brodie.mcculloch
adventures of a rogue thinker.
I live and work in the most isolated city in the world. I am passionate about social innovation, entrepreneurship, marketing, travel, technology, government 2.0, sustainability, design, photography and have been known to have entrepreneurial tendencies.
Get Updates
Subscribe via RSS »
Dismantle on the Fremantle Esplanade
Great visiting Dismantles new workshop on the Fremantle esplanade! Lots to do but lots of promise. Check it out at www.dismantle.org.au
Social innovation in Western Australia re-launch
It has been a busy few months with Cyclefreo moving along nicely as well as SiiWA kicking off its first event with WACOSS mid September (not to mention needing to keep building my customer base through Think Big Communication...needing to make money and all).
From all this learning it became clear that new movement is needed in WA around the area of Social Innovation, Social Enterprise and Social Entrepreneurship. The first part of this is to create a entry point for the area in WA and this is what SiiWA has been turned into. The next step is to start a monthly meetup,
I am talking to a few potential sponsors now and we should have something up and running by early next month. The goal is to build a positive network around this in WA and focus on the good things that are happening rather than the bad things that have happened in the past.
This whole space is about finding innovative solutions but people (mainly NFP sector) are still waiting for the Government show them how this will work and how it fits in. The short of it is that it doesn't fit in, it is new and needs to be created. Government is trying to help but really it will take the business sector and individuals to drive this forward and shape it.
This is where is see SiiWA coming in as this bridge.
The conversation begins....Social Innovation in Western Australia
Since returning to Australia five months ago and starting to setup Cyclefreo a Bike Share Social Enterprise for Fremantle it became clear that the conversation around Social Innovation and support for Social Entrepreneurs was lacking in Western Australia.
I have spent time meeting with a range of Leaders, CEO's and Directors in the Public Service, Business, Education and Not for Profit sectors to see what they were doing, their visions and their strategies to push forward this conversation and action to support Social Innovation in Western Australia.
On the 20th of September the first of what I hope to be many events is being run by WACOSS titled "Unlocking and Empowering Social Innovation in WA" which will be the beginning of this conversation to look at what we can do to get things moving.
The format is still being finalised but the facilitator and speaker is Jason Clarke and the idea will be to conduct some form on Un-conference / World Cafe for part of the day to really get people talking and thinking.
I have attached the early flier and sponsors are still being engaged and should be finalised in the next week or so. I am working closely with WACOSS so any input you have on the format or comments in general would be greatly appreciated.
You can register directly for the event here and if you have a place to print off the above and post it or forward it to others who could be interested please do so.
I will post more details as they develop and we should have a detailed agenda in the weeks to come.
Press time for Cyclefreo
Cyclefreo has been getting some press of late in the local papers around Fremantle.
Cyclefreo in the Fremantle Gazette
Cyclefreo in the Fremantle Herald
We should be getting some more press and things are moving along steadily, really at this point I am working to secure specific partners who can join with Cyclefreo to build networks and gain support. There is still a lot of work to do however some big partners are starting to line up and it should make for an interesting few months.
Just Read: The End of Charity by Nic Frances
I just finished reading "The End of Charity" by Nic Frances. You can read an excerpt here and purchase the book here (and if your in Perth I can lend you my copy).
It is well worth the read by anyone (Government, Business, NGO or Education) who is interested in how Social Enterprise can change the way social outcomes are delivered and provide the capacity to produce global change within our existing market driven economy.
One of the phrases I liked and am going to take away from this is "Value Centric Market Economics" this describes moving from a purely financially driven economy to a economy driven by producing both Financial, Social and Environmental Capital.
Below is a description but it is well worth finding and reading.
Nic Frances is a social entrepreneur. He once worked for charity. This is the story of how he came to understand that charity can never deliver a just and sustainable world. It is only through a value-centred market economy that we will ever see real social change.
Breaking new ground and drawing on his encounters with business and social leaders around the world as well as his own richly-lived experiences, Nic Frances leads us through his principles of social entrepreneurship. He introduces us to the powerful idea that the market can be a tool for delivering a range of values besides profit. He explains the growing recognition that corporate social responsibility benefits businesses as well as the community and that welfare organisations will only be really effective when they start exploring social enterprise and corporate partnerships.The End of Charity is as hopeful and as it is inspiring. It heralds a breakthrough to lasting change to the seemingly intractable problems of poverty, injustice and environmental sustainability. It is a book for everybody who cares about the future.
Senator Ursula Stephens announces Investment in Social Enterprise
Senator Ursula Stephens announces new investment into Social Enterprise by the Australian Government.
- $20 million to be invested in new and innovative social ventures and enterprises
- $20 million matched by financial institutions
- $40 million minimum total commitment
- Move away from traditional grants to a No Interest Loan or Venture Capital system
- Consultations to start next month and Launch to be start of 2011 (same time as WA government 12 million commitment)
- Professional Partnership program to begin with KPMG, PWC, Deloitte and E&Y
- Comes down to Government empowering communities to deliver outcomes
I think something that needs to be looked at in parallel to these two initiatives is actual infrastructure such as innovation hubs and incubators where these startups, entrepreneurs, innovators and developed social enterprises can go to get ongoing mentoring and support throughout their business development.
Something like the HUB where people can go to go through the full business planning process and connect with people working towards similar goals. Still this is a big move forward and this space will have far more potential for change in the coming year.
Social Business Australia article in West Australia Business News
Click here to download:
International Co-op experience combines market efficiency with social outcomes.pdf (652 KB)
Some interesting points about needing to change the perception about co-operatives in Australia.
This info-graphic from Socialtraders about the different models of Social Enterprises is a good tool to show people different aspects.
Challenges Everywhere for Social Innovation
Wow, I have entered so many different competitions in the last two months.
The WA Centre for Innovation - Innovator of the Year which I have entered Cyclefreo and Social Energy Australia in as well.
Rather than money for these challenges I am really looking for the ideas to spread and get people involved to move them forward. Already the contacts I have made around the world from entering have been highly valuable.
I should know about the first one for TACSI in the next month and all the applications will be up on their website in the next week.
Learning from a Churchill Fellow
Click here to download:
JMcNeill_public sector and social enterprise_Churchill Fellowship report.pdf (189 KB)
It is always interesting to read things that reinforce what you have already been thinking. I have had this happen a number of times over the past few weeks and some of the conversations I have had continue this trend (can also be a bad thing).
This report was written by Joanne McNeill upon completion of her Churchill Fellowship last year. Joanne is the Officer - Social Enterprise at Parramatta City which is one of the few Local Governments in Australia that have embraced such a position.
I highly recommend reading her findings and observations as they provide some good insight into how events should unfold in Australia.
Cyclefreo hits the Public Sector
A few weeks ago I was asked by Openforum.com.au to put together an article about Cyclefreo for their readership. Since this it has also been republished at PSnews...so now there are a lot of Public Servants who know about Cyclefreo.
Openforum.com.au - Brisbane, Melbourne & 'Freo', 3 models for bike-sharing (I didn't choose that title)
PSnews - Life's a Bike! (and I didn't choose that one eather)
Over the next few weeks there should be a few more articles (not from me this time) about Cyclefreo and the business concepts behind it.
0 Comments