When Women Lead, Sharing Power and Collaborative Fundraising are just some of the topics covered in this year’s Social Enterprise Summit for Northern Australia: The Beating Heart of Social Enterprise. The event is being held online November 12, 2021 and tickets are on sale now.

Brought to you by Impact North, Queensland Social Enterprise Council and Social Enterprise Network for the Tropics, this event invites social entrepreneurs, government, philanthropists and individuals keen to support social enterprise from across the country to learn from First Nations leaders, who have been practicing this approach to business and community for thousands of years.

The findings from the Social Enterprise Unconference held earlier this year indicate the needs of the sector: to ‘decolonise social enterprise’ and ‘develop a plan for systems innovation masterclass-level content’. SESNA 2021 meets this need.

“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have been running social enterprises forever. SESNA 2021 will provide us with an opportunity to really showcase what’s possible outside the mainstream understanding of social enterprise” says Liandra Gaykamangu, Yolngu woman and Creative Director/Founder of Liandra Swim.

Bianca Stawiarski, Badimaya woman and Founder and Managing Director of Warida Wholistic Wellness agrees. “Blackfellas have operated like this forever but we haven’t banded behind a label. Knowing that there is this growing movement, it’s going to be important that Aboriginal people understand that what they’re doing is social enterprise and can be aligned with that.”

“If we’re talking about changing the economy for the better, then we need to take the time to learn from each other’s experiences. The national social enterprise movement has a lot to gain from listening to the perspectives of First Nations leaders in the North. When people think of social enterprise, they might think of the big names like Who Gives a Crap and Thank You. Here, we’re showing you that businesses are creating enormous change within the remote communities that they come from.” says Alexie Seller, Summit Convenor, Impact North Convenor and co-CEO of Enterprise Learning Projects.

Participants can expect an interactive platform led by Digital Storytellers at SESNA 2021. The spatial.chat platform will allow participants to feel like they’re at a real event. You can move around between rooms, tap people you know on the shoulder, and even have actual 1:1 conversations with the person ‘sitting’ next to you. More information is available here.

About Impact North

A community for Northern Australian innovators who are creating social, environmental and cultural impact through their businesses.