Wednesdsay

3rd October 2007

The Green House

Beechwood Business Park North

Inverness

Building and Economically Sustainable Highlands and Islands

Could Social Enterprise be the link between private and public sectors?

Social enterprises have often been seen as the key to promoting regeneration and alleviating disadvantage in declining or deprived inner-city areas. This workshop explores the potential of social enterprise to also rejuvenate and sustain more rural or remote communities, with a focus on the Highlands and Islands and neighbouring areas.

Social enterprises are particularly successful at delivering goods or services to those social groups or geographical areas that are underserved by the public and private sectors. Therefore, there may be potential for social enterprises to further contribute to the economy of the Highlands and Islands. However, there is also the potential for the private sector and social enterprise to work together, particularly in the delivery of services contracted out by the public sector. Collaborations between private sector organisations, with their business acumen, and social enterprise, with their clearly defined social goals, may be an effective way to deliver a more sustainable Highlands and Islands and leads to the question: could social enterprise be the link between the private and public sectors that helps build an economically sustainable Highlands & Islands?

We invite you:

• To attend this workshop, where you will hear presentations from the private sector, the public sector and the social enterprise sector

• To discuss with key players strategies for realising the potential of rural social enterprises

• To discuss successes, failures and needs, and think about what can be done in terms of research and support in order to foster a vibrant social enterprise sector within rural Scotland that communicates more with both the private and public sectors.

We hope that you will be able to join us.

13.00

13.30

13.40

13.55

14.40

14.55

14.50

15.10

15.25

17.00

Programme

Registration and Coffee

Dr Sarah-Anne Munoz, SDRC - Introduction: Social Enterprise in Rural and Remote Areas

Mrs Barbara Love, NPP International Co-ordinator, SCVO: NPP Deserve Projec; Setting the scene: social enterprise, community organisations and rural scotland.

Mr David Bryan, Highlands Development Officer, Community Recycling Network Scotland: What makes a successful social enterprise in rural and remote areas?

Comfort Break

Mr Andy Dytch, General Manager, ILM Highland: Successfully delivering services to the public sector.

Mrs Fiona Palin, Heado of Operations (Criminal Justice and Central Services) Highland Council: Buying from the Third Sector: a public sector perspective.

Group Discussion

• Can social enterprise help to maintain sustainable communities in rural areas>
• Can social enterprises and the private sector work together to produce a more economically sustainable Highlands and Islands?
• Is public sector procurement an option for rural social enterprise?

Venue

The Green House, Beechwood Business Park North, Inverness, IV2 3BL

Registration - Please contactJan Macpherson on 01309 678111 or email:

jan.macpherson@sdrc.uhi.ac.uk to register for the workshop