After seven dynamic years of refugee entrepreneurship support it’s time for a new home for the REN network; one which members, new and old, will have an active say in co-creating. The transition, motivated by an ambition to grow REN, will be initially stewarded by a coalition of original members: Dr Michelle Richey from Loughborough University with support from Charlie Fraser at TERN and Laura Di Santolo and Diederick van der Wijk at Forward·Inc.
If you would like to help shape the future of REN or simply just stay connected, please follow the link to share your details: https://lnkd.in/ehiFQcyC
The network was launched in 2017 following the publication of ‘Starting afresh: How entrepreneurship is transforming the lives of resettled refugees’, a groundbreaking report from CFE that made a compelling case about why refugees make great entrepreneurs, how they can contribute to economies as business-creators, and how providing tailored business support can increase business survival and growth, reduce public spending and strengthen social integration.
REN has engaged over 100 organisations across 30 countries - including refugee entrepreneurship programmes, corporates and foundations, governments, academics, and investors, hosting summits in London, Venice, and Izmir to bring stakeholders together to champion refugee entrepreneurship.
The transition team will aim to build on these foundations to ensure the network continues to be at the forefront of supporting the growth of refugee entrepreneurship globally. This reflects the fact that the need for collaboration and ambition in the sector has rarely been higher.
Currently, the transition team envision three phases:
1) transition phase, where we find and pay for a consultant to guide us in re-organising REN
2) rebuilding phase, where we articulate a new strategy and new host organisation for REN, allowing it to flourish in the future.
3) relaunching the network with a new host
There are different ways that you can participate in the transition of the network across these phases. You can indicate in the survey in the email how you would like to contribute.
We are very proud of what CFE has achieved in establishing and supporting this network and will remain a keen supporter of REN. We look forward to seeing it grow and flourish under new leadership.