User Journey Lead
23rd November 2022
1:05pm
Supporting social entrepreneurs in a time of crisis
Looking back, the pandemic seemed unimaginable. To have endured loss and lockdown, we now find ourselves in a cost-of-living crisis. One which is impacting millions across the UK and threatening to push more people into deep and intense poverty. Forecasts paint a picture of a sustained living costs crisis in which “a combination of earnings stagnation and the energy shock means the country is on track for two lost decades of income growth”. (Resolution Foundation, 2022)
We know that those who will be most affected are those who are already marginalised, but we also know this is where the most potential exists for supporting communities through this crisis. It is essential to society that social business’, those putting impact at the core of their purpose, are enabled to thrive and grow, to meet the needs of their community, and support to those who are most negatively impacted.
As we embark on this uncertain future, we have reflected on lessons learned during the pandemic which equip us to meet our strategic ambitions of providing market-leading support to social entrepreneurs. We have listened to social entrepreneurs and as a result;
It doesn’t stop there…
We’ve adapted our systems, processes, and ways of working. To continue to have a real impact for the social entrepreneurs we work with, we are now shaping our guiding behaviours and a framework for support, including looking at how we can better support social entrepreneurs to navigate the rising cost of living.
We recognise that individuals working to address social injustice and affect change can mean personal experiences of trauma, toxic stress, and adversity because of the work itself.
We are proud to be working with Platfform as a partner to become a trauma-informed organisation. This will be an important step for us in supporting social entrepreneurs to be their authentic selves and safeguard their wellbeing, whilst amplifying their voices as agents of change and accelerating the pace of change towards a fairer and healthier world.
We are staring this work now, but we know it will be a longer journey to truly adopt a trauma-informed approach as a whole organisation. We hope that you see positive changes in the way we support social entrepreneurs to navigate the complexity of social change and we’ll share news on how our framework for support develops in the coming months.
Image description: Two young people stand looking thoughtful in a classroom.