REAP - Economic

One of REAP's main objectives is to to promote and support equitable economic solutions. We aim to do this by carrying out a number of actions.

Facilitating the Moray Social Enterprise Network

This Network aims to to support and develop social enterprises in Moray and raise awareness of the added value that social enterprises bring.

The objectives of the Network are:

· To increase understanding of the work of social enterprises within Moray.

· To see an increase in trading activity and business development amongst social enterprises in Moray.

· To help social enterprises become more sustainable in relation to their triple bottom line – socially, economically and environmentally.

· To build the capacity and confidence of our members as individuals and as social entrepreneurs.

· To foster a culture of mutual support and co-operation amongst social enterprises in Moray.

It does this by

· Operating an effective Network which provides support through meetings, training, information sharing and building new networks with key external stakeholders.

· By delivering a range of generic and bespoke training opportunities for our member enterprises and other external stakeholders.

· Raising the awareness of the role and added value of social enterprises with opinion formers, decision makers and the wider public.

· Representing the interests of social enterprises within Moray through effective lobbying and negotiation.

For more details see the external Moray Social Enterprise Network website.

The Social Enterprise Academy specialise in leadership training for individuals involved in developing and sustaining social enterprises. They have a pool of experienced tutors who deliver innovative learning programmes encompassing all aspects of leadership and development.

Current and recent events include a Social Enterprise Taster Session to introduce the concepts behind the Social Enterprise Training Programme, a complete training programme delivered through REAP.

Providing Capacity Building and Research

We are currently carrying out a training needs analysis with the Moray Social Enterprise Network. This is to ascertain the range of training requirements of the sector. REAP is also carrying out a number of action research projects on the social economy sector. One is looking into current contracting and Service Level Agreements (SLA) between public bodies including local authorities and the social economy sector. Another piece of research is in partnership with UNISON and is looking at employment conditions and organisational health checks with social enterprises.

It is a long term objective to develop a base which will act as a hub for social enterprise organisations within Moray. We would aim to do this by carrying out a feasibility study and, if appropriate, developing a hub facility incorporating meeting space, offices and an administrative support service.