MEDIA RELEASE
24thFebruary 2010
Fifteen students graduate from Cornwall School for Social Entrepreneurs
The achievements of 15 Cornish social entrepreneurs have been celebrated at a graduation ceremony at the Eden Project. The 15 men and women were the first to take part in a nine-month programme organised by the Cornwall School for Social Entrepreneurs.
Tim Smit, patron of the Cornwall SSE and co-founder of the Eden Project, attended the event and heard about the progress made by those taking part in the programme. "Social enterprise is, in my view, possibly the most important development in business over the last century," he said. "Its recognition of the wider needs of the community and environmental impacts of business as well as the responsible social role business should play give it great relevance in the emerging post recession world. "The school is a vital addition to the capacity of Cornwall and we at Eden are proud to be supporters and were delighted to welcome them here for this their first graduation ceremony."
The Cornwall SSE is a partner in Cornwall Works for Social Enterprise, which is supported by European Social Fund Convergence investment via Job Centre Plus and led by Cornwall Council. It is managed through Cornwall Development Company.
Those graduating on Friday included: Caroline Driver, who runs Llamarama, a fair trade business which aims to reduce poverty through bringing artisans' products to international markets; Jane Yeoman, who is setting up ZOOP, a social enterprise promoting sustainable living to families with children under five, and Jane Opie who has set up Smart Savings, a social enterprise providing professional and ethical financial services, particularly to disadvantaged communities, and with a specific focus on claims management.
The SSE programme has seen the graduates taking part in one day a week of study, tutorials or other activities for the last nine months. Cornwall SSE development manager Sally Heard said one of the main benefits of taking part was being able to share problems and their solutions. "Quite often people have had their idea for a while but they have felt quite isolated. Coming onto the programme gives them the opportunity to work with like minded people," she said.
Recruitment is now under way for the next intake of social entrepreneurs. The Cornwall SSE has organised two information days for people to find out more, with one due to take place on Friday 10.30am at the Library House, in Truro, and another on Friday 10.30am, February 26, at Cornwall One Stop Shop, St Clare, Penzance.
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