Next steps for network: "Friday Socials" (starting Friday 4 June, 8.30am) and mentoring programme

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Adrian Ashton on May 28, 2010 at 18:18

would love to join you all, but London a tad far for some of us Northerners... guess we'll just have to wait until we can get ourselves organisased at this end of the country

Permalink Reply by Jane Mason on June 4, 2010 at 16:03

This is a great idea and as I am in the middle of launching Virtuous Bread (very much dedicated to social change) it is wonderfully timed for me! I need loads of help to develop ideas, content, think about funding and exposure. Having been a strategy consultant for 15 years I have a lot to offer others in the network with business planning or strategy and marketing or just general ideas and problem solving. Sadly I cannot come for a few weeks but I will endeavour to be able to come soon and hope the current level of enthusiasm is still high!

Permalink Reply by Sarah Tucker on June 8, 2010 at 10:20

Hi Jane, many thanks for your reply- we hope to see you at one of the Friday Socials in the future. If you can make it there will be the first quarterly event in July. You can details of it in yesterdays newsletter here.
Jane Mason said:

This is a great idea and as I am in the middle of launching Virtuous Bread (very much dedicated to social change) it is wonderfully timed for me! I need loads of help to develop ideas, content, think about funding and exposure. Having been a strategy consultant for 15 years I have a lot to offer others in the network with business planning or strategy and marketing or just general ideas and problem solving. Sadly I cannot come for a few weeks but I will endeavour to be able to come soon and hope the current level of enthusiasm is still high!

Permalink Reply by Yinka Makinde on June 8, 2010 at 12:10

Hello there,
Sorry I couldn't attend the first of the 'Friday Social' events (I was away in Holland) but I am keen to get engaged with this group, and I am looking for a mentor.

I am in the process of kick starting a pilot project which aims to bring about behavioural change in the area of Childhood obesity. I'm hoping to do his with Newham PCT, and it would serve as a great campaign in the run up to the Olympics 2010 (given that Newham is the epicentre of the Olympics). The pilot will hopefully serve as a spring board to launch a social enterprise which focusses on health behavioural change.

If there is anyone out there with the time and passion to help steer me through the complexities of this mission, i'd be forever grateful.

Permalink Reply by Sarah Tucker on June 9, 2010 at 16:21

Thanks to everyone who attended the first Friday Social last Friday morning (4th). Courtesy on David Wilcox please see a few thoughts and the summary of the chat that took place. The aim is to build on and discuss this at the next Social on Friday and onwards:

The purpose of the group/network is to provide support for Fellows who are developing existing social businesses/enterprises themselves, and new collaborative projects

First thoughts are that it will do that partly through a structured programme to develop a small number of enterprises/projects, and partly through a looser open network to share learning

On this basis, the group will identify, say, 10 key themes/challenges that any social entrepreneur/project will have to address. Then
- invite pitches from people to get project support around one or more themes
- develop online and face-to-face activities to support those projects and share learning
- the projects commit to share their experience openly
- the core group develops a toolkit to structure learning from this and other sources

There are tight criteria/agreements for the 10 projects, but others can join the network to contribute and learn. It's an open business model - mix of gift and paidfor

If we go this route, personally would feel most committed if we could develop some simple "as if" examples around the 10 themes/challenges ... just so we don't find activities are constrained by charitable status etc. E.g. where's the line between (commercial) marketing of a non-charitable social business and "raising profile". It sounds as though there will be flexibility

Face to face formats, and online systems should of course be tailored to the needs of the programme.
Is LinkedIn particularly useful?
Continuing presence on the Ning network?

Early issues as I see them
- how does the core group communicate? Emails, LinkedIn, Huddle, Ning group?
- Is the core group open to anyone?
- How does it make decisions while being open, transparent, participative ... if that's the ethos?

Permalink Reply by Matt Kepple on June 9, 2010 at 18:35

Great Sarah, will you be adding these to the events listing?

Permalink Reply by Sarah Tucker on June 10, 2010 at 13:26

Hi Matt
Thanks for the heads up, it has been added here now:
http://rsafellowshipcouncil.ning.com/events/friday-socials-at-the-g...
Hope to see you tomorrow!

Matt Kepple said:

Great Sarah, will you be adding these to the events listing?

Permalink Reply by Matt Kepple on June 10, 2010 at 14:39

Hi Sarah, can't make tomorrow as am on a project up in Sheffield but have added them to my calendar so hopefully see you at one before too long!

Sarah Tucker said:

Hi Matt
Thanks for the heads up, it has been added here now:
http://rsafellowshipcouncil.ning.com/events/friday-socials-at-the-g...
Hope to see you tomorrow!

Matt Kepple said:

Great Sarah, will you be adding these to the events listing?

Permalink Reply by Hermione Taylor on June 22, 2010 at 10:07

Hi Sarah,

I'm a new fellow and have just joined this group - I'm currently setting up a social enterprise called Do Nation, and am really interesting in exploring what support and enthusiasm I can eek from this incredible network. Are the Friday Socials every week, and if so, is it ok for me to simply turn up? I can't make it this week sadly, but the next should work.

Thanks,

Hermione

Permalink Reply by Sarah Tucker on June 24, 2010 at 16:32

Hi Hermione. Yes the plan is for them to be every week and it is fine to just drop in when you can. Hope to see you soon!

Hermione Taylor said:

Hi Sarah,

I'm a new fellow and have just joined this group - I'm currently setting up a social enterprise called Do Nation, and am really interesting in exploring what support and enthusiasm I can eek from this incredible network. Are the Friday Socials every week, and if so, is it ok for me to simply turn up? I can't make it this week sadly, but the next should work.

Thanks,

Hermione

Permalink Reply by Fr Timothy Curtis on January 20, 2012 at 12:25

Would there be any interest for a East Midlands group? We can host Friday socials at the University of Northampton. Please let me know, as we would like to encourage fellows to meet here.

Permalink Reply by Sarah Tucker on January 20, 2012 at 12:51

Hi Tim

Good to hear this and thanks for your message.  To make sure people have seen this message, I'll re-post it on the main group wall and direct them over to this thread. Let me know if I can help with anything.

Sarah

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• Next ›
• Page