What we can learn from Scotland to boost business impact in Argentina
- Jessica Oyarbide
- Aug 15, 2024
- 3 min read
When thinking about Scotland from Argentina, images of medieval castles and towns, cliffs, and people playing bagpipes are probably the most common, but the enormous development of this country in the United Kingdom regarding Social and Impact Enterprises is unknown.
Scotland has emerged as a leader in the development of impact ecosystems, actively promoting social enterprises and becoming a global benchmark in this field. The country's strategy for fostering these ecosystems focuses on government support, inclusive policy development, and collaboration with non-governmental and community organizations. This approach has created an enabling environment for social enterprises to thrive and contribute significantly to social and economic well-being.
Social Enterprises are companies that are created to solve or mitigate social and/or environmental problems through business models. As mentioned above, for these types of businesses to thrive, they require an Impact Ecosystem to accompany and support them.
Scotland is very clear on this. It has developed a 10-year plan that includes accessible financing, business training and development, and a strong community support network. Social Enterprise Scotland plays a crucial role in this strategy, offering resources and advice to emerging and established social enterprises. Furthermore, the Scottish government has established a legal and regulatory framework that facilitates the creation and operation of these enterprises, ensuring their sustainability and their ability to generate impact.
Social Bite: More than just good coffee, coffee that does good
Social Bite is a leading Scottish social enterprise that has earned international recognition for its innovative approach to addressing poverty and homelessness. Founded in 2012, Social Bite not only provides employment to homeless people but has also launched initiatives such as Village, a project that provides transitional housing to homeless people. Through its cafes and events, Social Bite raises awareness about homelessness and generates income to fund its support programs. It also allows its customers to drop off paid coffees and meals, which homeless people can access when needed.
Invisible Cities: Discover the streets through the eyes of those who lived there
This organization was also motivated by the desire to help people who are homeless escape from their situation and train them to become tour guides, offering unique tours of cities like Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Manchester. The tours not only provide employment and skills for the guides, but also offer tourists a different and enriching perspective on the cities. Invisible Cities demonstrates how tourism can be a powerful tool for social inclusion and economic empowerment.
Boosting Impact Ecosystems between Latin America, the United Kingdom, and India
The Scottish model offers valuable lessons for Argentina, where the development of impact ecosystems is in its infancy. EKHOS is dedicated to researching the development of Impact Ecosystems in different regions and creating opportunities to empower Impact Businesses and Ecosystems. To this end, it is organizing GIBEF (Global Impact Business Ecosystem Forum), a global forum for impact ecosystems and businesses, which promotes collaboration among different stakeholders in the impact ecosystem to create a favorable environment for impact entrepreneurship. The forum will take place in February 2025 in New Delhi, India.
The Scottish experience demonstrates that with the right support, Social and Impact Enterprises can play a crucial role in addressing social and economic problems. Argentina can greatly benefit from adopting similar strategies, tailored to its specific context, to strengthen its impact ecosystem and contribute, from different sectors, to solving and mitigating the challenges ahead.
To learn more about the forum, visit https://gibef.com/
If you need advice on connecting with the Impact Ecosystem or boosting your impact business, please write to jessica@ekhos.org
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