After March’s 90s pop music edition my inbox was overwhelmed by hordes of people (at least five) requesting a follow up noughties edition. If there is one thing that I’ve learned writing this newsletter it’s to give the people what they want, so here you are – a whole list of ’00’s song titles bearing a tentative link to the stories below them. For older readers who might say “oh, I’ve never heard of any of these songs, why can’t you do something from the ’70s”, don’t worry, I can hardly remember most of these songs anyway. In yet another striking blow to any notion I might have of not getting old, the year 2000 was literally half my lifetime ago.
Enjoy this week’s news and have a great weekend – if you happen to be in SE London on Sunday I’m hosting a jumble sale outside my house for Lewisham foodbank. Seriously. The weekends aren’t what they used to be…
Pure Shores, All Saints
All Saints are a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine – I was at their comeback gig in 2016 and then saw them again in Oxford last year. You may scoff, but anyone who denies that Pure Shores is an absolute banger must be tone deaf.
Pure shores are, of course, a good and environmentally sound thing. All Saints are all women. What do you get if you combine the two? The Carolina Nyberg-Steiser Bursary, open to women up to 36 years of age working in the Social Impact Sector. Supported by Greenpeace and the Resource Alliance the programme is in memory of Carolina Nyberg-Steiser who lost her life while working for Greenpeace in the Amazon. Three bursary winners will receive a mentor and flights, accommodation etc to the IFC Time For Action conference in Holland in November.
Human, The Killers
A song that asks the vital question “Are we human, or are we dancer?”. It may seem a silly question, but the questions in the ’00s were a lot better than they are now. No-one asked if you wanted to be in or out of the EU, for starters. It was better.
Hoping to return us to a better world for men and women are Humen, a CIO set up by SSE Fellow River Hawkins. Humen’s primary aim is to improve men’s mental health, which it does through the provision of safe spaces for men to talk on a regular basis. Humen are now looking for two trustees: one from an accounting background who can take responsibility for the annual accounts and one with experience of fundraising.
If you are interested, please contact the Chairman of the Trustees, Stephen Brough, at [email protected] and you can find out all about the organisation on their website.
Ladies of Cambridge, Vampire Weekend
So it’s the wrong Cambridge but what does it matter? Vampire Weekend are singing about Cambridge, Massachusetts, and not Cambridge, England, which is where you’ll find the Judge Business School. (You’ll find Harvard University in Cambridge, MA, fact fans). The Judge Business School are currently accepting applications to their Social Venture Incubator, which offers social entrepreneurs expert business advice, training and networking.
You don’t need to be part of Cambridge University, but you do need to apply by 28th June.
Hot n’ Cold, Katy Perry
Average high temperature in Addis Adaba in October = 23°C. Average low temperature in Addis Adaba in October = 8°C. If you are heading to the Social Enterprise World Forum, make sure to pack a jumper for the evening.
If you’ve not booked your trip yet, Social Enterprise UK and The British Council are offering a bursary of £1000 to shortlisted social enterprises in four categories of this year’s Social Enterprise Awards. I’ve done the research for you: flights come in at about £400 return on Ethiopian Airways and then you can stay at the rather nice looking Sabon hotel for £54 per night. (Their promo photos feature some outstanding pictures of guests in dressing gowns enjoying some orange juice).
Find out more about the bursary here
I Gotta Feeling, Black Eyed Peas
“I gotta feeling that tonight’s gonna be a good night
That tonight’s gonna be a good night
That tonight’s gonna be a good, good night”
And it certainly was for SSE Fellow David Carnaffan, whose organisation YMCA North Tyneside was recently awarded the Improving Impact award for charities with 26+ staff at the Charity Governance Awards. YMCA North Tyneside is a sustainable charity with numerous social enterprises including a training cafe, gym, housing, music and music studio.
Drop It Like It’s Hot, Snoop Dogg (featuring Pharrell)
No need for similes, Clore Social Leadership’s new Backpack is hot. It’s not really a backpack in the conventional sense, however, more a collection of tools and case studies helping to address leadership challenges.
Can We Fix It?, Bob the Builder
Yes we can, say the good people of Bethnal Green Ventures. They are looking for tech for good ventures to invest and support for their Autumn 2019 programme. There’s a whole package of support on offer including an investment of £20,000 (in exchange for 6% equity), learning, mentoring and office space.
Dilemma, Nelly featuring Kelly Rowland
“Don’t think I know that song”, I thought when I was doing the research for this newsletter. So I did a search on Youtube. It’s this one. It felt like that was everywhere for a spell in 2002.
But Nelly and Kelly aren’t the only people with a dilemma (although I’m guessing they may have resolved theirs 17 years after the event). Nope, the third sector has one too: diversity. But our managing director Nicola reckons that social enterprises might hold some of the solutions, in an article that she has penned below (if you have any difficulties accessing it, try copying the link into an incognito window and you should bypass the sign in page).
Hero, Enrique Iglesias
The 18th biggest selling song in the UK in the 00’s. By a strange quirk, next on the list and the 19th biggest selling song is also called Hero, but it’s by the 2008 X-factor contestants and is a cover of a Mariah Carey song. Weird huh?
If you know someone you consider to be a hero, why not nominate them for the Independent’s Happy List, which ‘shines a light on the great Britons whose extraordinary efforts are for no personal gain, and who often go unrecognised outside their own communities’ It’s always an inspiring list (last year’s is here) and it would be great to see some SSE Fellows on it again.
Nominations are open until 16th June
Bye Bye Bye, NSYNC
That’s what you’ll be saying to your current colleagues if you’re to successfully apply for one of the following jobs:
In London, Social Enterprise UK are looking for an enterprise programme coordinator to support Social Enterprise UK’s work to increase and diversify the organisation’s income streams. The role pays £25k and will help to administer and deliver the organisation’s corporate programmes, working with household names including Johnson & Johnson, PwC and SAP, as well as a wide range of B2B social enterprises. Apply by 14th June.
In Oxford, award-winning positive investment retail platform Ethex are recruiting an operations manager. You’ll be responsible for ensuring great customer service to positive investors and, to businesses using the platform to raise finance and build an engaged investor base. The job pays £25k-30k, apply by 19th June.
And in Runcorn, Wellbeing Enterprises have two vacancies: a Community Wellbeing Officer (£19.5k) and a Community Wellbeing Administrator (£17.5k). Wellbeing Enterprises are a CIC which addresses issues of social isolation and loneliness by helping people to connect in their communities, make new friends, volunteer or just reconnect with people they have lost touch with. Both roles close on 12th June.
White Flag, Dido
I’m pretty sure that Dido lives in Islington, she was once queuing behind me in the Sainsbury’s on Liverpool Road and it looked like the sort of big shop that you’d be taking home, rather than picking up a meal deal on the run.
Also in Islington are Islington Giving’s Young Grant Makers, a group of sixteen people aged 16-25 who are now inviting applications for inclusive projects that equip young people for their future, help them overcome barriers to participation and provide them with the opportunity to shine. Grants of up to £25k are available to charities and social enterprises operating in Islington.
There is an information session on Tuesday 25th June and expressions of interest need to be completed.
All the details you need are here
