Irish Social Enterprise Network

Roscommon LEADER Partnership and the Western Development Commission have announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at supporting community projects and social enterprises throughout County Roscommon. The partnership builds on the success of a pilot project during the previous LEADER programme, where WDC provided term loans and bridging finance totalling €2.6 million to 31 projects across the county. Read more 👉 https://lnkd.in/d5pRtfGg 📸L to R: Tomas Beades, Operations Manager; Micheal Frain, Chairperson, Roscommon LEADER Partnership; Gillian Buckley, Investment Manager and Allan Mulrooney, CEO WDC. 

The latest SE newsletter is out from Department of Rural and Community Development, featuring information on Rethink Ireland hybrid loan, The National Social Enterprise Conference and a lovely piece from the wonderful Triest Press Printing Ltd in Roscommon. https://lnkd.in/egdhesgR

🔎 The European Commission has been facing criticism for lack of social economy representation: https://lnkd.in/epBg2Pk5 ✅ ENSIE acknowledges the major improvements enabled by many initiatives from the EU in the previous mandate, such as the Social Economy Action Plan, the Social Economy and Proximity Ecosystem transition pathways, the council recommendation on enabling framework conditions for the Social Economy. ✨ They happened thanks to key factors that we want to be secured: 🔗 A strongly committed Commissioner, 💬 A proactive Social Economy Intergroup of the EU Parliament, 🌱 A political recognition for a need of a sustainable and fairer economy. ⚠️ This political momentum is fragile, and ENSIE shares its concerns about not seeing social economy mentioned neither in the political guidelines nor in Roxana Minzatu's mission letters. For this reason, ENSIE congratulates the ministers who have co-signed the letter from Yolanda Diaz, and encourages all EU member states to amplify this call to achieve these 3 objectives: 📌 The renewal of the Social Economy Intergroup of the European Parliament. 📌 The appointment of commissioner coordinating the Social Economy. 📌 The full implementation of the Social Economy Action Plan.

A new fund from Rethink Ireland. The Peoples Impact Fund. This €500,000 Fund aims to support not-for-profit organisations working to promote equity of opportunity and access to employment, by developing the employability skills of young adults at a disadvantage and/or facilitating their employment. They invite applications from projects and/or organisations that:  ➡  Focus on young people aged 15-30 who are disadvantaged in the labour market.Take a holistic approach based on the range of barriers to employment for young people ➡ Actively engage with young adults experiencing disadvantage in the design of their programmes ➡ Build the knowledge, skills and overall capacity of young people for employment ➡ Support young people aged 15-30 into quality employment and/or apprenticeship programmes and/or full-time & paid work placements Advantageous criteria:  ➡ Develop skills of the future to support young innovators, entrepreneurs and leaders e.g., digital literacy (including data literacy), sustainable working, critical thinking and analysis,  creative and design thinking Involve collaboration among education/training providers and employers ➡ Support women and girls experiencing disadvantage in gaining access to education and employment The fund is open for applications until the 22nd of November 2024 at 1pm. See website for more information on who is eligible to apply and how to submit your online application.  https://lnkd.in/eBt2FnCm

Congratulations to all awardees.

GreenBoost4WISEs Social enterprises from #Austria, #Italy, and #Ireland recently gathered in Vienna to learn from each other about sustainable practices. They shared insights on integrating sustainability into all aspects of their work, focusing on driving improvements in the circular economy, climate action, and environmental wellbeing. This collaboration aims to enhance their impact in promoting greener, more responsible business models across their countries. Recycle IT (Ireland), Irish Social Enterprise Network, European Commission Walkinstown Green Social Enterprises Ltd, ENSIE NETWORK, Tiglin, We Make Good, #thirdspacecafe #pace Spraoi agus Spórt, Chris MM Gordon Learn more @ https://wp.me/p6GviU-2Gr

We had such a busy week with team members in Dublin, Austria, Trieste and so many things going on. We know how grateful the Social Enterprises (WISE's) who got to visit Vienna were and how warmly welcomed they were. They were on an exchange as part of the #GreenBoost4WISE's project. See some pictures of their travels. Tag anyone you recognise. Fiona Callan Chris MM Gordon Duncan Walker Lucy Clarke Carlene Lyttle Helen Nolan Recycle IT (Ireland) Chloe Dornan Deaf Enterprises Pearse O'Reilly Tiglin arbeit plus Consorzio di cooperative sociali EVT ENSIE NETWORK Piera Lepore Siobhan Behan Brian Kellard Laura Minieri

🌟 Another exciting day for Social Enterprises in Galway! 🌟 We had a fantastic turnout at PorterShed a dó for yesterday’s breakfast gathering, celebrating some of Galways remarkable social enterprises. A huge thank you to Deirdre Cunningham Galway City Partnership for pulling it all together and a special thanks to Link Galway CLG for both catering and kicking off proceedings! The day featured inspiring pitches from several local initiatives, including Galway Community Circus, GOCOM Radio, Red Door Studio Galway, Venture Out Wilderness Project CLG, SCCUL Sanctuary, An Mheitheal Rothar, Umbrella Le Chéile and Bounce Back Upcycling. Each presenter showcased their unique contributions to our community, highlighting their commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals. Made possible with support from Comhairle Cathrach na Gaillimhe / Galway City Council, we envision this as the first of many pitching events aimed at encouraging collaboration between Galway’s social and corporate enterprises. Together, we can create a more connected and impactful social economy 💪✨

Day 2 of the Bluedots project kick off meeting in Trieste. Working with our partners on the interaction between #socialeconomy and the #blueeconomy Looking forward to working with the consortium to explore how the #DigitalTransformation can benefit the SME’s operating in the blue economy. European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA) Diesis Network Coceta Legacoop FVG innova eG Gianluca Pastorelli Francisco Martinez Frutos prof. Marek GRZYBOWSKI Amaya Delgado Pedro Blazquez Rubio Chris MM Gordon Duncan Walker

A packed house for the White Paper Conferences today on 'Awarding Public Contracts Skilfully and Lawfully within the Irish #Procurement Rules' in the Gibson Hotel. We were happy to speak on the question 'How do you deliver green/ #sustainableprocurement objectives in your #supplychain, via procurement strategy alignment, specification enhancement in line with net zero goals and EU legislation.' Great reception for our examples from PACE Social Enterprise, Eco Mattress Recycling Ireland, STEAM Education Ltd, We Make Good, Cairde Enterprises, Bounce Back Recycling & The Together Academy 💪❤️🚀 Huge shout out to Emma McEvoy & Siobhan Cafferty. #SocEntIRL #BuySocialIRL www.buysocial.ie Department of Public Expenditure NDP Delivery & Reform Department of Rural and Community Development Office of Government Procurement Department of Social Protection Grangegorman Development Agency Pobal European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA) #WeBuySocialEU AEIDL (European Association for Innovation in Local Development) European Social Network REVES - EUROPEAN NETWORK OF CITIES AND REGIONS FOR THE SOCIAL ECONOMY Social Economy Europe Diesis Network Danielle Byrne Kate van der Merwe Lucie Cunningham Eamon Stack Thomas McCabe Leyla F Karaha Duncan Walker Ailish Irvine Fiona Callan