The Okanagan Valley has a growing reputation for its entrepreneurial ecosystem. One of the hidden undercurrents is a growing cohort of social entrepreneurs. These people are using non-traditional organization models and business models to help…
Last Friday, Kamloops launched the first edition of their street newspaper "The Big Edition". Joining over 100 cities worldwide, The Big Edition is produced by members of the Kamloops Lived Experience Committee — a group of…
Last week I spent several days in Gibsons BC which is part of a small, rural region called the Sunshine Coast, a 40 minute ferry ride northwest of Vancouver BC. While you expect the small…
The Social Enterprise World Forum is an international event for social entrepreneurs from around the world to come together, connect, build networks, and focus on how we can create a more sustainable future. This year,…
Social entrepreneurship is about using entrepreneurship (customers revenue!) to help solve community, social, or environmental challenges. Just because social entrepreneurs use customers to help fund their models doesn’t mean that grants shouldn’t also help fund…
Small Business Week only happens once a year, spans one week, and covers both timely and timeless topics ranging from social enterprise development to selling your product beyond BC. This year, small business week kicks…
Today, United Way Central and South Okanagan/Similkameen (CSO), in partnership with Interior Savings Credit Union, announced the recipients of the inaugural investments from the Social Enterprise Accelerator Fund. In Penticton, the Okanagan School of the…
The Kamloops Music Collective is committed to building a vibrant and diverse music culture in Kamloops by offering music-based programs to youth in the community. Through their education and programs, the Kamloops Music Collective inspires…
It started with a simple idea of hosting monthly cooking classes at the CMHA, and grew from a side step into a full-on journey. The classes were instantly popular. A farm was donated. The classes…
Development of social enterprise is often decidedly local. Local people respond to local challenges. Kamloops Food Policy Council, Kamloops Music Collective, and the Lived Experience Committee are three good examples. While they each borrow people…
