Sixty students from the College of the North Atlantic’s business management program are getting a lesson in social enterprise this fall.
The post-secondary institution has partnered with local not-for-profit advisory, lending and training organization Metro Business Opportunities (MBO) to create Business Students for Social Goals.
Over eight weeks, the students from the third-year strategic management course will be introduced to the concept of social enterprise — when a business or organization uses commercial avenues to support their mandate and ultimately foster improvements in a community’s financial, social or environmental health.
Related story:
College of the North Atlantic students turn conversation into viable business venture
MBO social enterprise co-ordinator Benadette Coady is facilitating the program and will assist students as they work with a number of local not-for-profits in analyzing their commercial activities and planning special events that highlight their efforts.
“We hope to raise awareness of social enterprise as a proven revenue model for non-profit organizations,” Coady said in a release promoting the trial program.
“We also hope the students will benefit from first-hand experience in social entrepreneurship, while learning more about the resources available to all entrepreneurs through business development organizations like (MBO.)”
Partaking not-for-profits include the St. John’s Tool Library, SafetyNL, Canadian Hard of Hearing Association, Pawsology, Project Grace, the Autism Society, Empower: the Disability Resource Centre, and the Craft Council of Newfoundland and Labrador.
The project will culminate in a series of public showcase events to raise awareness of Social Enterprise, being throughout St. John’s and Mount Pearl during Canadian small business week, Oct. 14-21.
