Bristolian Business - Social enterprises on the rise
The latest event of the series “Towards Collaborative Practice” invited 25 participants from all over Europe, for an inspirational study visit taking place in the creative street art hotspot, Bristol.
Fresh vegetables grown by ex-addicts. Woodwork pieces created by people with learning difficulties. New buildings arose thanks to the hard work of ex-offenders. What do these things have in common? They are all outcomes of existing sustainable social businesses based in the buzzing city of Bristol. Social businesses are focusing on social needs, creating profit while providing employment, training or financial support for marginalized groups, people with fewer opportunities. Participants of the study visit had the chance to personally get a peak of the business structure, the everyday activities of such local initiatives and to directly address questions to the founders and/or staff members of these good practices. Besides the local encounters, the group was introduced to the support system of social enterprises in Bristol and generally, in the United Kingdom. As the majority of the participants already had an enterprise or at least an idea to implement, they were encouraged to imply the newly gained knowledge and good examples within their own organisations back home. During the study visit, besides sharing of know-how, self-reflection was also a very important part of the learning process. Participants were guided by two experienced trainers, Olga Kapachenia & Radu Seuche with whom they could touch such topics as how to implement a successful crowdfunding campaign or how to deal with business investors.
Hence the tight schedule, the international group could also discover the harbour area of the city, thanks to a guided cruise on the river Avon and a fantastic dinner out in the heart of Bristol.
See the full profiles of the above mentioned social enterprises on Foundship.org:
http://foundship.org/12-stories-of-social-enterprises-in-bristol/
Would you like to join the upcoming conference in Liverpool? Stay tuned for more information at:
Agnes Horvath
