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British Council has started to implement a regional project in order to create partnerships between the UK and Turkey in this area. As well as Turkey, the project is taking place in Ukraine, Serbia, Georgia and Croatia. This project is providing a platform for the NGOs and individual entrepreneurs with a social mission to make a difference in their environments and contribute to positive social change through enterprise, innovation and creativity.
Social enterprise is a new concept with considerable potential in Turkey. There are some emerging social enterprises which are keen to explore how they run and grow their business and maintain their social perspective. There is also a potential for some NGOs to turn into social enterprises.
In Turkey, we are running different strands of Social Entrepreneurship Project in partnership with Third Sector Foundation of Turkey (TÜSEV), Kadir Has University, Youth Services Centre(GSM) and Bolu Governorship.
We have run awareness raising seminars for NGOs, private sector and government officials in partnership with TÜSEV.
We have facilitated the establishment of a Social Entrepreneurship Academy under Kadir Has University-Life Long Learning Centre in August 2010 together with Youth Services Centre.
The International Social Entrepreneurship Conference was organised by the British Council, Technical Assistance for Civil Society Organisations (TACSO) and Third Sector Foundation of Turkey (TÜSEV), with support from strategic partner, Vodafone Turkey Foundation, and conference host, Kadir Has University. It took place in Istanbul, Turkey on 29 February and 1 March 2012.
The conference brought together 143 social entrepreneurs and supporters of social entrepreneurship from the Western Balkans, Turkey, Ukraine, Georgia, United Kingdom (UK), Germany and Far East Asia and created an important opportunity for the development of social entrepreneurship, particularly social enterprise, in the region.
To read the conference report, please click here
The Social Entrepreneurship Project of the British Council is providing an excellent cultural relations opportunity for people in Turkey and the UK as well as in other regional countries participating in the project to work together on a common problem, share experiences, and develop innovative solutions together.
2009 -2013
Social enterprise is defined as “a business with primarily social objectives whose surpluses are principally reinvested for that purpose in the business or in the community”. There are many different models in the UK, ranging from charities to co-operatives and community interest groups in support of social enterprises. Such organisations occupy the space between public and private sectors and are typically grouped as the ‘third sector’.
The main aim of a social entrepreneurship as well as a social enterprise is to further social and environmental goals. Although social enterprises are often non-profits, this need not be incompatible with making a profit. Social enterprises are for ‘more-than-profit,’ using blended value business models that combine a revenue-generating business with a social-value-generating structure or component.
The UK is seen as a world leader in social enterprise. Please find some important figures below:
- 55,000 social enterprises employ 475,000 people
- £27 billion turnover
- 1% contribution to GDP
For further reading, please visit:
Skills for Social Entrepreneurs
Social Entrepreneurship in Turkey (Only in Turkish)
For more information about the project, please contact Seda Mumcu Aydeniz or Ozan Dinçer
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