World Forum for social enterprise

The Social Enterprise World Forum will be the first international gathering of practitioners and support agencies dealing exclusively with social enterprise. The Forum emerged from national social enterprise support agencies seeking a means to collaborate to advance social enterprise development throughout the world. It will bring together social enterprise leaders and champions from all continents to collaborate, share best practice and plan future developments.

The Social Enterprise Coalition is working with CEiS to encourage and support the inaugural Social Enterprise World Forum in Edinburgh, Scotland from September 2nd to 5th 2008.

The event is being delivered in partnership with The Scottish Government, The Social Enterprise Alliance (USA), Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Social Ventures Australia, Scottish Enterprise, The Social Enterprise Coalition, Office of the Third Sector (UK), Enterprising Non-Profits (Canada), the Department for International Development, Social Investment Scotland and a range of international and local partners, sponsors and supporters.

This collaboration will raise awareness of social enterprise as an expanding global mechanism for social change and will explore the merit of ongoing collaboration for key stakeholders.

Theme

Participants will examine the conditions needed for social enterprises to thrive, highlighting outstanding examples of innovation and best practice from around the world. Participants will engage with representatives of governments that are actively supporting and promoting social enterprise and will analyse the challenges of changing world and local markets, social enterprises and support agencies will emerge with shared actions to improve sustainability and increase social and economic impact.

The theme of working together for a sustainable future runs through the entire Social Enterprise World Forum. We will examine how and when social enterprises thrive as well as engaging delegates in action planning to meet common challenges and opportunities.

Find out more: www.ceis.org.uk