Social Enterprise World Forum

In October 2009, SVA and Social Traders, on behalf of the International Social Enterprise Consortium, co-hosted the Social Enterprise World Forum in Melbourne.

Building on the inaugural Forum which took place in Scotland in 2008, the sold out event brought together over 520 local and global leaders and practitioners in social enterprise for discussion, learning, showcasing and collaboration.

 

SEWF_Opening_Ceremony_book
Social Enterprise World Forum 2009 Opening Ceremony

 

Forum overview

The 2009 forum explored the role social enterprises play in encouraging and facilitating social inclusion, including creating sustainable employment opportunities for those disadvantaged in the labour market.

Key forum topics

  • Building sustainable, market-oriented social enterprises, particularly those that create employment for people seriously disadvantaged in the labour market
  • Exploring the role of social enterprise in enabling social inclusion and community building
  • Encouraging effective collaboration and strategic alliances with social enterprises
  • Engaging businesses and social investors in the support and development of social enterprises
  • New ways of engaging, collaborating and partnering with disadvantaged communities in social enterprise development
  • Proving the impact and measuring the outcomes of social enterprises
  • Facilitating social enterprise development to enable social inclusion, with a focus on targeted communities such as Indigenous communities; people with a mental illness or disabilities; people who have a history of homelessness; people who have drug or alcohol problems; young people disadvantaged in the labour market, people with ex-offending backgrounds; and environmental enterprises.