Social Firms UK recently ran a competition for schoolchildren to consider what would make a good Social Firm. Two groups of teenagers aged between 14 and 16 years old, one from Bournemouth and one from Manchester have been selected as the winners.
The competition, run to celebrate Social Enterprise Day, asked students to consider what type of Social Firm they would set up and why. Says Sally Reynolds, CEO of Social Firms UK, “Congratulations to all the students who took part. We were really impressed by everyone’s entries and delighted that young people, who are of course our future, are engaging with the idea of running a Social Firm.”
The winning students from Radcliffe Riverside School in Manchester suggested that a call centre would make a good business for disabled people. It would also have a staff canteen that employed people with learning disabilities and get its business from small private sector companies. Says Sally Reynolds, CEO of Social Firms UK, “We thought this idea was well thought through from start to finish, and liked its originality and clarity.”
Meanwhile the other winning group from from Avonbourne School in Bournemouth came up with the idea of a sports and activity centre for people wounded in war. Sally Reynolds, commented, “We thought this idea was really original, timely and full of potential for turning into a Social Firm.”
The winning prize for each of the groups is to visit a Social Firm near them in the new year. Watch this space to see how they get on with their visit....