Josiah Lockhart is calling for people who think they know a way to transform life for young Scots to apply to the Social Innovation Competition
“Never before have young people had this much power, positioning and potential to change the world.”
This quote from Jared Kleinert, co-author of "2 Billion Under 20" was part of a TED talk he gave when only 19 years old. It succinctly sums up why Firstport is celebrating Scotland’s Year of Young People 2018 by looking for new, innovative and enterprising ideas to support Scotland’s young people.
As Scotland’s social enterprise development agency, Firstport delivers the annual Social Innovation Competition on behalf of the Scottish Government. This year we are searching for Scotland’s top social innovators; people with imaginative, enterprising ideas and solutions to social issues or challenges. And, with this year being the Year of Young People, we are seeking out those ideas that support young people aged between 8 and 26. This could be through giving them access to new opportunities and destinations, helping them to overcome barriers and inequalities, or improving their quality of life.
On offer is the chance to win £5,000, alongside a package of one-on-one tailored business support from Firstport to help develop the winners’ ideas and make them a reality. The winners, including one young social innovator aged under 30, will be announced in the autumn.
Last year’s competition was themed around culture, heritage and tourism, and our winners included Sarah MacKenzie of Tain Picture House Regeneration Project, a project to restore an iconic community building in the Highlands, Maria Perez of Scotland’s Social Way, a business boosting sustainable and community-based tourism across Scotland, and Jennifer Macdonald (main picture) of Woodside Arran, an organic food producer, who won the Young Social Innovator Award.
Not only is it great recognition of an enterprises’ ambition, but the Social Innovation Competition is also a valuable opportunity to raise both awareness and stimulate further income. Jennifer told us that winning the Social Innovation Competition not only gave Woodside Arran a huge boost of confidence, but also fast tracked the business by about six months.
It allowed the organisation to deliver services to more people, more quickly and to carry out a lot of the activities it didn't think it would be able to do otherwise. She also recently went on to win an additional £25,000 Build It grant from the Social Entrepreneurs Fund, delivered by Firstport, to recruit another member of staff and take her community-supported farm and delivery business to the next level.
Sarah MacKenzie said the Social Innovation Award helped the Tain Picture House Regeneration Project raise much needed awareness and accelerate its development. Since winning last November, the project team has increased memberships and gained volunteers after organising a community consultation, managed a first clear up event for the outside of the builiding, organised three fundraising events planned for the summer and autumn this year, and put community and school workshops in place to expand membership and get the community directly involved.
The project team is now looking to secure larger investment to take the project to the next level and increase its economic and social impact for Tain and the surrounding areas.
Winning this year’s Social Innovation Competition will be a great boost to the profile of Scotland’s social entrepreneurs, and with a focus on young people, it has the potential to grow enterprises that will benefit the generations of the future.
So what are you waiting for? If you have an idea that would make a real difference to young people’s lives then check out the Firstport website for details of how to apply and get your application in by 30 July 2018.
Josiah Lockhart is chief executive of Firstport
