Are you running or thinking of setting up a social or community enterprise in the South West?
If you want grow lasting enterprise solutions to local social and environmental challenges in rural areas - don't do it alone!
Get connected to learn how to.... Survive and Thrive... build a better business, make more money and achieve better social and environmental impacts
Be inspired: share the passion, the ups, the downs - learn from 'local heroes'
Be informed: uncover trade secrets and build your skills
Be connected: get together with social entrepreneurs committed to working on real solutions for their enterprise and opportunities for their communities.
The Survive and Thrive Network is a project of the Development Trusts Association, South West Region and funded by Capacity Builders.
Hydro Power Action Learning,
26/27th March 2010, Devon
(plus 6 online sessions)
This Action Learning Set will help you explore all you need to know to develop a hydro electric generation project. It may be a crossflow, a turbine or an Archimedes screw, but regardless of your technology you need to ensure that your enterprise is designed around a watertight business case! The action learning process will bring together practitioners to support one another.
What's involved?
An introductory residential (26th/27th March in Devon) where we will:
- Meet all the participants and build up a picture of the proposed schemes
- Share expectations and challenges
- Hear from a guest speaker - to provide an overview of developing hydro schemes and answer your tricky questions
- Consider what makes a good business plan and how to put it together.
The residential will be followed up by 6 online themed sessions every three weeks where you can meet your fellow participants to consider progress as you build your business case and also have access to professional input on specialist topics.
Places are free and all accomodation costs are covered through the programme if you are a social or community enterprises. Places are not available for third sector support agencies. Bursaries are available to cover the cost of travel.
To book a place click here
Trading Places is a programme of visits that enables you to see for yourself how other rural social and community enterprises have built successful enterprises to help tackle local problems.
Visit to Local Food Links, Bridport, Dorset
Tuesday 30th March
This Trading Places visit will explore Local Food Links' award winning Centre for Local Food which provides ethically sourced fresh local food for 23 primary schools and a range of older peoples organisations as well as vocational training and community education.
Local Food Links was established in 1999 to run Farmers Markets in Dorset but in 2006 the local council proposed a central contract for ready meals to be made in a factory in Nottingham, driven to Dorset and then 'regenerated' in primary schools. In response to this LfL developed a partnership with 8 Bridport Primary Schools and proposed setting up a central kitchen which would supply locally and ethically sourced hot meals to the schools.
Click here to book a place.
There will also be a visit to St Minver Community Land Trust in Spring 2010. This trading places visit will explore how local people in Rock, North Cornwall reclaimed the housing market, providing local homes for local people through a ground-breaking self-build scheme.
Please email J.Wainwright@dta.org.uk to register your interest in this visit.
The visits are to free to rural social and community organisations in the South West and bursaries are available to cover the cost of travel. Places are available for those whose job it is to support rural social and community organisations at a cost of £40.
Trade Secrets are themed one day learning events designed to help you take active steps to improve your enterprise's performance.
Viability not Liability: Assets & The Law
Tuesday 11th May 2010, Devon.
In association with The Ethical Property Foundation.
Everything you ever wanted to know about owning property but thought it was too expensive to ask!
A team of experienced lawyers and community enterprise and property experts will take you through the basics to give you a thorough overview of the law relating to asset development and then take time to focus on YOUR project, giving you expert advice and assistance in creating the first steps to creating a viable business plan for a thriving asset development project.
The event is free to rural social and community organisations in the South West and bursaries are available to cover the cost of travel. Places are available for those whose job it is to support rural social and community organisations at a cost of £75.
More details and to book a place click here
Tailored learning journeys
Tailored learning journeys are available to rural community and social enterprises in the South West through Survive and Thrive. You must have at least 4 people in your group - ideally including at least one board member.
Are you thinking of starting a project similar to one that is already operating successfully elsewhere? Would you like to meet the team behind the project? What happens behind the scenes? How did they get started? What are the best sources of help and support? The package includes:
- £300 day rate paid to hosts (to include a 4 hour visit + preparation time)
- Travel bursaries to cover the cost of participants' travel
Read more...... Tailored learning events
Tailored learning events can be put together through Survive and Thrive for specialist groups (eg Community Land Trusts, Village Halls, Community Shops) who want a sector specific approach to improving performance. They are for groups of 15 - 30 people and aim to help groups of organisations improve performance, make more money and achieve better social and environmental impacts. Events are usually on weekdays from 10 until 4, with some flexibility. The package includes
- Delivery of 2 outcome focussed- workshops and one masterclass from the DTA's professional training facilitators
- Inspirational speaker who is an expert in the field
- Lunch
- Venue
- Online booking
- Travel bursaries for all participants from rural community and social enterprises in the South West
To discuss your requirements in detail for a learning journey or event please call or email Jessie: 0117 314 4653
J.Wainwright@dta.org.uk 