Changemakers: Call for ideas that can impact communities
The ‘Champion Changemakers’ initiative is seeking people with innovative ideas that could help tackle social or environmental challenges in their communities.
Pitches on topics such as food waste; fast fashion; climate change; education; housing; or mental health are all being sought.
Ideas will be classified under one of three key themes: Environment and climate action; economic inequality; and human well-being.
The ambition is to find solutions that can be turned into products or services that will directly impact the lives of people in local communities.
Community Enterprise Association Ireland’s network of over 270 enterprise centres and hubs is hosting regional events to help individuals and community groups build ideas into services that could drive real change in their communities.
The events will promote the role of social enterprise in local communities. Individuals will not need to have any experience of business or social enterprise, but will be driven by a passion to make a real difference in their own communities and beyond.
Funding for the ‘Champion Changemakers’ initiative was secured from the Department of Rural and Community Development under the ARISE (Awareness Raising Initiatives for Social Enterprise) Scheme 2021.
Participants will be given the opportunity to work with local mentors to develop their idea and help prepare them to present and pitch it to a panel of experts in their local hub on the weekend of September 23.
Finalists will be identified from every region and those shortlisted will participate in the national event on October 20.
The overall winning team will benefit from a bursary of key supports and services.
Current changemakers
Examples of successful social enterprises already in this country include: Thriftify, a web platform that allows charities to offer second-hand items for sale online; Food Cloud, a social enterprise that connects businesses that have surplus food with charities and community groups that need it to combat food waste in Ireland; and GIY Ireland, which helps and educates people to become more sustainable by growing some of their own food with the goal to rebuild a sustainable food system.
There’s also Too Good to Go, an app that lets people buy surplus food and drink from restaurants, grocery stores, pubs, cafes and producers to combat food waste in Ireland; Refill Ireland, a non-profit organisation aiming to create a sustainable future by reducing plastic waste and trash by eliminating single-use plastic bottles; and Men’s Sheds Association, non-profit local organisations nationwide that provide a space for craftwork and social interaction to improve health and wellbeing of older men in communities.
Among the regional hubs are:
Innovate Communities: Although located in Ballymun, Dublin 9, this hub is inviting nationwide applicants;
Meath Enterprise: Based in Navan, Meath, it is seeking applicants from the entire Leinster region except Dublin;
Creative Spark: The Dundalk-based hub is inviting applicants from the midlands;
Action Tuam: The Galway hub wants applicants from the wider Connacht region;
Tangent, Trinity’s Ideas Workspace, in Trinity College Dublin, is calling for applicants from Dublin city centre;
RDI Hub + Dingle Creativity Hub: It is partnering to host applicants from the mid and south west.
‘Champion Changemakers’ aims to contribute to Ireland’s progress in overcoming challenges facing communities nationwide including youth unemployment, poverty, social injustice and the climate crisis, which will in turn help mobilise efforts to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Agenda by 2030.
Siobhan Finn, hub network manager at Community Enterprise Association Ireland (CEAI), said that social enterprises are key players in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, delivering products and services primarily to improve the lives of people in communities around the country,.
“The aim of this initiative is to empower, educate and inspire individuals to create concepts which can be turned into tangible products or services which could potentially solve large scale societal problems,” she said.
“Another key objective is to equip people with the skillset to start their social enterprises from scratch, including idea generation, how to market test and how to create impact for communities.”
Dr. Dan Rogers, head of education at Tangent, Trinity’s Ideas workspace, said that social entrepreneurship has the power to transform our community and society.
“It provides an opportunity to design creative solutions that have positive impact,” he said.
Fiona Louise Descoteaux, chief executive officer, Innovate Communities, said that as we face the challenges of climate change, economic inequality and poverty, to sustain is not enough.
“At Innovate Communities, we believe Ireland must take a more active role in co-creating frameworks to build regenerative communities through place to unleash the potential of local people and bring together their diverse skillsets to help shape an equitable future for us all.
“Working with CEAI to deliver ‘Champion Changemakers’ nationally will begin to generate awareness within local communities on the importance of building capacity to highlight and begin to solve local challenges, benefitting both people and place,” she said.
Reporting: Agriland