Tasmanian Social Enterprise Study

Are you a social enterprise?

If your organisation or business's mission is to benefit the community and you sell a product or service to achieve this, then we want to hear from you. Whether or not you call yourself a ‘social enterprise’, we invite you to get involved.  Equally, if your organisation considers itself a social enterprise – even if it does not exactly fit the description,  we would invite you to participate.

The Tasmanian Social Enterprise Study is the first-ever study of ‘social enterprise’ in the state and is a partnership between the Tasmanian Government and the University of Tasmania.

It is a stock take of activity that will provide information to guide the development of the social enterprise sector in Tasmania and nationally.   The results of the study will be publicly available by mid 2011. 

Look out for the link COMING SOON to this blogsite and make contact for more information.

Merry Christmas

Thanks so much to everyone who has been involved in Branching Out in 2010.
I wish all a Safe and Happy Christmas and look forward to an exciting 2011.
Cheers - Kylie 

PROJECT PICS

Investing in Tasmanian Artists

You can now support one of Tasmania's most successful arts organisations by donating to Interweave Arts. It is now listed on the Australian Cultural Fund which means you can invest in the fantastic programs offered through Interweave Arts and claim it through your tax.
Donations to Interweave Arts will be allocated to the Workshop Studio program that operates throughout the year working with young artists and artists with a disability.
www.abaf.org.au/donate

Interweave Artworks-a sample of works

http://s1126.photobucket.com/albums/l607/KylieEastley/INTERWEAVE%20ART/

TRAK Open Day

What an inspiring day yesterday with almost 100 visitors attended ARTS ON TRAK at the Working Art Space in Sheffield, North West Tasmania.
Local artists demonstrated a range of techniques including encaustic, silk, water painting, digital photography, drawing and more.
It was a fantastic way to launch the art groups brochure, blog and celebrate the past 12 months working with us in the Branching Out project.
This committee and community work incredibly hard and we have felt privileged to be included in their team, bringing support and specialist skills.
So thanks to everyone involved. I will post some pics in the next few days.

The imperative to create time for artists to work

Australians are showing an unprecedented love of the arts, but our artists remain amongst the lowest paid in our society – especially in regional Australia.
Please read the rest of the speech from Kathy Keele, CEO of Australia Council for the Arts
We are talking to more and more artists and community arts groups in regional areas who are struggling and looking for a new approach.
The Ernesto Sirolli mandate of 'only do what you love to do' is playing out as a possible solution, or at least part of the solution. Match this with skilled people and resources that actually respond to the needs of the sector, then who knows what is possible.

Investing in your art

What an amazing opportunity to not only participate in the workshop run by Dr Ernesto Sirolli and colleague Yvonne Fizer, but to spend time discussing our project and some of the possibilities. They have shown great generosity over the past few months and have been incredibly supportive of what we are trying to do.
Along with the discussion amongst delegates at the Junction 2010 Conference and Festival, it confirms our findings; that we need to look at some new approaches to encouraging innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship in the art world.
We are seeking people, communities and organisations willing to explore possibilities and invest.

Dr Sirolli in Town

If you haven't heard, we are lucky enough to have Dr Ernesto Sirolli in Tasmania for the week. He is speaking at a number of engagements including the Dorothy Pearce Lecture and conducting a day long workshop on Wednesday 25th in Hobart. He then travels to Launceston where he will be a key note speaker at the Junction 2010 Conference, as well as conducting 2 workshops targetted at the artists and the arts workers.
It's a fantastic opportunity to have someone speaking about enterprise who has such a diverse and interesting background. Sirolli associates Yvonne Fizer and Martha Sirolli have also committed time to talk with us about the opportunities for social enterprise and the arts.
This has been made possible through a partnership between Tasmanian Council of Social Services and Tasmanian Regional Arts' Branching Out project, and has received sponsorship through the Tasmanian Government's Social Inclusions Unit.

JUNCTION 2010

We will be presenting some of our findings and experiences from the Branching Out project at the Regional Arts Australia National Conference. This 2 year project, funded by the Westpac Foundation, has been a fantastic opportunity to explore the possibilities within regional communities to incorporate social enterprise into the arts. Our session is on Saturday 28th at 4.10pm.

Enterprising TRA

Last week the TRA team got together to brainstorm some of the exciting possibilities on how to build on the fantastic support it provides throughout the regional arts community. This was a dynamic workshop that identified some real opportunities for TRA to be entrepreneurial. We will be sharing this with you all soon.

But in the meantime look out for the beautiful cards and buttons on sale at JUNCTION2010. Interweave Arts in conjunction with Branching Out have selected just a few of the magnificent artworks produced through it's Workshop Studio Program to be displayed on Tasmanian made cards and badges. This program has been a valued component of Interweave with artists and volunteers working with people with disabilities and young people, to produce high quality artworks.

Funds raised through the sale of these products will go into the cost of maintaining the Workshop Studio Program for 2011.

Meanwhile, TRAK (Kentish branch) is holding an open day at it's Working Art Space in Sheffield on Sunday 26th September. Take the time to visit one of the most lush and beautiful parts of Tasmania. Meet the artists, experience the artworks and celebrate with this energetic and dynamic group.

Social Enterprise around the globe

Having just returned from a family holiday to Borneo, I could share stories of the luxury hotels or the hours of duty free shopping, but that's not really us.

Instead my thoughts run to the palm oil plantations, orang-utan rehabilitation centres and the homestay which was part of the MESCOT program - a social enterprise in a small village in Sabah. Mescot stands for Model Ecologically Sustainable Community Based Conservation & Tourism and provides volunteer opportunities for visitors from around the world to spend time with a local family and work on the rehabilitation programs in the area. There is much more to it than that, so please check out the site.

So I found myself living in Mengaris Village that, with the support of an Australian social entreprepreneur, had little choice but to find a new way of surviving. Once it had been a prosperous village, with locals employed to ferry the cars across the Kinabatangan River. But a major bypass bridge and highway built directly over the community stopped this and resulted in a range of social and economical issues.

In looking for possible solutions; along with the many concerns and challenges, came the discussion around the assets, skills and knowledge within the community. They lived on the Kinabatangan River-the 2nd longest river in Malaysia, their neighbours were Orang-utans, proboscus monkeys, hornbills and crocodiles, their neighbourhood was the infamous Borneo jungle and their culture was fascinating.

Years later the villagers are involved in the ongoing management and operation of a number of community programs including eco camp in the jungle, tree planting, nursery program, homestay and volunteer progams.

For me it represented the best in social enterprise. The need was clear and desperate, the people were keen for change and the outcomes are fantastic. Now we just have to find ways to go back and volunteer.

TRAK on the web...

We have been working with one of the pilot groups, TRAK Sheffield to look at their marketing and promotion. As a quick fix to respond to this we have set up a blog at http://www.traksheffield.blogspot.com/
It is aimed at providing current information about workshops, events and activities, as well as contact and membership details.
Along with this they are about to launch their new brochure to promote the amazing actitivites that they undertake.
So check out their blog and leave a comment.

A CHANGING OF THE GUARDS

A changing of the guards, or perhaps a little respite, seems to be on the minds of social enterprise stalwarts as they herald in the young social entrepreneurs through the development of networks, enterprises and skills building activities.



Many are represented at the Conference including SAGE, a global movement that engages high school students in developing social enterprises. It’s mission?


To help create the next generation of entrepreneurial leaders whose innovations and social enterprises address our world’s major unmet needs.

Wrapping Up...

It’s been an intense, but rewarding two days at the 2010 World Social Enterprise Conference and Summit. Practitioners from across the globe have shared their stories and provided valuable insight into the world of establishing, maintaining and building business ventures that traverse a range of social issues.
The thirst for more is clear. More knowledge, more support, more understanding and more enterprising and innovative approaches to dealing with the world’s problems.


Key note speakers Chip Heath and Dan Pallotta inspired, ignited debate and provided insight into the broader philosophical discussion of how we see change and charities. While neither Chip nor Dan show signs of letting up, a changing of the guards, or perhaps a little respite, seemed to be on the minds of social enterprise stalwarts as they heralded in the young social entrepreneurs through the development of networks, enterprises and skills building activities.

Social Enterprise Stories

I am settled into my digs in San Francisco and learning a great deal from delegates of the Social Enterprise World Forum.
Read some of my blogs by going to SAN FRANCISCO STORIES

San Francisco - here we come!

I will be winging my way to California in 13 days to become the official blogger for the Social Enterprise World Summit in San Francisco. This forum attracts social and financial entrepreneurs from around the world who are working with some of the most disadvantaged communities.

Stay in touch during this time by going to the blog at www.sea-alliance.blogspot.com or check in on our Branching Out blog.

This is a fantastic opportunity to ask the experts about how the arts and creative industries can become more enterprising and see first hand some of the innovative approaches in the many arts initiatives in the city.
Check out San Francisco stories

'An idea is like a play. It needs a good producer and a good promoter even if it is a masterpiece. Otherwise the play may never open; or it may open but, for lack of an audience, close after a week. Similarly, an idea will not move from the fringes to the mainstream simply because it is good; it must be skilfully marketed before it will actually shift people’s perceptions and behaviour', from How to Change the World by David Bornstein.

If you want to learn more about Social Enterprise and see it in action this is a good read. Bornstein combines his personal experiences of these amazing enterprises with reflection about how social enterprise principles can work.

Excerpt from Sirolli website-interview online

Before he explains his methodology, Sirolli insists I understand the idea at its core: A successful business requires three essential components—product, marketing and financial management—and no single human being is capable of delivering all three with equal passion and competence.

"The death of the entrepreneur is solitude," he says. "If you're alone in business, you'll die." This isn't some casual observation, but the core of his faith, what he has come to call "the trinity of management."

On the face of it, this idea doesn't strike one as particularly radical, but it goes against what Sirolli considers a pernicious but enduring myth: To start a successful business, you must be able to handle all three aspects yourself. Not one to shy away from absolutes, Sirolli lets me have it:

"Henry Ford, Walt Disney, Bill Gates: None of the greatest companies in America was started by one person! I've done the research. Not even one! It's always two, three, four people."
www.sirolli.com