Foundation offers life-changing training for local residents
28 February 2008
Southern Housing Foundation calls on local people to change their life this year and apply now for a fully funded personal development and training programme. London’s School for Social Entrepreneurs (SSE) designed to give people with the skills to drive their ambition and improve their communities.
Once again the SSE is partnering with Southern Housing Foundation (the community-regeneration arm of Southern Housing Group) providing six places at this learning project. The project will enable local people to turn a great idea into a community enterprise or business that will benefit their neighbourhood.
Pictured (left to right): Ian Baker, Development Manager, SSE; Anabel Palmer, Director of the Southern Housing Foundation with Rosa Goncalves, a current recipient of the joint SSE/Southern Housing Foundation learning programme (2.08)
Anabel Palmer, Southern Housing Foundation’s Director says that this offer is open to all local Southern Housing Group residents in London and “I encourage them to take up this fantastic opportunity, specifically those individuals who have no previous formal training experience.”
“Rosa Goncalves (pictured above) and other beneficiaries of the scheme are using this project to generate opportunities for themselves and their communities,” she said.
She added that the applicants’ funding package includes provision for the year-long learning programme and expenses including child-care and travel costs up to a maximum of £8K per participant.
The SSE’s approach is to enable students to learn by doing, and offers personal and project development and peer learning, and has resulted in a strong-track record of success.
Rosa Goncalves, was given a traineeship by the Southern Housing Foundation as a result of her work in her community in the Ferrier Estate, Greenwich.
As a trainee of the SSE programme, Rosa feels that her involvement has been of great benefit to her and to the residents she hopes to continue to represent.
“It’s had a massive impact. When you’re a community activist and you want to better the area where you live, yet you have barriers, the SSE gives you ways to overcome them - realising your dreams as a reality”, she says.
“The SSE has guided, supported and given me confidence. My dream is to establish a local social enterprise that will help residents to become trained, access the job market, become self-employed and delivers local services,” she says.
*The SSE is starting two, new-training programmes at the end of April (2008). Each programme is part-time and runs for a year from the SSE’s base in Bethnal Green. It provides tailored support and learning to creative, resourceful and practical people who have good ideas for improving their community.
The courses are open to people of any age and background. All they need is a good idea for a project to make a difference in their chosen community and the passion, drive and commitment to make it happen. Interested residents should contact Ian Baker, the SSE’s Development Manager on 020 8981 0300 or e-mail ian.baker@sse.org.uk or log on to www.sse.org.uk for more information about the project.
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For more information please contact Karen Bermingham, Communications Team on 020 7553 6479
communications@shgroup.org.uk
Notes for Editors
SSE
The SSE was formed in 1998 to support and develop social entrepreneurs enabling them to establish effective and sustainable organisations which meet social and community needs.
* The SSE Weekly Programme starts on 24 April and runs every Thursday for a year except during school holidays. The SSE Block Programme starts on 29 April with blocks of three days (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday) approximately every six weeks.
The SSE is a not-for-profit organisation and registered charity which provides tailored support and learning for social entrepreneurs across the UK.
The SSE was founded by social entrepreneur Michael Young who also established the Open University and the Consumers’ Association (Which? Magazine). It provides support to individuals who are acting entrepreneurially for social benefit rather than personal profit. There are now over 350 Fellows who have completed the programme since 1998 across the UK.
The findings from the New Economics Foundation evaluation of the SSE were:
• Over 60% of students reported an increase in turnover after completing the SSE programme. On average there was a six-fold increase and over half of those giving financial details reported that 50% or more of their income came from trading activity.
• 88% of individuals on the programme experienced a growth in confidence and ability to lead their organisation.
• 85% of organisations established while at SSE still exist.
• Student organisations are over 1.5 times more likely to be in existence after eight years than conventional businesses.