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Jean tells when
she developed a social view of society and why she thinks charities
could benefit from becoming social enterprises
How did you develop a 'social' view
of society?
I was in my late 20s when I felt I
wanted to make a difference to people's lives. I thought I wanted to
be a social worker and went on a 12-month one-day-a-week course in
psychology, sociology, management and other related subjects.
At the end of it I realised being a
social worker wasn’t for me because I needed to lead. A variety of
relevant jobs lead me to where I am now.
How does your enterprise work?
We collect donated furniture and
restore it to redistribute to people who are on low incomes. We do a
lot of work with our local women's refuge, where women arrive in only
the clothes on their back and need to be re-housed in a new area.
We supply them with everything they
need to make a home and a new life for themselves in a new location.
We also provide training in a range of practical skills to people who
are disadvantage through mental health issues, learning disability,
through drug and alcohol misuse and physical disability.
Income from accredited training in
carpentry, computer recycling, crafts and customer service, all help
us to provide the items required to supply those on low income with
household items. Items that are too big for social housing or surplus
to our needs are sold through our Renaissance Centre
“I want to inspire charities to become social enterprises, like we have”
What are your ambitions for the
future?
I would like to see my social
enterprise become 100% self-sufficient. For myself, I would like to
work more strategically in an advisory capacity on a national board
or with an umbrella organisation working with social enterprise.
What did you want to be when you
were growing up?
I had no idea! I always envied people
who knew where they were going and what they wanted to do.
What kind of person makes a good
social entrepreneur?
Someone who is confident in their
ability to be successful and is prepared to take risks to get where
they are going. Someone who others are prepared to follow and who
really wants to make a difference to other people’s lives.
Why did you become an ambassador?
I want to inspire charities to become
social enterprises, like we have. I want to show other charities that
it is possible to continue to provide their valuable services by
generating income streams and moving away from grant dependency.
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