Dear members and friends,
Pedro’s beach restaurant is not a fashionable haunt of the rich – but neither is it the realm of ‘Full English Breakfasts’ and tattoos. Off the beaten track, it has an informal, slightly ramshackle air and very friendly service – Pedro’s family since 1975. Most days I arrive around noon – rent the same shaded sun lounger and read till about 2 – then I have lunch – fish, salad, rice pudding – then I may snooze. I don’t invite conversation. My aim on this holiday is to de-stress in the sun – to build some inner reserves against winter darkness – but there’s also a bigger picture. I’m preoccupied by the approach of my 70th year – because if I’m spared for another decade, I have no strategy. I tend to define life through activity – ideas, energy, projects – but my instinct tells me that the next chapter will be different – requiring a level of spiritual resilience which I don’t have yet. I need a plan.
On the beach each day, the adjacent loungers are occupied by an old, white-haired German couple whose relationship is a joy to behold. They’re both in a rickety state, but extraordinarily calm and tender with each other. Their devotion makes me realise that I have never loved anyone in this way – perhaps never dared to love anyone more than myself. Fear of loss, I think it is, makes some of us choose solitude – a life without the pain of tenderness. It seems sad – but we each have to find our own way.
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I’ve been asking myself what I mean when I speak of left and right wing social enterprises – here’s where I’ve got. Left wing SE’s will regard the world’s dominant economic system as unjust and inefficient – damaging to people and the planet – and will consciously work to change it – at whatever level. Right wing SE’s simply strive to be ‘as good as the private sector’ in using market forces. In the international development field, right wing agencies are content to deliver their product and grow market share – left wingers will work to empower local people to be self sufficient. It’s about radical change or going with the flow. Hardly a new subject. We’d welcome your comments. In the meantime, social enterprise ambassador Craig Deardon-Philips gives his take in last week’s Guardian. http://www.senscot.net/view_news.php?viewid=7517
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As civil servants join and leave the Third Sector Division, Senscot tries to follow the fluctuations in Scottish Government attitude to social enterprise; does it still have a `differentiated strategy` – a distinct voice? Or has that been quietly shelved. The composition of the newly formed Third Sector Task Group suggests that we’re back to the ”one size fits all – SCVO represents everyone” model. This Soviet Bloc system is easier to understand and administer, but something is lost with the dumbing of diversity. It’s not easy to get the balance right. http://www.senscot.net/view_news.php?viewid=7515
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For the last 20 years, Fablevision has been pioneering ‘Cultural Planning’ in Scotland as a way of empowering communities to use their local cultural resources to contribute to the regeneration of their area. As Scotland’s Centre for Cultural Planning, Fablevision has been successfully delivering training and action learning programmes to local authorities, community planning partnerships and housing associations throughout the country. Their gold standard programme (a series of four master classes delivered in partnership with the University of Strathclyde) begins in October. If you’re interested, see details
http://www.senscot.net/view_news.php?viewid=7525
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The Government in England this week announced two new initiatives as part of their nationwide drive to put more power into the hands of local people. 12 `participatory budgeting` areas or `community kitties` are to be piloted as well as the setting up of an `asset transfer unit`, led by the Development Trusts Association. DTA will ‘provide practical advice and help local communities take over underused or derelict land and buildings and achieve lasting public benefit.’ For more, see http://www.senscot.net/view_news.php?viewid=7516
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We mentioned two weeks ago that Angus Hardie (Director of the DTA Scotland) was moving on after 5 years in the post. This week, the search for his successor begins. See details http://www.senscot.net/view_job.php?viewid=7524
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NOTICES: We can’t flag all notices here, but submit jobs and events and we’ll post them on our site. See http://www.senscot.net/index.php?W21ID=86&W21SUBID=0. This week:
JOBS: incl. posts with: The Waterways Trust, Forth Sector, Avante Consulting Ltd, Latch, Visualise
EVENTS: Viability not Liability! – Asset-based development for enterprising communities, 27 Sep, Shetland; Health & Wellbeing Fair, 1 Nov, Aberdeen; ‘Progress beyond Politics’ – the social change debate, 4 Dec, Stirling
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NETWORKS 1st News: This year’s Social Enterprise Ceilidh is open for bookings. Every year over 100 people attend the event at New Lanark, 80% of them active social entrepreneurs. This year we’d like to get applications for the Dragon’s Den event in early, so we can provide the entrants with some pre `Den` practice. If you’ve got an idea that you’d like to get off the ground, fill in an application form and get it back to us. Attached are all relevant booking forms as well as more NETWORKS News, see http://www.senscot.net/networks1st/showart.php?articleid=49
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More national media coverage for Borders social enterprises. Our friend, Bosco Santimano (You Can Cook) has secured a contract to run cookery classes in healthy eating at the Astley Ainslie Hospital in Edinburgh. For more, see http://www.senscot.net/view_news.php?viewid=7526
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The John Logie Baird Awards scheme was recently featured on Newsnight. The closing date is 29th September if you want to submit an entry. Run by the GO Group, the programme is open to any innovative business, entrepreneur or inventor with an innovative idea with a special category for the Third Sector. If you fancy it, see details http://www.senscot.net/view_news.php?viewid=7406
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Firstport is working with Pricewaterhouse Cooper and Scottish Business in the Community to provide free business consultancy for up to 50 social enterprises. An event is scheduled for 8th October in Dunkeld where
up to 200 PwC employees will volunteer as business consultants, providing bespoke support to around 50 social enterprises. If you’re interested in getting involved, contact Norman Hill at Norman@firstport.org.uk. See press release, http://www.senscot.net/view_news.php?viewid=7513
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In June this year, Scottish Government launched their Climate Challenge Fund – a new £18.8 million fund to help local communities take action to tackle the global threat of climate change. Senscot member, Osbert Lancaster (a panel member) draws our attention to the funding panel’s first round of awards. See list. http://www.senscot.net/view_news.php?viewid=7514
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This week’s bulletin profiles Community Transport Glasgow (CTG). CTG was set up a few years back to develop a strategy for community transport services in the Glasgow area with the specific aim of improving access to health and social care. Membership of CTG includes well established community transport services such as Castlemilk Community Transport Ltd and Bringing the East End Together (BEET). CTG has been successful in securing contracts with NHS Greater Glasgow and also Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centre in the city. For more, see http://www.senscot.net/view_prof.php?viewid=7518
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From ”Zen Mind, Beginners Mind” by SHUNRU SUZUKI
‘There is no way set up for us. Moment after moment we have to find our own way. Some idea of perfection set up by someone else, is not the true way for us. Each one of us must make our own true way, and when we do, that way will express the universal way. This is the mystery. When you understand one thing through and through, you understand everything. When you try to understand everything, you will not understand anything.’
That’s all for this week. Good luck with your adventures
Best wishes,
Laurence
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