The Building Change Trust and ARC Healthy Living Centre to host event for Social Enterprises

Event – Working Better Together: The Building Change Trust Social Economy Conversation.
When – 24th January 2012, 11.00am – 2.00pm

Where – Arc Healthy Living Centre, Irvinestown, Fermanagh

A key question for all of us working in the third sector is; ‘How can we as a sector work better together?’

Do we need to further develop our skills and capabilities and if yes how? Do we need to make better use of our assets or grow our asset base and if yes how? Do we need to work better to support one another and if yes how?

The Building Change Trust is interested in the ongoing discussion around the social economy and in knowing what is necessary to stimulate action and growth within it.

The Trust plans to bring forward a number of exciting new initiatives that will support and facilitate sustainable change in the third sector. The events will focus on promoting sustainable social and organisational change; enabling the third sector to lead and deliver transformation at all levels.

The Trust and ARC Healthy Living Centre will jointly host a Social Economy Conversation in your area. This is an opportunity for you to explore how we as a sector can do more for ourselves, become more self sufficient and entrepreneurial.

You will hear from local practitioners working within and providing support to the Third Sector as they share their experience and understanding of what constitutes the social economy and how it might be developed. 

That may include assessments of the values and principles that underpin the focus of our work in the third sector and the communities we serve, the sectors traditional relationship with grant funding and the realm of new possibilities in finance, investment and trading and why we need better collaboration, a focus on sustainability.

The Trust hopes these sessions can help those working within the Third Sector come to a shared understanding of what the social economy really is, what our roles are within it and to determine what is required to promote and enhance the sector’s effectiveness.

Importantly it will provide everyone with an opportunity to get involved in ideas generation to map out a way forward so we as a sector can work better together.

For further information and to pre-register please contact Charlie Fisher or Cathy Summerville by email cfisher@communityfoundationni.org; csummerville@communityfoundationni.org or by phone 02890 245927.

ENDS

Notes to editors

The Building Change Trust was established by the Big Lottery Fund with a National Lottery grant of £10 million to help develop and promote the voluntary and community sector in Northern Ireland.

The Big Lottery Fund, the largest of the National Lottery good cause distributors, has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across theUKsince its inception in June 2004. It was established by Parliament on 1 December 2006.

Big Lottery Fund NI Press Office: Amanda Doherty, Head of Communications & Press: 028 90 551 472. Out of hours: 07760 171434

 Full details of the work of the Big Lottery Fund, its programmes and awards are available on the website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk