Irish Rural Link, the national network representing the interest of rural communities, is set to host a regional stakeholder consultation on social enterprise on behalf of the Department of Rural and Community Development.
The event will take place in the Ard Rí Hotel, Tuam, Co. Galway, on Thursday (February 23) from 9.30a.m-1.00p.m.
The scope for growth in the sector will be highlighted at the event. The first national social enterprise policy was published in July 2019, covering the period 2019-2022, according to Séamus Boland, CEO, Irish Rural Link.
“This represented a watershed moment for social enterprise in Ireland. Long awaited, it was the first government policy in the history of the state aimed at developing and realising the incredible economic, social and environmental potential of social enterprise,” he said.
“Not long after publication, Covid-19 presented an unprecedented challenge.
“From delivery of ‘Meals on Wheels’ in huge numbers to helping many more of us get back cycling, Irish social enterprise in countless ways made an immeasurable contribution to the response. In the years since the sector has grown considerably,” the CEO said.
Social enterprise
“Social enterprises are businesses that work primarily to improve the lives of people,” the CEO explained.
“Their core objective is to achieve a social, societal, or environmental impact through trading goods and services. This covers a multitude of operations from small community initiatives to larger national and international operations.
“In Ireland, the sector employs between 25,000 and 33,000 people in over 1,400 social enterprises, with a total income of around €1.4 billion.
“In European terms, however, the sector is still relatively underdeveloped and it’s widely acknowledged that there is huge potential for growth.”
There are six in-person regional stakeholder consultations arranged across Ireland to help inform the new national social enterprise policy. The Tuam event will cater primarily to the western counties of Galway, Mayo and Roscommon.
All individuals and organisations with a social enterprise interest, from the local community centre exploring opportunities to the well-established enterprises, are invited to attend and contribute to the new policy.
The event will be attended by officials from the Department of Rural and Community Development.
Irish Rural Link, Boland said, is delighted to be hosting what he said was a very important stakeholder consultation in Tuam.
“It’s more obvious than ever that social enterprise is part of the answer to many of Ireland’s challenges and gratifying to see this recognition at government level,” he said.
“The Tuam consultation event will ensure the voice of the west of Ireland is heard and views are considered in the new policy. The event is also a rare networking opportunity for social enterprise stakeholders in the west of Ireland.”
The consultation event will be followed by lunch. Registration in advance is essential.