Dear members and friends,
Evening sunshine on the terrace of La Fonda – a restaurant I’ve been using for 30 years – same head waiter, Luis. I choose a single behind a pillar – where I can read in peace – but as it gets busier, I find myself within earshot of a big table for eight – four couples. The wives are high gloss – the men a bit scary and obviously crooks – high end stuff. Their craic is good – I hear how, for all the countries in the Euro zone, 75% of issued 500 Euro notes are now here on the Costa; the narrator says he’s got 200 of them – 100 grand’s worth – indicates how ‘fick’ the wad is.
The head of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime said in an interview that, when the world financial system was dangerously close to collapse, it was kept afloat by the proceeds of organised crime. Leading banks around the world – desperate for liquid investment capital – absorbed £229 billion of drugs profits into the global economic system. If this is true, then bankers are now like racketeers – or have they always been? Marbella gets a worse name than anywhere else – but maybe it’s just more open here – less hypocritical. The villa in the hills bought with cash – the stash of ‘readies’ for a fast getaway; but at least these characters at the next table know what they are, no pretensions – and their prospects include the ‘nick’ – not a knighthood.
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On being appointed Minister for the Third Sector in May 2006 – Ed Miliband gave a major speech, in which he set out his understanding of the respective roles of the sector and the state. It is interesting to compare these with the emerging philosophy of Cameron’s Big Society. Miliband took as his reference point ‘Voluntary Action’ – the influential 1948 report – which Lord Beveridge said: "was concerned with private enterprise, not in business, but in the service of mankind, not for gain but under the driving power of social conscience." The social enterprise community is young, and still defining its culture; some voices particularly from the USA, want it to embrace privately owned businesses. This is a good time to remind ourselves of the legacy of Beveridge; consumer power is on the move – customers increasingly looking to engage with businesses, driven not by gain, but by the power of social conscience. https://senscot.net/?viewid=4669
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Those behind the UK Govt’s Big Society idea are behaving as if all the existing activity to empower communities throughout the country did not exist. This was the recurring message from this week’s DTA (England) Conference in Derby. Over 400 community enterprise practitioners gathered in Derby to share best practice and debate the issues facing the community sector. This theme ran from the opening remarks from Micheal Pyner (DTA Chair) through to a fiery closing plenary session with David Prout, director general of the Communities and Local Government department. See more,
https://senscot.net/?viewid=10006
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Our piece last week on Social Impact Bonds (SIB), whilst supporting the aims of SIB, queried whether it could be a genuinely workable solution. Sir Ronald Cohen, the venture capitalist, is far more confident. Interviewed by Social Enterprise Mag at the SIB launch at Peterborough Prison, Cohen stated that he believes this model could see the beginnings of ‘a new investment asset class that could turbo charge social entrepreneurship’. The SIB model could well attract institutional investors like pension funds, instead of the philanthropists who have financed the first pilot, as long as a track record of paying returns is established by the pilot. See more, https://senscot.net/?viewid=10000
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Our 11th Annual General Meeting takes place on Friday 1st October at EVH’s new premises at 137 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow between 1 – 3pm. We’re delighted to say that our keynote speaker on the day will be Christine Carlin, Head of Scottish Govt’s Third Sector Division. The AGM itself will review our directors’ report and accounts for 2009/10 as well as elect our board for the coming year. Only company members can vote at this meeting – but all friends of Senscot are welcome to attend. There are still around a dozen places available. If you’d like to attend, contact victoria@senscot.net Here’s the agenda https://senscot.net/?viewid=9993
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NOTICES: We can’t flag all notices here, but more jobs, events and tenders available on our website. See http://www.senscot.net/jobsevents.php . This week:
JOBS: Ecole Enterprise, Isle of Gigha Heritage Trust, Gift Street Fundraisers, Preshal Trust, Rape and Abuse Line, Partners In Play, Upper Nithsdale Arts and Crafts Community Initiative, University of Edinburgh
EVENTS: Rural South Lanarkshire Voluntary Sector Support Service – Launch, 17 Sep; Getting Ready to Buy, 22 Sep; Hatches, Matches and Dispatches, 28 Sep; Youth Justice: Another Lost Generation?, 28 Sep
TENDERS: UK-Glasgow: refuse recycling services; Bus Shelter Cleaning Contract; Bring Back Sites – Collection & Recycling Service for Glass; Framework Agreement for Repair and Maintenance Services;
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NETWORKS 1st: As many will know, Senscot has been gathering evidence of the economic and social impact of SENs and their members at a local level. We now have figures for Aberdeen and Dundee SENs – and they show some impressive outputs. The Vital Stats for these two east coast SENs include 17 social enterprises; employ 529 people; provide 57 trainee and 415 volunteer positions; 124 board members; and a combined turnover of £13m. Perhaps even more impressive is the fact that 78% of it is being generated through trade – over 10% up on last year – and 5 organisations are now 100% self-funding! For more Networks News, see http://www.senscot.net/networks1st/showart.php?articleid=157
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We draw your attention this week to an event in Inverness in November that is celebrating the last and the next 20 years of communities and culture in the Highlands and Islands. ‘Old Maps and New’ is a joint event between HIE and Creative Scotland. The title is taken from a Norman MacCaig poem and the event coincides with the 100th anniversary of the birth of this great Scottish poet. Bookings are now open. For more, see https://senscot.net/?viewid=10001
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Community Enterprise Marketing, launched earlier this summer, informs us of its new media service that includes press release writing and a distribution service. They’ve already teamed up with Hisez to ensure that social enterprises get their messages out to key audiences i.e. customers, partners, beneficiaries etc…. and they’re offering a subsidised rate for social enterprises between now and Christmas. See more, https://senscot.net/?viewid=10003
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With Dharmendra Kanani heading south, the BIG Lottery in Scotland has announced this week that Jackie Killeen will take up the post of acting Director from 1st October. Jackie is a well-known and well-regarded figure amongst the social enterprise community and we wish her well in her new role. See this week’s press release, https://senscot.net/?viewid=10002
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Earlier this year, we updated our profile on REQUIPIT, based in Leith, to coincide with their relaunch in March. General Manager, Colin Foskett, contacts us with news of their updated website. Originally set up to refurbish and resell used computers to raise funds for the work of Bethany Christian Trust, it merged with Bethany’s electrical workshop to create a new social enterprise which refurbishes and resells all kinds of domestic appliances. As well as acting as a wholesale white good supplier to a range of charity shop chains across the UK, REQUIPIT also works with major retailers such as the John Lewis Partnership and IKEA. See more, http://www.senscot.net/view_prof.php?viewid=10008
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Last week’s profile on Fablevision Studios contained some errors on our part. These have now been corrected. Our apologies. See http://www.senscot.net/view_prof.php?viewid=9992
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The weather is all that I hoped for here in Andalucia – full of light and heat – but not the destructive heat of mid-summer. Today I collected pebbles at the edge of the sea – wee piles of the different colours. It reminds me of Mary Oliver’s poem ‘The Summer Day’ – this is the second half of it:
"I don’t know exactly what a prayer is. I do know how to pay attention – how to fall down into the grass – how to be idle and blessed – how to stroll through the fields – which is what I have been doing all day. Tell me – what else should I have done? Doesn’t everything die at last – and too soon? Tell me – what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" https://senscot.net/?viewid=10009
That’s all for this week. Good luck with your adventures
Best wishes,
Laurence
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