Archive for May, 2013
Medikidz
By Figen Gunes What do you do if you are a kid with schizophrenia? The doctors can’t quite explain. Mum finds it difficult. Medikidz will introduce you to a superhero comic. He will explain. Five energetic Medikidz superheroes vow to show children what illnesses all about while making them giggle through comic books. Larger-than-life […]
Artysans Café
By Jenny McBain For teachers and others who work with young people, witnessing some of them slide into long term unemployment and homelessness is a bit like watching a disaster movie in slow motion. There are warning signs long before catastrophe strikes. However, poor outcomes need not be inevitable for anyone, according to Isobel Grigor […]
The Council for Social Responsibility
By Figen Gunes The Council for Social Responsibility (CSR) is a charity run along social enterprise lines in Hampshire. It aims to transform churches by teaching clergy and lay members how to be innovative and enterprising. Also, it teaches how to engage with communities in a more productive and useful way in a bid to […]
Cool School
By Figen Gunes Immediately walking in, the buzz of new ideas inspires the visitor to dream big. Then the writing on the wall near the entrance further boosts your motivation: ‘Everyone has a capacity to be remarkable’. In this place, it really is true. Londoners from diverse backgrounds who want to transform daily life through […]
Patients Know Best
By Figen Gunes “Patients Know Best (PKB) is for anybody with a body,” says its founder and CEO Mohammad Al-Ubaydli. Whether you have a serious condition or occasional illness, even if you are perfectly well, the system is designed for you. PKB is an online health management system to integrate health records under one site […]
Cypriot Village Project
By Figen Gunes Eighty-two-year-old social entrepreneur George Eugeniou is angry: “Our project has been hijacked,” he says. “We will be lobbying ministers to maintain community life through placements of families at the block.” The block in question is a small community of housing units dedicated to elderly Cypriot people. It is part of a project […]
The House of St Barnabas
By Figen Gunes We all know the stereotype of the private members’ club where wealthy bosses dangle empty glasses at their servers, awaiting refills and attention. And celebrities meet up for fluffy chats while enjoying ‘safe zones’ of such venues away from the prying eyes of the public. But, anyone against the idea of […]
Thames Reach
“I was sleeping rough in places like Embankment and Holborn,” recalls 40-year-old Essex-born Graham Shelby. “In Holborn I would sleep in a car park, under a ramp to keep the rain off. I was always looking for shelter. Pillar to post for 10 months or so.” However, from this bleak outlook just a few months […]
Moneyline
Rebecca Taylor used to be one of the millions who struggled every day to pay for some of the ordinary things in life because she couldn’t get credit from mainstream providers. But now she is happy to sing the praises of Moneyline, an extraordinary award-winning social enterprise providing low-cost loans in the high street. “It’s […]
Pathfinder Healthcare
Why a groundbreaking healthcare social enterprise in the West Midlands could hold the key for the future of the NHS “Honestly, I wouldn’t do this job if it wasn’t so inspiring. Everyone that works here is so passionate and the community really appreciates what we do,” says Shazma Bi, a 31-year-old mum of three and […]
