SEDA/SEDA301/Introduction

Key Concepts: Social entrepreneurship, social enterprise and social innovation
Many of you may already be familiar with the terms social entrepreneurship, social enterprise and social innovation. We are certainly seeing these terms used more frequently, both in the community more widely, and in academia where new journals have been created in the fields of both social entrepreneurship and social enterprise. Whilst the hype surrounding social entrepreneurship and social enterprise may be growing, many of the activities and organisational forms associated with these concepts have in fact been around for a very long time. It is the language that is used to describe and conceptualise them which is new. The discussion that exists around these concepts is quite complex, and in many cases, a common definition has yet to be agreed upon. With this complexity in mind, the following lecture seeks to introduce these concepts and provide an illustration of the connections between them.

Social entrepreneurship is a global phenomenon, and we are seeing social enterprises emerge from all corners of the earth. The types of social issues they address are diverse, but the core unifying feature of these organisations is the desire to create positive social impact. The following short videos provide some insight into some of the important issues addressed by social entrepreneurs in their community. The first video is of Bec Scott, who is the CEO and Co-founder of one of SEDA's favourite social enterprises - STREAT. This video provides a great snapshot into the motivations driving the formation of STREAT and the way in which this enterprise addresses the issue of youth homelessness.
 * Social Enterprise


 * Fighting Chance

The next video is an interview with Laura O'Reilly, founder of social enterprise Fighting Chance. Laura's motivation to establish this social enterprise is very personal, and arose from the challenges faced her younger brother Shane, who had profound Cerebral Palsy, when trying to find work. Shane was bubbly and intelligent, and had a passion for IT and computer work. At the time, no programs existed to help people like Shane build vocational skills, and be trained within a real business.