NO DRAGONS! Creating Ethical Enterprises: Small Grants Available

Would you like to create a generation of YOUNG ETHICAL ENTREPRENEURS?

The Lorna Young Foundation has had enough of the Dragon' approach to business and enterprise - and are pleased to announce that they have 4 small grants available to help organisations working with young people (those who are either unemployed or ‘at risk’ of being unemployed.)

Using the LYF's ‘Not Just Us’ (NJU) training toolkit, the charity will help 4 youth-focussed organisations operating in West Yorkshire to support young people to set up their own social enterprise – creating income for their community causes, providing ethical business/employment experience, increasing skills and confidence and improving overall life chances.

The LYF is particularly interested in hearing from organisations who work in the creative sector.

NJU groups can already be an existing group, who have decided that creating an ethical enterprise would be a great idea. Or they can be a brand new group of individuals, recruited/chosen by a youth-focussed organisation.

The NJU Toolkit is made up of 9 modules and based on the co-operative model approach - targeting those who have great ideas and want to work towards overcoming poverty both at home and overseas, as well as improving their own life chances. NJU learning works particularly well with those who do not enjoy engaging in a traditional class or formal educational approach and who lack real-time recent job experience.

Each group learns practically and in an organic way - they can choose which modules they wish to focus on, when and much time they spend on each element. The LYF team can support organisations and their new NJU group to get started. The LYF is linked to many ethical businesses across the North of England and can help to arrange workplace visits, mentoring and exposure to business people who put people and community above profit.

The NJU Toolkit Modules:
(Comprising presentations, videos, quizzes, games, reading materials, workshop based activities etc)
1. Trade Injustice and Poverty
2. Social Enterprise and Co-operative movement
3. Getting Down to Business (deciding on your product/service/business)
4. Managing Events/Sales
5. Running a Business
6. Keeping Ethical Promises
7. Producing and Marketing
8. Leadership Skills

SEEDCORN GRANTS 2022
The LYF now has 4 NJU Seedcorn Grants available to help the new NJU groups that we work with. The small grant will help a group to get started in terms of purchasing important items (such as food/drink/products to try out their first sales experiences with).

NJU is a unique chance for interested organisations to help individuals into employment, to raise money for community causes and to foster the ethical entrepreneurs of tomorrow.

WANT TO BECOME ONE OF OUR FOUR GROUPS?
If so – please send the LYF an email telling us them bit more about your organisation and outlining why you think that the NJU Ethical Enterprise programme would support your service users.

Email Chris Longden at projectmanager@lyf.org.uk for more information - or to let the LYF know if you would like to be considered for this opportunity.

Deadline for consideration - Tues 1 March.

(You can find out more about the LYF and Not Just Us at www.lyf.org.uk )

For more information visit https://www.lyf.org.uk/programmes/not-just-a-trading-company/