(AGENPARL) – MANCHESTER lun 05 giugno 2023

This two day socially engaged learning experience presents an opportunity to connect and collaborate with likeminded learners, while hearing directly from speakers who have walked the path of social entrepreneurship, having developed and started up their own organisations which are helping to drive social change, innovation, inclusivity and solidarity.       

Dr. Nicola (Niki) Banks, a trailblazer from SEED, is soon to kickstart her transformative social enterprise, One World Together with the launch event taking place in June. Niki and her team have developed a platform which reimagines the landscape of charitable giving, ensuring that funds reach partner organisations across the globe on a long-term, predictable, and unrestricted basis.       

Following the support of the Aspect Research Commercialisation (ARC) Accelerator and the Masood Entrepreneurship Centre (MEC), Niki’s powerful idea will create global impact; empowering communities worldwide, enabling them to strategize, invest wisely, and overcome the challenges they face.       

‘We couldn’t be more thrilled! We believe that it can only be the giving public that drives genuine change in the sector and we’re proud to have designed an affordable, impactful and engaging way to build the solidarity to achieve this.’       

‘Our strength is not underpinned by high donations but rooted in a broad-base of supporters that stick with us for the long-term. We’ll invite our supporters – our ‘Global Citizens’ – to support our Solidarity Fund with monthly donations from as little as £1.00 a month. We will pool and channel these donations in their entirety to our amazing partner organisations. As we grow, we can scale up our support to our partner organisations and build outwards to new ones.’

But that’s not all! We are also privileged to be joined by Beth Barnes, the inspirational founder of Alternative Football, which is the North West’s first and only fully inclusive football league for female and non-binary transgender people.     

As Beth explains, Alternative Football goes beyond the sport itself—it has become a lifeline for those facing challenges and seeking acceptance;     

“We’ve had a couple of players who’ve said it’s lifesaving.     

“They were struggling with some challenges and difficulties in their life and since joining us they have their own family in their team, they feel welcome and accepted for who they are instead of having to fit into someone else’s idea of what they should be.     

“Alternative Football is all about inclusion, the social aspect of sport, friendliness, turning up and feeling welcome from the get go. We just provide a fun and easy place to play football. No one has to earn their place. It’s about everyone having a nice friendly time together with no aggression, no questions and no barriers.”     

“Alternative Football is all about inclusion, the social aspect of sport, friendliness, turning up and feeling welcome from the get go. We just provide a fun and easy place to play football. No one has to earn their place. It’s about everyone having a nice friendly time together with no aggression, no questions and no barriers.”     

She said: “We want to be nationwide in the next few years and potentially global. It was MEC that first mentioned the idea creating a Community Interest Company (C.I.C.) and I laughed the first time I heard that.     
“I thought it was ludicrous even suggesting that, and I thought everyone would laugh at me for thinking we could take this football league and take it national or worldwide.     

“But MEC encouraged me to think bigger and ever since I’ve been confident about it going nationwide one day – and no one’s laughed at me!     

Inspired by guidance from the Masood Entrepreneurship Centre, Beth now dares to dream big, envisioning a nationwide and even global impact for her exceptional initiative. The triumph of winning first place, and a grant of £10,000 in the 2022 Venture Further Business Start-up Competition (Social Enterprise Category) has only solidified her belief in the league’s immense potential.     

Don’t miss out on your chance to listen and learn from our homegrown changemakers here at the University of Manchester. This event is the perfect place to explore and develop your own ideas, and maybe meet your future collaborators – so book your spot on our waiting list and join us in our mission to support positive social change.

Fonte/Source: https://www.manchester.ac.uk/discover/news/celebrating-the-visionaries-of-change/