22nd November 2007
SDRC
Horizon Scotland
The Enterprise Park
Forres
1pm – 5pm	 

Social Enterprise: The Key to Tackling Poverty and Creating Sustainable, 
Cohesive Communities?
 

Introduction

Social enterprises are organisations that trade in order to meet a social 
or environmental aim. As many are initiated by community action, they 
signify the disadvantaged community claiming ownership over its own 
regeneration. Thus, they bring wider benefits such as community cohesion 
and sustainability to deprived areas. Many, for example, bring employment 
and specifically set out to tackle social exclusion. 

The Sustainable Development Research Centre (SDRC) is interested in 
exploring the role that the third sector plays in the regeneration of 
deprived areas within our towns and cities; in particular their association 
with processes of renewal and regeneration and their contribution to 
tackling poverty and social exclusion. 
 
Aims

This workshop aims to bring together those interested in poverty, 
regeneration and sustainability: academics, policy-makers and social 
enterprise practitioners, to discuss a potentially exciting new avenue of 
research that will make a real difference to the knowledge base not only 
for academics but for the public sector and third sector.  During this 
workshop, knowledge will be exchanged and potential future directions of 
research and third sector support debated. The overall aim is to debate the 
role that community-led social enterprises can play in processes of 
renewal, community cohesion and integration.
 
Workshop objective

Delegates will hear presentations on the theme from academics and social 
enterprise practitioners. The day will culminate in a discussion around how 
social enterprise research and support can progress. The learning will be 
captured and will be fed into a web-based social enterprise forum hosted by 
SDRC. This is the chance for you to get involved and air your views – it is 
particularly important to hear the views of social enterprise practitioners 
and policy-makers alongside those of the research community.

We hope that you will be able to join us




Programme

13.00	Registration and Coffee

13.30	Dr Sarah-Anne Munoz, Researcher, SDRC; introduction – social 
enterprise and deprivation.

13.40 	Mr Artur Steinerowski, Research Student, UHI Millennium Institute: 
social entrepreneurship – an ideological state? 

14.00	Mr Seamus Carlin, Project Manager, Social Economy Agency (Belfast): 
A causeway or right-of-way? Some socially enterprising stories from 
a ‘Celtic Cousin’.

14.20    Comfort Break

14.40 	Mr Dave Simmers, Strategic Co-ordinator,           Community Food 
Initiative North East: a practical example of the potential/ barriers to 
social enterprise development.

15.00  Mr Cameron Gordon, Director, Du (CIC): CommunityNET- a living 
network.

15.20	Discussion:

•	How do social enterprises help tackle   poverty and deprivation?
•	How do social enterprises help create sustainable communities?
•	What are the key directions for future research?
•	What are the key areas of support that social enterprises need?

17.00   Close

Venue

Horizon Scotland, The Enterprise Park, Forres, 
IV36 2AB

Registration 

Please contact Jan MacPherson on 01309 678111 or e-mail 
[log in to unmask] to register for the workshop.