Enterprising the way we think

Food for thought...

As we reach day 2 of of the Sweden study visit, it has been fascinating to explore the way in which our colleagues in Sweden see social enterprise and how this drives their work with young people.  We couldn't have started this without 'Fika' , the traditional morning and afternoon coffee and cake breaks. We soon learnt that this was a large part of Swedish Culture and certainly set a core and underlying theme behind their success. The main difference between culture and styles was space, to think, do and be. Key principles in allowing for the creation and flow of key ideas, "we create space for people" was an important key message which YMCAs could adopt, not just in their work with young people, but an approach that could be utilized within staff culture.













Social Vs Enterprise...

A further reflection has been to consider the differences between the two. For those YMCAs who are thinking more 'business minded' are we taking the time to consider whether our ventures are purely enterprise and there to create a surplus, or are we creating programmes which have a social purpose, or both? Why is this important? Well, it allows us to continue to remain focused and not mission drift. It also ensures that we remain aligned to our values, again important in culture setting and strong leadership. Finally, it ensures that we recognise successes and failures and build upon learning to be stronger and more successful,  "when programmes go down, make room for others...we build them, others follow". To be entrepreneurial in our thinking we have to allow ourselves to be flexible, we can't place boxes around everything, all of the time.






"Big Shoes"

It struck me how strong a emphasis was placed on leadership, perhaps a further indication of their success. Young people and staff play a large and important role in community engagement and this has led to long term relationships which have generated funding. Social enterprise through sport has been a huge success and has engaged  thousands of young people each year, including an annual festival where 200 young people are employed to plan and run the event, and through the provision of non traditional sports. Whilst these do not generate a surplus they provide the community with a significant amount of support and create opportunities for youth. Social and community driven initiatives have allowed YMCAs to engage positively in the community and increase their visibility. The staff, through their altruistic approach have acted as positive role models and this raises the aspirations of their young people..isn't this what  its all about in the end? Our Swedish colleagues have a great saying "give them too big shoes they have to fill" which is all about giving young people responsibility and watching them grow. And finally I wanted to end on this quote which I felt every YMCA could relate to "the door is open, but not wide open, you have to know how to open  the door yourself". This is an empowering message which we should be delivering to create resilience individuals and a thriving community.