MEDIA RELEASE
UK refugee entrepreneurs showcase business success and social impact in National Refugee Week
As the UK celebrates National Refugee Week (19-25 June), the Ideas Into Action partnership supporting entrepreneurial refugees will showcase ventures from 13 new social business leaders on Thursday 22 June in London’s Museum of the Home.
Ideas Into Action is a partnership between Result Community Interest Company (CIC), Social Enterprise UK (SEUK) and The Entrepreneurial Refugee Network (TERN) that supports refugees to develop their own social businesses or non-profit organisations.
Participants are assisted with bespoke social business support and fundraising for their new social venture, while benefitting from one-to-one coaching and group workshops that help build the confidence and communication skills needed to run a successful business. With each entrepreneur on the programme having lived experience of the social issue they are addressing, Ideas Into Action is creating a generation of social businesses led by leaders from the communities they serve.
Since launching in 2021, Ideas Into Action has worked with 30 refugee social entrepreneurs – and is due to reach 60 by the end of next year, thanks to a national recruitment campaign. Last year saw ten entrepreneurial refugees graduate from the programme, and this year 13 more founders will present their social ventures to potential investors, supporters and partners at the Ideas Into Action Demo Dayon 22 June.
Yusuf Ciftci, founder of Experts by Experience Employment Initiative who completed the Ideas Into Action programme last year, said: “I've had an absolute boost in my confidence with the crowd-funder campaign I launched with the amazing help of Ideas into Action. Thanks to quality advice and business support, I was able to raise seed funding to kick-start my non-profit, which is now a 60-organisation-wide network working towards improving refugee employment.”
Jane Cordell and Hormoz Ahmadzadeh, Directors at Result CIC, said: “National Refugee Week is the perfect time to celebrate these entrepreneurs who have been refugees, but of course our work does not stop this week and we look forward to supporting even more people with this nationwide specialist programme. They will gain not only greater confidence in their ideas for starting or developing their own organisations, but also practical tools and crowdfunding to get started. The members of each group will be encouraged to support each other and, after finishing the programme, pass on their ideas to the next group. In this way we expect brilliant new organisations to start up plus a stronger community between its leaders.”
Elaine Crehan, Head of Membership at Social Enterprise UK, said: “We’re delighted to be part of this vital programme to support refugees building their own social enterprises. From creating job opportunities to breaking down stigma and prejudice, the social enterprise sector has long been a space where refugees can find a sense of community and belonging. It’s wonderful to see this programme helping refugees to set up social enterprises, using their own ideas and experiences to create thriving businesses that do great things for people and planet. It’s a pleasure to welcome all the participants into our network, where they can grow even stronger together.”
Fred Kastner, Director of Social Innovation at TERN, said: “Ideas into Action is an opportunity for our community members to show how they use their passion, ingenuity and hard work to help communities in the UK and beyond. Their lived experience and deep community connections enable them to create solutions that fulfil the needs of members of society who are often overlooked and unheard. We have thoroughly enjoyed our partnership with Result CIC and SEUK to build a thriving community of Ideas into Action graduates/alumni who can partner up, amplify each other’s missions, and guide the next generation of refugee social entrepreneurs for years to come.”
The Ideas Into Action partnership that brings Result CIC together with SEUK and TERN is made possible by support from The National Lottery Community Fund, which awarded vital funding of £180,000 to the programme in 2021.
John Mothersole, Chair of England Committee at The National Lottery Community Fund, said: “We are delighted to be supporting this scheme, helping to boost skills and employment prospects for refugees so they can lead fulfilled lives while settling into and contributing to life in the UK. It is thanks to National Lottery players that we are able to fund this impactful work that will result in improved opportunities for local economies and communities, enabling them to prosper and thrive.”
Find out more at www.notion.so/tern/Ideas-Into-Action-2023. To attend the showcase event, register at www.ideas-into-action-demo-day-23.eventbrite.co.uk. If you’re interested in becoming a partner or funder on the project, email info@resultcic.com or call 07516 518194.
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Notes to editors
About Ideas Into Action
Ideas into Action is a partnership between Result CIC, The Entrepreneurial Refugee Network (TERN) and Social Enterprise UK (SEUK). The programme supports refugees to create and launch new social products and services for communities in the UK and beyond. Vital funding of £180,000 was awarded to the programme in 2021 by The National Lottery Community Fund. So far, the programme has worked with 23 refugee social entrepreneurs, and is due to reach 60 by the end of next year.
Find out more at www.notion.so/tern/Ideas-Into-Action-2023.
About Result CIC
Salford-based social enterprise Result CIC was set up in 2012 to provide life-changing coaching for underrepresented people and help businesses develop inclusive practices. Directors and founders Jane Cordell and Hormoz Ahmadzadeh use lived experiences of disability, racism, sexuality, mental health and more to reflect the lives of marginalised or excluded communities.
Our vision is a society where every individual can achieve their potential, feel fulfilled and make a valuable contribution. We work with people who feel marginalised or excluded to become more confident about their abilities and to fulfil their potential. We also work with Directors, Managers and CEOs who need support to bring about positive change in terms of diversity and inclusion in their organisations. We each have personal experience of the issues affecting the people we work to support, including disability, immigration, mental health and sexuality. We have also worked in senior positions in industry and government.
Find out more at www.resultcic.com.
About Social Enterprise UK
Social Enterprise UK (SEUK) is the UK membership body for social enterprises. We lead the world’s largest network of businesses with a social or environmental purpose, working together to create a fairer economy and a more sustainable future for everyone.
SEUK exists to be a strong voice for social enterprise, highlighting the impact of purpose-driven businesses and educating decision-makers on how this way of doing business can help tackle the major challenges of our time. A strategic partner to government, SEUK has led public policy for 15 years and helped pass the Social Value Act (2012) – as well as working with private companies and public institutions to bring social enterprises into their supply chains, driving cross-sector collaboration to create an environment where social enterprise can thrive.
Find out more at www.socialenterprise.org.uk.
About TERN
The Entrepreneurial Refugee Network (TERN) C.I.C. is a not-for-profit with a mission to enable refugees to thrive through the power of their own ideas.
TERN supports refugee entrepreneurs in the creation and development of their businesses, providing services throughout the different stages of the entrepreneurial process. The entrepreneurship support provides a platform not just for independence, but also for community building and empowered integration.
Find out more at www.wearetern.org.
About The National Lottery Community Fund
We are the largest funder of community activity in the UK – we support people and communities to prosper and thrive. We’re proud to award money raised by National Lottery players to communities across England,
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and to work closely with Government to distribute vital grants and funding from key Government programmes and initiatives.
Our funding has a positive impact and makes a difference to people’s lives. We support projects focused on things that matter, including economic prosperity, employment, young people, mental health, loneliness and helping the UK reach NET Zero by 2050.
Thanks to the support of National Lottery players, our funding is open to everyone. We’re privileged to be able to work with the smallest of local groups right up to UK-wide charities, enabling people and communities to bring their ambitions to life.
National Lottery players raise over £30 million each week for good causes throughout the UK. Since The National Lottery began in 1994, £43 billion has been raised for good causes. National Lottery funding has been used to support over 635,000 projects - 255 projects per postcode area.
Find out more at www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk.