Social innovation is about change — change that helps meet both social and economic challenges as well as finding opportunities and creating new ideas to use existing resources to design, fund and deliver services.
It happens when government, business leaders, non-profit organizations and communities work together to find new Bettering societysolutions to existing issues.
Social enterprises are an example of social innovation in practice.
Throughout B.C., they are making a difference in our communities and neighbourhoods every day by directing their revenue to drive social change through unique and diverse social missions.
To help raise awareness of the work social entrepreneurs are doing in our province, communities and the economy — our government has proclaimed May 2015 as Social Enterprise Month.
Social Enterprises operate like a business, producing goods and services for sale and earning revenue while blending its redirected profit towards a social and/or environmental purpose.
They find innovative and engaging ways to help solve social, culture, economic and environmental changes. What connects them all is that their primary purpose is a social one; they direct their revenues toward making society a better, stronger, more wholesome place.
A social enterprise can take many forms — from a charitable organization to a co-operative, to a business focused on social objectives.
That is why we are committed as a government to strengthening B.C.’s social-innovation sector and helping social enterprises thrive.
This month and beyond, I encourage you to support your community driven groups, and also go to HubcapBC.ca to get involved, and learn more.
Donna Barnett is the Liberal MLA for Cariboo-Chilcotin.