SOCIAL ENTERPRISE AND SPORT THE WAY FORWARD

Transcription

1 SOCIAL ENTERPRISE AND SPORT THE WAY FORWARD Conference Report Stirling Management Centre, 1 st June, 2011

2 Introduction The theme for the Social Enterprise & Sport conference 2011 was The Way Forward. It had duel intent as a national networking opportunity for Sport SEN members as well as a learning event for those involved or keen to hear more about Social Enterprise & Sport. As well as representation from sports social enterprises and community organisations there were delegates from local authorities, sports governing bodies and third sector intermediaries. Over 100 delegates registered with 92 present on the day including speakers and workshop presenters. Feedback was sought via an online survey with 30% of delegates responding (see appendix 1). Background This, the first annual Social Enterprise and Sport Conference was organised by Senscot, as part of the partnership initiative between them, sportscotland and the Robertson Trust. The partnership, now in its 2nd year, has resulted in the post of Social Enterprise & Sport Coordinator being created. The initiative is focused on connecting and supporting established and aspiring sports social enterprises as well as raising the profile of the social enterprise model to the sports sector. Although Senscot had hosted previous social enterprise & sport related events at Airth Castle, this conference represented the first since the establishment of the Sport Social Enterprise Network in October 2009.

3 Keynote Speaker The keynote address was delivered by Mel Young, founder and Chair of the Homeless World Cup who himself is a serial social entrepreneur having been involved in bringing the Big Issue to Scotland. He began with an overview of the Homeless World Cup and how it impacts both locally and globally with an emphasis on the following: Inclusion changing perception of homeless people Triumph in 2007 Scotland won the Homeless World Cup Togetherness support for the event has no boundaries Talent nurtured from grassroots to elite A sense of place vital in creating a sense of community Learning / qualifications/ coaching all part of the journey Looking more locally he reminded the audience that sport has the power to change lives, that in Scotland we should be ambitious and move forward in the knowledge that we can transform communities. He shared a few additional thoughts: o Innovation is currently needed rather than a focus on budget cuts o Sporting heroes these are vital in attracting young people o Consider looking to the private sector for sponsorship. In conclusion, he left the audience with the request to Pass the ball on. Panel Discussion A panel discussion followed with panellists Mel Young (Homeless World Cup), Stewart Harris (sportscotland), Colin Campbell (Senscot) and Roy Clunie (Founding Director Atlantis Leisure). Debate covered a range of topics including definition of social enterprise & sport, asset transfer of facilities and the status of the leisure trusts in this landscape e.g.

4 Q1: Are Local Authorities on board regarding sports social enterprises? Responses included: Needs to be a reason to take over premises not just because they are offered Local authorities are interested in supporting social economy Established pattern of behaviour within local authorities can make it difficult Need a strong argument when making request Organisations should have ambition to do things differently Local authorities can view social enterprises as a threat and can make it difficult to compete Not always appropriate for social enterprises to own assets from outset Important to have funding in place to handle the asset transfer Wendy Reid (DTAS) was in the audience and introduced the new Community Ownership Support Service. This free service is funded by the Scottish Government to support both the community group and the local authority in matters of asset transfer including sports facilities. Q2: What is the definition of a sports social enterprise? Colin Campbell (Senscot) gave a description emphasising a push for community organisations to become more enterprising, to move away from grant dependency, diversify their activities and perhaps most importantly ask themselves if the social enterprise model actually fits the organisation. The audience were also directed towards their delegate packs for a copy of the flyer entitled An Introduction to Social Enterprise & Sport Q3: Jane Moncrieff of Triathlon Scotland asked about the differences between running Atlantis Leisure as a SE as opposed to a trust? Roy Clunie (Atlantis Leisure) responded: Atlantis is led by the board i.e. no chief executive position, highest appointment is centre manager Board involved in vision and delivery Important that board members have time and expertise to commit They work in partnership with the local authority but are independent Community focused

5 Panel round up focused on a need to work together and be accepting of a mixed economy. Strategy Session Mel Young introduced the intention to draft a Strategy for Social Enterprise and Sport. He encouraged the audience to partake in round table discussions re possible content for such a strategy and then to feed back their key points to the audience. Group feedback included the following: o Lead representative body needed o Education re the social enterprise model o Facilities asset or liability o Local solutions to local situations o Case studies to share best practice o Increased engagement with local authorities and governing bodies o Support around governance o Business skills and training required o Links to private sector There were a number of common themes and as Mel explained these will be incorporated into a draft document by the Round Table group and then widely circulated for feedback early in the autumn. Workshops Four workshops were delivered during the afternoon session covering a range of topics principally aimed at the needs of aspiring and established social enterprises e.g. The Role of Volunteering in Sports Social Enterprises Developing Additional Income Streams Communicating your message use of social media An Introduction to SCIO s the new legal model

6 Presentation are available at the links below: W1 - W2 - W3 - W4 - Plenary Session Success Stories The conference concluded with short presentations by and about Sport SEN Members organisations including: Neil Matheson, Chair of Atlantis Leisure, who spoke not only about the longevity of one of our longest running sports social enterprises, but also about their newest additions, an `extreme soft play` area and the climb cube. He went on to share their approach to sports development via their Play Sport programme and inspired with tales of elite performances by some of those who had come through the centre. Joanne MacPherson shared the highs and lows the last 15 months have brought for Ullaspool. The Pool, originally funded by the community only 15 years ago found itself closed due to faulty roof construction. The community once again rallied, directed all charitable efforts over the last 12 months towards the pool and managed to raise 72,000 no mean feat in a small community. Thanks to their efforts the pool is due to re-open in August. David Duke, himself once a player in the Scotland team at the Homeless World Cup, spoke about the impact his own social enterprise Street Soccer Scotland has on the lives of young and not so young adults who find themselves having fallen on difficult times. The final success story came from Derek Marshall of Factory Skatepark in Dundee - a serial social entrepreneur himself, both at home and abroad. He spoke about the work of his organisation explaining that sport for them is very much the tool for making an impact on the lives of young people.

7 Conference feedback The following are a selection of unsolicited comments from delegates: Congratulations on an excellent event yesterday. For a club that s just at the process of thinking about going down the SEN route it was a real eye opener as to just how big the potential for this can be Well done for hosting the event yesterday. It was both enjoyable and informative and certainly got me thinking about a number of things in relation to triathlonscotland. Just to thank you for the great conference. I found it interesting and the workshops were very well run Thanks for everything from us at North Coast Leisure Centre - the conference was a great success and we got a lot of food for thought I enjoyed immensely the workshop and the other events during the day, so happy that you allowed me to contribute Conference was much more focused than events in previous years Conference outcomes There were four key outcomes: 1. Using feedback from the conference delegates, a draft Strategy for Social Enterprise & Sport will be developed by the Round Table. This will be widely circulated to ensure consensus across the sector before an expected completion by the end of Sport SEN meetings are being expanded to 6 per year in order to cover a wider geographic spread both east to west and north to south. All aspiring and established sports social enterprises are welcome to attend. 3. Production of a series of case studies, featuring exemplar sports social enterprises. 4. The next national conference will be scheduled for early summer 2012.

8 Contact information For more information on the Social Enterprise & Sport initiative, contact Diane Cameron, Social Enterprise & Sport Coordinator at or on

9 Appendix 1 - Survey results 1. General feedback Of the 92 delegates, 30% responded to the feedback survey. The majority of those indicated they were representing social enterprises or community organisations. Of those almost 89% rated the event overall either as excellent or good. Social Enterprise & Sport Conference Overall rating Excellent Good Okay Poor 2. Speakers Our keynote speaker Mel Young was very well received by a high number of delegates (96%). In addition the panel who included Stewart Harris (sportscotland), Colin Campbell (Senscot) and Roy Clunie (Founding Director Atlantis Leisure were all rated as excellent or good by most respondents. 3. Workshops Workshops were available in the afternoon with delegates offered their preferred choice. A number indicated they would have preferred to attend more than one workshop something which will be reviewed for next year. Very useful Useful Not useful The Role of Volunteering in Sports Social Enterprises. 43% 57% Developing Additional Income Streams. 8% 77% 15% Communicating your message use of social media 78% 22%

10 A late addition workshop was added An Introduction to SCIO s the new legal model. Although only one respondent left feedback it was described as very useful. 4. Plenary Session Out plenary session entitled Success Stories comprised a snapshot of achievement delivered by Sport SEN members. This was the final session of the day and was attended by the majority of delegates with feedback as below: Success Sto ries Very inspiring Quite inspiring Uninspiring 5. Learning Impact The survey gathered feedback regarding the most important things gained from attendance at the conference. Below is a selection of responses: Clearer visibility of the range of sporting social enterprises around the country Networking and inspiration from success stories. A far greater understanding of what a social enterprise is. Real live examples of them working. I like the definition for a social enterprise in the leaflet - much clearer and concise That social entrepreneurs are a supportive and resourceful lot Inspired to volunteer on Football Trust Board. A great opportunity to raise awareness of our own social enterprise When asked if aspects of their future work would involve what was learned at the conference, 74% of delegates indicated that it would including some of the following ways:

11 Working regularly with clubs and growing community clubs, it definitely has given me more confidence to explore social enterprise with them and give a steer on positives/examples etc The subject matter has made me think more about my organisation's strategy and how we can make a positive impact in the community I have seen the massive potential on offer but I'm struggling to convey that to the committee. There appears to be a willingness to become a social enterprise Social media, we intend to develop our existing website to include Facebook and twitter. 6. Suggestions for future conferences Delegates were asked what could be done to improve the conference and suggest possible topics for next year. Below are some of the comments: A course for absolute beginners Ministerial presence or guest speaker from Scottish Executive Shift the focus onto the enterprise side of social enterprise. Possibly have two workshop sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Just more of the same! 7. Event Organisation Generally feedback was positive although it understandable that some respondents would have preferred to utilise a social enterprise venue. This shall be reviewed again for future events. Excellent Good Okay Poor Pre event organisation 50.0% 35.7% 14.3% 0.0% On the day organisation 53.6% 46.4% 0.0% 0.0% The venue 75.0% 25.0% 0.0% 0.0%

12 Location of the venue 50.0% 35.7% 14.3% 0.0% Catering 67.9% 25.0% 7.1% 0.0% Helpfulness of staff 50.0% 39.3% 10.7% 0.0%