SENSCOT MEMBER’S BULLETIN No. 220, FRIDAY 19th MARCH 2004
Dear members and friends,
Hibs were dreadful on Sunday – dreams of glory evaporated –
again. Marvellous crowd though – 40,000 hopeful pilgrims – where do they come
from – why? Hibs once had a great team – but that was fifty years ago. Isn’t
hope a wondrous thing – eternal. Vaclav Havel wrote, “we either have hope
within us or we do not – a dimension of our soul – not the conviction that
something will turn out well – but the certainty that something makes sense, no
matter how it turns out.” There is something admirable about supporting a crap
football team – or any forlorn cause. Somehow noble.
A dozen
noble veterans met in a Glasgow restaurant before the game – the stories were
good. I told about the 1991 League Cup Final when Hibs beat Dunfermline 2-0. When
the score was 0-0 Hibs got a penalty – Tommy McIntyre went to take it. I leapt
to my feet screaming, “Not you, McIntyre! – you’re bloody useless!” From behind
me a wee woman says, “Tom is my son – he’s not useless.” I was dumbfounded. In
all my years slagging footballers it never occurred to me they had mothers.
Fortunately he scored – we all hugged each other. What if he’d missed…?
When I took
my seat on Sunday, the guy in front of me was sleeping – probably up all night
on the drink. At half time he woke – hung over – and left. He enjoyed the game
more than I did.
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Lots of interest in the comments from the Senscot member who
‘did the rounds’ looking for help to set up a social enterprise. We have
received responses from Community Recycling Network Scotland, Social Firms
Scotland, Castlemilk Economic Development Agency and Enterprising Women. The
launch of the social economy Action Plan in late April will provide the focus
to pull together a comprehensive directory of support agencies – statutory and
voluntary national and local. Senscot intends to build an online searchable
database. (http://www.senscot.net/LD/Articles/supportagencyresp.asp)
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The chance of a small business succeeding is 10 times
greater if it is a franchise. Gerry Higgins – formerly CEO of Social Firms UK –
has taken on the new role of business development director to develop
franchising in the Social Firms sector. He hopes to establish 12-15 high
profile businesses – a new generation of high quality social firms which are
replicable. (http://www.senscot.net/LD/Articles/higginsGetProg.asp)
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Gerry Higgins is a speaker at the CRNS Conference on 7th
April at the Tolbooth Centre, Stirling. For details/booking: http://www.senscot.net/LD/Articles/employmentevent.pdf
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Most social entrepreneur consider the work involved in
‘impact measurement’ as a pain in the neck. I have gradually become convinced,
however, that the only way we are going to attract investment into our
businesses – and to the sector in general – is to demonstrate the value of our
work. The New Economics Foundation (NEF) is leading a project to pilot and
disseminate tools to help social enterprises ‘prove and improve’. If the
attached piece whets your appetite you can join NEF’s Quality and Impacts
mailing list http://www.senscot.net/LD/Articles/nefProveImprove.asp
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Solicitor Stephen Philips of Burness and Co. is the
acknowledged expert in Scotland on legal structures as they relate to social
enterprises and the third sector in general. He has cast his expert eye on the
pros and cons of the Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) model. He has shared
his comments with Senscot which we attach. Thank you, Stephen. (http://www.senscot.net/LD/Articles/llpproscons.asp).
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YELLOW PAGES: Space constraints mean we can’t carry every
notice you send. But please send in any relevant items (before noon Thursday)
to simon@senscot.net and we’ll post them on our site. This week:
JOBS: 43 vacancies including Glasgow Simon Community,
Volunteer Centre North Ayrshire, WWF, GCVS, The Wise Group, Shelter Scotland,
Jubilee Scotland, Keeping Well in Greater Govan.
EVENTS: ‘Next Generation: Better Services for Young People’,
Glasgow, 22 March; Gmos And World Hunger: Who Really Benefits? Edinburgh, 24
March; Skillshare On Planning & Environmental Justice, Perth, March 26; 8th
European Business Ethics Network Annual Conference, Edinburgh, 1-2 April;
Scottish Global Awareness Conference, Edinburgh, 24-25 April. The Way Forward
For Rural Scotland, Edinburgh 10th May.
For details on these and more, visit ‘Yellow pages’ at: www.senscot.net
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Senscot receives more and more stuff on the subjects of
globalisation and localisation – how they are connected. NEF has produced the
second annual report of their Ghost Town Britain campaign which highlights how
changes in our economy are undermining the fabric of communities. http://www.senscot.net/LD/Articles/ghostTownNef.asp.
Community workers like myself will enjoy John Battle’s thoughtful piece about
the value of local community. Loved his references to Thomas More’s Utopia,
written in 1516 (http://www.senscot.net/LD/Articles/globlocal.asp).
‘Localisation’ will increasingly feature in our discussions
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This week’s bulletin profile an arts and crafts project
based in Fife. Art 1st/Gallery 42 has been set up to support and promote local
art and handmade crafts through the provision of a showcase gallery and
affordable work units. Art 1st/Gallery 42 took over their premises last summer
and had their official opening day last October with over 200 people attending.
Housed in the 2500sq ft area is a shared photographic studio, wood working area
and visual art space, which doubles up as a meeting place, and second gallery
which will house community exhibitions. Arts 1st/Gallery 42 has been supported
by Scotland unLTD and is keen to hear from other enterprises who have gone down
a similar path. For further info’, see http://www.senscot.net/LD/Profiles/Menu.asp
.
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A heavyweight assembly of worldwide social entrepreneurs
will take place on 29th/30th March in Oxford – names like Mohammed Younis –Jerr
Boschee – Charles Leadbetter – thinkers and practitioners attending the first
Skoll World Forum of Social Entrepreneurs. Look at this programme: (http://www.senscot.net/LD/Articles/WorldForumSchedule.asp)
We Scots are uncomfortable with celebrity. We would rather denigrate than
celebrate – a kind of gloomy envy which I detect in myself – not attractive.
The gathering is the brainchild of Jeff Skoll – billionaire founder of E-Bay
–and it is clear from the attached interview that he is totally convinced about
the importance of social entrepreneurship. “ I think it is the single biggest
movement that is going to change the way we live.” http://www.senscot.net/LD/Articles/skollinterview.asp
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In his ‘Memoirs’, Jean Monnet the architect of European
unification, observes that people of ambition fall into two groups – those who
want to ‘do something’ and those who want to’be someone’. While those who want
to ‘cut a figure and play a role’ are useful to society- in his view it is the
other kind who get things moving –“Those who spend time looking for places and
opportunities to influence the course of events. The places are not always the
obvious ones, nor do the opportunities occur when many people expect them.
Anyone who wants to find them has to forsake the limelight. One cannot
concentrate on oneself and the objective at the same time.”
That’s all for this week. Good luck with your adventures.
Best wishes,
Laurence.
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