Social Enterprise Scotland’s Post

The London Sustainable Development Commission's latest report has revealed that in solving the affordable housing crisis, London has an opportunity to enhance residents' livelihoods and well-being.   In a recent edie article, the LSDC report 'Embedding Social Value into the London Plan', calls for social value to be at the heart of planning and the impact of surrounding areas on residents' quality of life.   Read the full article here: https://loom.ly/9OoYzyo

We are loving this blog post from Rebecca Towers about a brilliant partnership between We Walworth, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Pembroke House and Southwark Council which is exploring the significance of "in-person, in-place" engagement to truly understand and address local issues. This approach has brought to light the diverse perspectives within the community and enhanced collaboration efforts across sectors, demonstrating a potent model for genuine public sector innovation. 👥 Amplifying diverse voices through local engagement Engaging directly with community members has proven to be instrumental in surfacing local issues here, particularly around food and inequality in Southwark. Local engagement has helped to build trust and ensure that the interventions are well-informed and tailored to the community's needs. 🤝 Catalysing change through cross-sector collaboration The project showcases the power of cross-sector collaboration, where public sector workers, local residents, and organisations come together, leading to impactful and sustainable changes. It's a testament to how partnerships can significantly increase the effectiveness of community projects. 🚀 Takeaways for Policy Design Firstly, authentic community engagement is key to understanding and solving local issues. And cross-sector collaboration can drive substantial, sustainable changes that meet the needs of the people. The public sector's presence in communities builds credibility and fosters open dialogue for long-term success. We need more examples like this! 👉 Join the discussion How can we further promote in-person engagement in policy-making to enhance community-driven initiatives? #PublicPolicy #CommunityEngagement #Innovation #Collaboration

As businesses work to show their dedication to sustainable and responsible practices, reporting on themes, outcomes, and measures (TOMs) has become essential. TOMs provide a structured approach, allowing organisations to measure and communicate the social value they create. By reporting on TOMs, companies can build stakeholder trust, showcase progress towards social sustainability goals, and emphasise their role in promoting community development and wellbeing. Ready to elevate your sustainability efforts? Read more on the importance of TOMs here: https://lnkd.in/ePwzmVCN #MeasuringSuccess #Sustainability #SMARTRenergy #SmartBuildings #SMARTR

"Change happens at the speed of trust", is a beautiful and powerful quote from the The Australian Centre for Social Innovation (TACSI)'s Place-based Collective Impact: Framework for Practice. Trust, how to #build it and why you #lose it, is a foundational concept that is often overlooked in social, economic and environmental projects. The Edelman Global Trust Barometer suggests that only 45% of people trusted government in Australia in 2023 - https://lnkd.in/g8in4W9W. This loss of trust in government, institutions and even in the people around us is seen across most Western countries. The OECD - OCDE says that: "Trust is the foundation upon which the legitimacy of public institutions is built and is crucial for maintaining social cohesion." At a more local level, Seth Kaplan, an expert on Fragile States, Societies, & Communities, says that low social trust disadvantages everyone living in a neighborhood and makes it more likely that any outside organisation looking to help residents will be mistrusted at first. Kaplan observes that local governments, nonprofits, and public institutions rarely consider the trust problem when they seek to address various social problems. They don’t usually ask the very difficult questions such as: ❓ What secures, sustains, or diminishes trust with my organisation, staff, or initiative? ❓ What role does this trust play in the success of projects? ❓ What projects can enhance a neighborhood’s social capital and general social trust? Instead, they tend to view problems and solutions through a material or technical lens, he says, and consequently suffer large blind spots regarding anything related to relationships. When projects or actions subsequently stumble, they tend to conclude that their failures originated with the group they targeted, rather than with their own approach. This all suggests better approaches are urgently needed! Building trust by working with people (not just for them) is fundamental to the #placemaking approach. Learn more about how to build trust, relationships and connections in our courses at https://lnkd.in/gYhRs4NQ Town Team Movement PlacemakingX Jimmy Murphy Dean Cracknell Ethan Kent

Trust, how to #build it and why you #lose it, is a foundational concept that is often overlooked in social, infrastructure, economic and environmental projects.

The 2024 IoD Convention aims to highlight the concept of social capital and its role in fostering economic growth and enhancing the social wellbeing of our community. But first, we need to understand the value of social capital. Social capital is best valued by the people involved in the context in question because different people in different contexts will place different values on different aspects of social capital. A person, group or organisation can identify or measure the value of social capital by identifying what factors are important to them and give them the most benefits. This will not result in a single number, but rather in a checklist of social relations and actions to improve. It saves people time and money and can help to avoid mishaps and accidents, can make things easier, and can allow people to come up with new ideas and make new connections that would have otherwise not been possible. You can read more about the value of social capital, from Tristan Claridge, the headline speaker of the 2024 convention, here: https://lnkd.in/e8wXB98y #IoDGuernsey #IoDConvention

Project sustainability strategy. To Ensure the sustainability of community development projects, a holistic approach is crucial and interventions must be indigenous and people-oriented. Also, social workers need to create dialogue forums with community members to help attain the goal of project sustainability. THEREFORE COMMUNITY PARTICIPATORY APPROACH IS THE ANSWER.

**Community Engagement: The Heart of Sustainable Development** True sustainable development is rooted in the active participation and engagement of the communities it aims to serve. 🔹Local Knowledge and Insights: Communities possess invaluable knowledge about their environment, needs, and challenges, which is crucial for creating effective solutions. 🔹 Ownership and Empowerment: Engaging communities fosters a sense of ownership and responsibility, leading to more sustainable and long-lasting outcomes. 🔹Social Cohesion: Collaborative efforts strengthen social ties, build trust, and create a supportive network that can withstand future challenges. Why Community Engagement Matters: 1. Tailored Solutions: Involving communities ensures that development initiatives are culturally appropriate and meet the specific needs of the people. 2. Increased Impact: Projects designed with community input are more likely to succeed and have a meaningful, positive impact. 3. Sustainability: When communities are engaged, they are more likely to maintain and continue development efforts long after initial support is gone. For sustainable development to be truly effective, it must be a collaborative process that values and incorporates the voices of the community. By working together, we can create resilient, thriving societies that are equipped to face future challenges. How can we better engage communities in our development initiatives? Share your thoughts and experiences below! #CommunityEngagement #SustainableDevelopment #LocalKnowledge #Empowerment #SocialCohesion #InclusiveDevelopment #Resilience --- Feel free to share and engage with your network!

For generations many rural businesses have actively engaged in providing social value for their local communities but without talking about their contributions. However, this is changing with farms and estates beginning to recognise the importance of talking about what they are doing and why. Join Guy Ruddle and guests Kelly Hewson-Fisher, Michael Blake and Sarah Butler as they discuss what rural businesses are already doing, what to expect in the future and what’s driving the evolution in social value.

For generations many rural businesses have actively engaged in providing social value for their local communities but without talking about their contributions. However, this is changing with farms and estates beginning to recognise the importance of talking about what they are doing and why. Join Guy Ruddle and guests Kelly Hewson-Fisher, Michael Blake and Sarah Butler as they discuss what rural businesses are already doing, what to expect in the future and what’s driving the evolution in social value.