Spotlight on - Social Enterprise Academy
Who are we speaking to today?
We are a small but perfectly formed team of three: Matt Nicol (Programme Lead), Maya Wenzel (Education Manager) and Will Crossley (Programme Co-ordinator). Together, we run the Social Enterprise Schools programme in England (which is part of the Social Enterprise Academy, our parent organisation).
In one sentence can you describe what Social Enterprise Academy (SEA) do?
We are inspiring the next generation of social entrepreneurs. Specifically, the Social Enterprise Schools programme works with school children, giving them the real-life experience of becoming a social entrepreneur.
How did SEA begin?
The Social Enterprise Schools programme was founded 12 years ago in Scotland. We recently expanded into England, running a small pilot pre-Covid before establishing a permanent team here in 2022.
What has been your biggest achievement in creating a positive impact so far? On a team and or individual level?
Since its inception, the programme has worked with over 50,000 young people. In Scotland, the devolved government has set us the goal of creating a social enterprise in every school in Scotland – so far, we have worked with roughly 65% of Secondary Schools and 35% of Primary Schools there.
In England, we are working with 40 schools in our first year and hope to double this in 2023-2024, working across multiple regions of the country.
What’s been your favourite school Social Enterprise so far?
St Albert’s School in Glasgow have created a range of storybooks with diverse heroes, to tackle the lack of representation in children’s literature. You can see a BBC news feature on their social enterprise.
How can people & the community support Social Enterprise Academy?
If you have any contacts in the education space in London or further afield then let us know! Likewise, we are reliant on corporate sponsors to keep our programme fully funded for schools. If you have any connections who may be of interest, then please let us know.
Do you have any opportunities available now?
Not currently, but we hope to further the expand the team in the next year.
How can people get in touch with you?
Drop one of us an email: MattN@socialenterprise.academy, Maya@socialenterprise.academy, William@socialenterprise.academy
