Enterprise Development Programme
The Enterprise Development Programme (EDP) was a five-year programme, funded by Access – The Foundation for Social Investment, with the College as the sector partner for the youth strand of the programme, and Social Investment Business as a strategic grant partner.
About the EDP
The EDP provided a broad range of support for charities and social enterprises in England, helping them make a transition to new enterprise models, or grow existing ones, in order to build their organisational resilience by diversifying their income streams.
Through the EDP, the College offered grants and tailored support to charities and social enterprises in the youth sector that wanted to become more enterprising by exploring and growing new models of trading for the benefit of young people and communities. The College convened the cohorts of youth organisations that had applied to participate in the programme, supporting them through a diagnostic and/or scaling up phase, and then providing training, development, and coaching through a programme of online webinars, small group work and individual contact.
Alumni Network
The College is pleased to continue working with the Access Foundation to maintain the valuable activity offered through the Enterprise Development Programme (EDP). We welcome the opportunity to continue to support youth sector participants as they engage in their own enterprise development projects, and to avoid a ‘cliff-edge’ effect at the end of their grant and initial learning programmes. We are proud to continue building support networks and sharing and communicating knowledge both within the EDP partnership and with the wider youth sector.
Activities in the Alumni Network include:
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Continuing to facilitate peer-to-peer learning; procuring and providing specific expertise in response to demand from the cohort of participant organisations. We’re looking at creating a strong EDP network based on trust and shared knowledge and supporting regional connection and networking.
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Continuing to engage organisations in cross-sector learning and development activities, including coaching support, new learning workshops, further learning opportunities on topics related to EDI, and in-person events (governmental and health guidelines allowing).
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Sharing the participating organisations success stories, learning content, and contributing to cross-sector learning and dissemination events. This goes along with painting an accurate picture of the current state of enterprise development in the youth sector, understanding barriers and enablers, and the link between enterprise projects and outcomes for young people.
“For me, having the peer support - having the amazing high-quality input in the programme, and the ongoing conversations, has given me confidence in a completely new realm (enterprise), it’s has given me the confidence to back myself and go for it.” - CEO of Young Somerset, participating organisation
Research
The EDP gathered a unique group of youth organisations, sector partners, and funders. Thanks to this incredible network, the College was able to research the current state of social enterprise in the youth sector in the UK, understand the challenges youth organisations face now (or what allows them to thrive) and determine how enterprise is presently being perceived and used.
We dived deep into the barriers and enablers that allowed youth organisations to undertake enterprise projects and successfully diversify their impact along with increasing their social impact. We were especially interested in looking into the relationship between enterprise and outcomes for young people.
“At Break, we believe every child, no matter their start in life, deserves a bright future. [Our enterprise project] shows young people that they can accomplish whatever they want and that they can contribute to the ideas others are having or build their own business. It makes them feel valued and gives them new experiences.” - Break, participating organisation
You can browse our publications below.
Social Enterprise in the Youth Sector
The Enterprise Development Programme (EDP) is a five-year programme, piloted in 2018 and funded by Access – The Foundation for Social Investment. YMCA George Williams College is the sector partner for the Youth strand of the EDP since 2019.
This briefing explores learning consolidated through the EDP, examining the conditions that shape the youth sector’s engagement with enterprise; the experiences of youth organisations who have engaged in entrepreneurial activities; and the relationship between these activities and impact for young people and communities.
Section One: Enterprise and the Youth Sector
The Enterprise Development Programme (EDP) is a five-year programme funded by Access – The Foundation for Social Investment. YMCA George Williams College has been the sector partner for the Youth strand of the EDP since 2019.
This section focuses on the approaches of those in the youth sector who are interested in the enterprise, along with their motivations and the enablers and barriers they encounter. This is a great read if you are interested in the type of support needed for enterprise development in the youth sector.
Section Two: Impact of Enterprise on Organisations and Young People
This section focuses on the impact engaging with enterprise has on youth organisations and the potential impact on young people who engage with enterprise projects (including socio-emotional learning, employability pathways, and social mobility). This section will be especially relevant to you if you’re interested in the potential impact of enterprise in the youth sector.
Section Three: The Role of Enterprise in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
This section focuses on the potential relationship between enterprise and equity – we have only anecdotal evidence so far but still think this is a topic worth exploring and asking questions about. Here, we will explore how EDP participating organisations felt enterprise could help elevate young people’s voices, support underrepresented and underserved groups, and increase their own knowledge of inclusion.
Section Four: Methodology, EDP Projects, and Theory of Change
This section focuses on the methodology behind our research – this section is for you if you want to learn more about the research, the EDP projects, and our Theory of Change. Here you can learn more about our research approach, the EDP sectors and leads, and explore our theory of change for this programme. You can also read more about each EDP project, YMCA George Williams College, and our cited sources and references.
Blogs and learning
In this blog, we spotlight our Enterprise Development Programme participants Impact Dance, and their journey in creating a dance movement which fosters inclusive environments and opportunities for young people of colour.
From October 2022.
See moreNow in it's Alumni Network phase, Enterprise Development Manager Soizic Hagege shared illuminating insights from social enterpreneurs to EDP grantees, as part of our peer-to-peer learning offer.
August 2022.
See moreFor April's ‘Our Thoughts’, Soizic Hagege reflected on peer-to-peer learning, one of the defining features of the Enterprise Development Programme, as the EDP drew to a close.
From April 2022.
See moreThe College's Jo Hickman-Dunne delves into the latest emerging trends from our research into enterprise activity within the youth sector.
November 2021.
See moreMidway through our research into social enterprise and enterprise development, the College's Dr Jo Hickman-Dunne delved into the latest insights from the research.
August 2021.
See moreFor May's 'Our Thoughts', Enterprise Development Manager Soizic Hagege reflects on her first few weeks at the College and the power of enterprise when embedded into youth organisations.
May 2021.
See more