IWD 2020: Spotlight on Female Founded Social Enterprises
/This Sunday is International Women’s Day, which can sometimes seem overly commercialised and perhaps even unnecessary. Yet the truth is we have still not achieved the original aim of IWD, which was to achieve full gender equality for women worldwide. So, an awareness day dedicated to this global mission seems a pretty significant way to recognise and challenge this inequality.
According to the World Economic Forum, the gender gap is not something any of us alive today will live to see the close of, with current estimates at 2186. There is more to this than just the issue of pay, although that remains a core issue.
In 2019, the gender pay gap resulted in women effectively working without pay from November 14th until the last day of the year, December 31st. Quality education, access to healthcare and the risk of violence all remain problematic issues women face on a greater scale than their male counterparts. From business to the government, women are vastly underrepresented or included in leadership roles.
The spirit and mission of IWD is not affiliated with any one group. It is about people of all genders coming together from governments, councils, corporations, organisations, charities, and sparking conversation, sharing ideas and celebrating the achievements of women, through talks, walks, meetups, community events and creative performances or whatever form of expression and connection is available and accessible.
Today, we want to shine a light on some of our favourite fellow female founded - how’s that for alliteration?! - social enterprises who do wonderful things in our local community and further afield.
These inspirational women are in leadership roles they created for themselves, with a commitment to improving the lives of others and helping the world become a slightly better place, for all humans. Here’s to that!
Abi Nolan
Abi is the founder of Supply, a local yoga studio in Clapton that truly sets itself apart from all the stereotypical wellbeing cliques and cliches. Instead, Supply offers affordable and accessible classes with an ethos rooted in compassion and community.
"Supply Yoga was born out of my frustration with the increasing inaccessibility of wellness practices, it seemed to have become a luxury to look after yourself, to take time to slow down, move or consciously rest. Plus, I've seen first hand how powerful shared experiences, mindful movement and storytelling can be for people living in social isolation - the most fulfilling part of my job is changing people's minds about what yoga is, who it's 'for' and how it can be shared with everyone.”
Daisy Jacobs and Leyla McLennan
Daisy and Leyla co-founded Routes after meeting on the Year Here Fellowship (see our resource list below). Confidence building and championing women is at the heart of what they do, through 1:1 mentoring programmes and theatre workshops.
"Routes was set up in direct response to the UK's hostile asylum system - we want to create spaces and relationships of joy, welcome and compassion, which are so hard to come by if you are a new arrival seeking safety here. We are energised by watching the beautiful relationships that form between the women in our theatre workshops and our mentor-mentee pairs. It just shows that we really do have so much more to share than we have differences, and that forming relationships with people who have very different life experiences and perspectives is so enriching."
Asma Shah
Asma is the Founder & CEO of You Make it, which was first established at her kitchen table in Bethnal Green in response to the impact gentrification was having on local residents. She set out to empower young unemployed women with everything they need to realise their potential, connect to their passions and pursue their goals.
“I set up You Make It because of my passion to ensure that young women who’ve wrongly been overlooked because of issues around race and class, not just gender, are given what they need and deserve to lead happy lives in one of the most diverse but also increasingly divided cities in the world. We also work with partners to help them understand and become stronger allies for equalities, diversity and inclusion within and outside their workplaces through our new You Change It service.”
Victoria Omobuwajo
Victoria’s social enterprise Sumno also began in the kitchen, when she started experimenting with plantain based snacks at her mum's house in Hackney.
In Nigeria, the term ‘sumno’ signifies the idea of coming together and Victoria wanted to create a healthy snack brand that could give back to the Nigerian community, with every product sold providing a meal for an orphaned Nigerian child.
Eve Wagg
Eve started her speciality coffee training academy Well Grounded as she believes everyone should be supported into meaningful employment. Her business was born from the desire to utilise her love for coffee with something that could have a powerful impact on social change.
"I love the social enterprise sector and I love what I do. I know this makes me incredibly lucky. I remain motivated by the passion and drive from my networks- my team, all the trainees we work with and the wide and varied coffee industry. Running a social enterprise is invigorating and I'm inspired daily by the energy, kindness and empathy of others."
According to Power to Change’s 2018 grantee survey, 55% of community business leaders identify as female, making it one of the few sectors where equality exists. Starting a business from scratch that solves an issue, inequality or problem in society is rewarding in so many ways, and it is truly exciting to see a continual increase in the number of people looking to set up their own social enterprise.
Below is a list of our recommended resources and programmes to support any budding social entrepreneurs get their ideas off the ground, or take their social startups to the next level.
Unltd
Unltd find, fund, and support individuals who want to bring their ideas to life and build sustainable social ventures
School for Social Entrepreneurs
SSE help up to 1,000 people each year develop the skills, strengths and networks they need to tackle society’s biggest problems.
Bromley by Bow Beyond Business Programme
BBBBP is a support programme for emerging social enterprises in east London, who help get business ideas off the ground.
Year Here
Year Here is a London-based postgraduate course in social innovation.
Power to Change
Power to Change is an independent charitable trust that supports and develops community focused enterprises in England.
Social Enterprise UK
Social Enterprise UK is the membership body for social enterprises and creators of the world’s largest commitment to social procurement.
Funding Central
Funding Central provide access to information on grant funding opportunities from local, national and international funding sources as well as social investment.
Join us for a Herbal Happening this International Women’s Day….
If you’d like to celebrate IWD with the Hackney Herbal team this weekend, we’d love to meet you at our Sunday screening of Juliette of the Herbs.
The movie is a beautifully filmed lyrical portrait of the life and work of Juliette de Bairacli Levy: herbalist, author, breeder of Afghan hounds, friend of the Gypsies, traveller in search of herbal wisdom and pioneer of holistic veterinary medicine. Juliette’s well-loved and now classic herbals for animals and for children have been a vital inspiration for the present day herbal renaissance.
Sunday, March 8, 2020
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Castle Cinema, Clapton, E5.
