World Forum » Introduction
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Background
The Social Enterprise World Forum emerged from national social enterprise support agencies seeking a means to collaborate to advance social enterprise development throughout the world.
After consultation with a range of partners, CEiS was encouraged and supported to organise the inaugural Social Enterprise World Forum in Edinburgh, Scotland from September 2nd to 5th 2008. The event was being delivered in partnership with The Scottish Government, The Social Enterprise Alliance (USA), Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Social Ventures Australia, Scottish Enterprise, The Social Enterprise Coalition, Office of the Third Sector (UK), Enterprising Non-Profits (Canada), the Department for International Development, Social Investment Scotland and a range of international and local partners, sponsors and supporters.
The Forum was the first international gathering of practitioners and support agencies dealing exclusively with social enterprise and brought together social enterprise leaders and champions from all continents to collaborate, share best practice and plan future developments. This collaboration raised awareness of social enterprise as an expanding global mechanism for social change and explored the merit of ongoing collaboration for key stakeholders.
Outcomes
The outcomes of the inaugural Social Enterprise World Forum are:
- increased collaboration between leading agencies promoting and supporting social enterprise throughout the world.
- the establishment of an annual Social Enterprise World Forum to be held in Australia in 2009 and the USA in 2010 and in other continents thereafter.
- enhanced delegate knowledge and increased social impact, from networking and collaboration with practitioners and agencies from around the world.
- heightened awareness of the potential of social enterprise to build sustainable communities in urban and rural settings.
- an increased understanding of where the market opportunities for social enterprise lie in the medium to long term.
- participants acquired transferable strategies, systems and models with a view to directly influencing social enterprise development on a worldwide basis.
