear up to inspire the nation
15 November 2007
Ministers across Government are joining forces with social
entrepreneurs up and down the country in a day of events to inspire a new
generation to work for or set up businesses with social or environmental
goals.
Hundreds of pupils and young people across England are taking part in
events celebrating the achievements of social entrepreneurs, and in keeping
with the youth theme of this year’s Social Enterprise Day the Government is
announcing that GCSE business studies students will study social enterprise
as a core part of the syllabus from September 2008.
In addition, thousands of aspiring and existing social enterprises will
benefit from a new guide offering specialist business information and
advice, being launched today on Businesslink.gov.uk.
As part of other activities happening on Social Enterprise Day, thousands
of votes are expected to be cast online today as young people choose their
favourite idea to change the world, expressed in just one minute, in Make
Your Mark in 60 Seconds – a competition led by the Government-backed
Make Your Mark campaign to promote enterprise to young people and hosted by
the social networking site Bebo. The winner, to be announced at 18.00 today
by Cabinet Office Minister Phil Hope and Enterprise Minister Stephen Timms,
will receive a £5,000 Award from UnLtd to make their idea happen. The
second phase of the competition will then start – challenging young people
all over the country to come up with their own 60-second pitch to change
lives.
Another exciting initiative – a Commission for Youth Social
Entrepreneurship, the first ever youth-led organisation to represent social
enterprise – is also due to be launched today at a Treasury-hosted event
attended by Cabinet Office Ministers Ed Miliband and Phil Hope and Treasury
Minister Jane Kennedy.
Cabinet Office Minister Ed Miliband said:
“The enthusiasm with which social enterprise is being embraced around the
country reflects the desire among many – especially young people – to be
more ethical in their choices and actions. I want to see a new generation
of social entrepreneurs inspired to dedicate themselves to a way of doing
business that combines making money with having a significant positive
impact on our communities and environment.
“Just one year on from the launch of the Government’s Social Enterprise
Action Plan, I am delighted with the progress we’ve made – from getting
social enterprise onto the GCSE business studies syllabus, to appointing
ambassadors like The Apprentice’s Tim Campbell to champion social
enterprise in classrooms and boardrooms alike.
“We are in the foothills of what the social enterprise movement can
achieve, and I welcome the progress being made by departments across
Government to embrace social enterprises and their capacity to profoundly
change society for the better.”
Phil Hope, Minister for the Third Sector, including social enterprise,
said:
“As Minister responsible for social enterprise it is my mission to see
today’s social enterprises turn into a wave of businesses which are
changing lives and society while turning a profit. The Government is
working to achieve that by raising awareness of what social enterprises
can achieve, inspiring young people to seek a career in social enterprise
and equipping them with relevant knowledge and skills, while providing
better access to finance and information for the current and would-be
social entrepreneurs already out there.”
Exactly one year on from the launch of the Government’s social enterprise
action plan, the Cabinet Office also published today a series of 'think
pieces' written by five leading social and business thinkers including
Charles Leadbeater. The authors assess the long-term role of social
enterprise in the context of ethical markets, social value innovation and
employment with the aim of generating debate and ideas for future
government policy.
