Social enterprise world forum

Social enterprise world forum 2009

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.

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.

Selected delegate quotes

‘The event was really excellent and my frustration at missing so many great sessions was testament to how many great sessions there were! I’m still fielding calls and emails by contacts I made and chasing other people I met there. For me these connections will be the lasting impact of the event.’

Rebecca Scott, STREAT, Australia

‘It was well attended by a diverse number of delegates, had an impressive range of compelling speakers and the launch and dinner were beneficial networking opportunities. The few days possessed a strong and consistent positive energy that was quite remarkable.’

Peter Ball, Forresters, Australia

‘The Forum was the best organised and presented that I have ever been to, that’s saying something as I can tell you I have been to many over the years.’

Margaret Elliot OBE. FRSA, Sunderland Home Care Associates, UK

‘I would really like to thank you for the opportunity to participate in the Forum. What an amazing group of people that you assembled for such thought-provoking dialogue!’

Tricia Wallace, Technoserve, Mozambique