February newsletter
There are thousands of people across Australia working in and with social enterprises, making change. The potential - to me - is to do this in more connected ways. To plan, act and learn together to shape a new economy and to build and advocate for systems that enable it.
There are many ways to do this. This is to share some of them.
Tickets on sale: Social Enterprise Jobs Summit
Australia’s first national conference dedicated to job-focused social enterprises will be held in Melbourne on June 11 and 12.
The conference is for jobs-focused social enterprises, intermediaries, government and funders. It’s an opportunity to strengthen relationships, collaborate, problem-solve, learn from each other, and build common ground to shift systems, for a future where all have access to decent work.
Tickets are on sale from next week. To receive an early bird ticket offer in your inbox on Tuesday 4 March, you can register here.
The offer is:
For social enterprises: 100 Early Bird tickets available at $600 (incl. GST) then $700 (incl. GST) until 18 March.
For general admission: 100 Early Bird tickets available at $880 (incl. GST) then $1100 (incl. GST).
This will cover:
Two-day conference including lunch, morning and afternoon tea
Day 1 networking drinks
The chance to engage with 300+ people who share your passion for jobs-focused social enterprise.
We are partnering with our friends at White Box Enterprises to deliver the summit. A special thanks to our primary and supporting partners for making the event possible: Westpac Foundation, Paul Ramsay Foundation, Melbourne Social Equity Institute, Department of Social Services, Victorian Government, English Family Foundation.
We can’t wait to see you in Melbourne!
Refugee program is changing lives
The Federal Government’s Economic Pathways to Refugee Integration (EPRI) program is changing lives and creating public value and savings - and it’s due to end in June this year.
The trailblazing program funds social enterprises to unlock new employment opportunities for refugees and humanitarian entrants with low English and low recognised skills and qualifications.
EPRI is working on many levels. And continuity of initiatives that work matters.
We advocated for EPRI and are now advocating for it to be continued and expanded; to provide continuity of service and outcomes to communities, sustain and scale social enterprise capacity and cross-sector relationships to support participants, and build an evidence base for the future.
A shout out to the amazing social enterprises who are delivering EPRI: The Bread and Butter Project, Brotherhood of St Laurence, Civik, Dismantle, The Dragonfly Collective, Value Nation, Whittlesea Community Connections, Green Connect, Multicultural Youth SA, Nundah Community Enterprises Cooperative, Plate it Forward, STREAT, St Vincent de Paul Society NSW, Parliament on King, Space2b, Social Design, The Social Outfit, The Social Studio, Thrive Refugee Enterprise, Ceres Fair Wood, Social Engine Australia, Community Corporate, Green Collect.
Read our submission to the Federal Government here.
Read more on our Federal Budget ask here.
The power of neurodivergence in social enterprise
As we move into 2025, we’re excited to share details of free webinars for the social enterprise sector. These webinars are commissioned by Social Enterprise Australia as part of the Australian Government’s Social Enterprise Development Initiative (SEDI), to grow participation and capability in social enterprise.
On March 12, Just Gold, an Australian social enterprise management consultancy and creative agency, will lead an interactive webinar to share learnings from and lived experiences of autistic entrepreneurs.
The webinar will explore, among other things, how social enterprise leaders can create supportive environments that leverage the strengths of neurodiverse talents and promote thriving, inclusive workplaces.
You can register for the event here.
Coming up we have events on procurement, First Nations perspectives, starting and growing jobs-focused social enterprises, overcoming challenges in social enterprise, building social enterprise networks in rural communities, and more.
Check out learning communities, webinars and other resources on Understorey, a digital commons for social enterprise - available to all, and shaped by all who choose to take part. Understorey is a place to learn and exchange about social enterprise. It’s also a place to navigate the sector. It does this to help social enterprises thrive and contribute to a better future.
Sincerely,
Jess Moore,
