Forum Wrap-Up and Ed Milibrand

• The 2007 Skoll World Forum was completed by wrap-up speeches by Bill Drayton, and Ed Milibrand, the British Cabinet Minister.

Bill Drayton reinforced what he felt was the changing focus of the social entrepreneur movement: “We used to have a small elite, now we need to get everyone involved in change-making, and figure out ways to think and work together in a way that builds on our individual entrepreneurial spirit...”

Drayton pointed out that governments and the universities are “the last remaining pre-modern institutions” to embrace the entrepreneurship challenge. The social entrepreneurs at this Forum would be an essential part of helping them make this transition.

Ed Milibrand and Bill Drayton addressing the final session of the Skoll Oxford World Forum — photo Hutchinson

• Ed Milibrant heads up Office for the Third Sector which has responsibility for government policy affecting social enterprise. He recognises the challenge that social enterprises bring to both the private and public sectors:

“ They are at the vanguard of change in both. To the private sector, the challenge is to put ethical values at the heart of their business and be a responsible member of the community. To the public sector, the challenge is to deliver public services in a different way, using the skills and expertise of users and frontline workers...” — Ed Milibrand, UK Minister of the Third Sector

Milibrand says that a major focus of his government’s policy is to simply recognise and spread the word that social enterprises do exist. His research showed that only about a quarter of British people know what they are, even though it was estimated that there are over 55,000 businesses in Britain that fit the government’s definition of a social enterprise. In November 2006, the British government launched a major 75-page “Social Enterprise Action Plan” that aims to “open the door to thousands more such enterprises” by:

— fostering a culture of social enterprise, embedding the change that is already underway, especially through inspiring the next generation to start thinking about the social impact of business
— improving business advice, information and support available to social enterprises
— tackling the barriers to access to finance that restrict the growth of social enterprises
— enabling social enterprises to work effectively with government to develop policy in the areas of expertise

• After some closing comments from John Elkington, and from some of the Skoll Award-winning social entrepreneurs ... the 2007 Skoll World Forum was over!

Resources.
— Streaming video of the session “Supporting More Social Innovation” featuring John Elkington, Bill Drayton and Ed Milliband (Real PLayer required) 41 mins
— Office for the Third Sector “Social Enterprise Action Plan” (2006)
— Streaming video of the session “Social Innovation: Where do we go from here” featuring Roger Martin, Roshaneh Zafar, Martin Fisher, Taddy Blecher, and Mindy Lubber (Real PLayer required) 49 mins

“Supporting More Social Innovation”
featuring John Elkington, Bill Drayton and Ed Milliband
(Real Player required) 41 mins


“Social Innovation: Where do we go from here”
featuring Roger Martin, Roshaneh Zafar, Martin Fisher,
Taddy Blecher, and Mindy Lubber
(Real Player required)49 mins