Past Events

SEWF - Social Enterprise World Forum C.I.C. Sydney Hub organised by City of Sydney and Social Enterprise Council of NSW & ACT (SECNA) was a tremendous success. Participants heard insights from SEWF participants, listened and engaged with three incredible panels, established new connections, heard pitches from a variety of social entrepreneurs, got their free professional headshot by social enterprise Just Gold and enjoyed delicious catering from social enterprise The Freedom Hub!

At SECNA Meetup #12 we heard stories of resilience from three incredible social entrepreneurs:

Ravi Prasad from Parliament on King, a social enterprise cafe and caterer that works exclusively with refugee and asylum seeker chefs making food from their home countries, talked about being "tired but the most beautiful thing I could do with my life is what I'm doing right now. You weather the storm and get back at the wheel and you don't feel it because you are filled with a lightness that comes from the joy and the love of what we do." He talked about the need to stay calm but be real, and shared stories of how resilience came from the community that surrounds Parliament on King.

Louise Tran from OzHarvest, their 12th employee out of now 300 employees and thousands of volunteers to rescue food that would otherwise be wasted and get it to people who need it. SCARY FACT: Australia produces enough to feed 60 million people, but 1 in 6 people are food insecure!?! She talked about how grounded OzHarvest is in its vision and mission, recruiting value-aligned people and taking strength from the people around her who have come through tough times and keep making the most of every opportunity.

James Humpherson from Humanitix, their very first employee out of about 60 staff now across multiple countries, talked about resilience being the ability to endure the hardships - and Humanitix has had a few! He talked about the difficulty of getting funding for a not-for-profit event ticketing platform, and their enormous return that has just surpassed $6.2 million donated to children's charities. He also walked us through the difficulties of COVID when all events were cancelled and refunded, and how the team pulled through it - and continues to step up to every new challenge.

New South Wales first-ever Social Enterprise Festival, which took place on Saturday, 27 May 2023 at UTS Business School, was nothing short of spectacular! The event was a vibrant and inspiring celebration of social enterprises and their transformative impact on society.

With more than 70 social enterprises featured and over 800 attendees, including social entrepreneurs, community leaders, aspiring changemakers, and conscious consumers, the festival was a melting pot of ideas, experiences, and potential collaborations.

Check out the 2023 Festival highlights here

A fabulous turn out for our Newcastle Business for Good Lunch at local social enterprise, Godfather Espresso SECNA thanks all of attendees for joining us and sharing your ‘asks' of and 'offers' to the community. Find out more about each organisation on their website.

Pirate Coffee - A: Direct introduction to cafes/restaurants and corporates looking for Coffee and Coffee + Wellbeing Workshops I O: Business, technology and innovation insights and support

Purple Card Project - A: Come along and support the Pop-Up Op Shop at 2/145 Nelson Street, Wallsend I O: Happy to connect you with my networks

EcoCrews - A: We work with all levels of government as well as commercial organisations on environmental, infrastructure and civil construction projects. We specialise in providing high-quality end to end environmental and landscaping services for a range of projects. Please get in touch with any organisations who are interested in our services and create jobs I O: Happy to connect you with my networks

Renewy Living - A: People to join podcast on eco-living/sustainability I O: Provide a brief talk on anything that's concerning at your company from a social or environmental perspective

Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation - A: Grant round opens 19th March. If you know of a social enterprise in the region with DGR 1 status, please share the application with them.

The Data Conversation - A: Looking for data analysts / anyone with any experience with statistics experience to join a project focussed on developing a path for individuals from under-represented communities to join the data-development workforce.

Beyond Bank - A: If you know of a community organisation seeking a fee free banking and looking for a financial institution, come have a chat I O: Beyond Bank free 30' program 'scam busters' for organisations in the region. Get in touch if you're interested in finding out more.

Barbara Cooley - Don't forget to tap into the skillets and experiences across different age groups, particularly over 55s

Kairos Jones - Reach out if you know of anyone seeking mentoring on landscape design