Searching for the next big idea

Earlier this month we launched the selection process for the Social Entrepreneurs Ireland 2016 Awards, putting out a call to individuals all over the country to tell us about their big idea to change Ireland. It’s one of our favourite times of the year, as we never know which transformative ideas and new solutions are going to come our way.

I remember when we first met some of our past Awardees. They were bursting with enthusiasm, energy and ambition for their ideas.  Many of them have gone on to become such an established part of Irish society that it's hard to believe they are still very young organisations and ideas. National successes like Men’s Sheds, FoodCloud, Pieta House, GIY Ireland, Soar, Irish Community Rapid Response and CoderDojo were, until very recently, just a vision in the mind of a social entrepreneur. Fortunately, these entrepreneurs had the skills, experience and resilience to turn their vision into reality. Together they have impacted the lives of thousands of people across Ireland. 

Changing Politics
A timely example of this is Women for Election, who were Impact Award Winners in 2011. Niamh and Michelle came to us with a vision for an Ireland with equal representation of men and women in politics. They were dynamic entrepreneurs with a powerful idea. We backed them to make it happen and since then they have worked tirelessly to equip and empower women to succeed in politics. In the recent elections, female representation in the Dáil rose from 15% to 23%. Of those elected, 40% had taken part in Women for Election training programmes.

Following these achievements, they emailed us a reflection on their experience of first applying to Social Entrepreneurs Ireland:

"Thinking back to clicking ‘send’ in 2011 is some memory and I don’t think we’ve ever been as nervous as before the pitch. Since then there are so many memories and our endless mentoring by the team at SEI helped to get us to where we are today. If you hadn’t backed us, who knows where Women for Election would be now." 

Indeed, I vividly remember meeting Niamh and Michelle for the first time. Their idea was very early stage but there was something about their vision, the timing of it, and the entrepreneurs leading it that we just had to support.  

Entrepreneurship as a key driver of social change
This is just one example of how entrepreneurship can play a key role in improving our society. Time and time again we've seen at SEI how social entrepreneurs can create widespread change quickly and efficiently. In many cases the pace of change surprises even us: 

Irish Men's Sheds was founded in 2011 and there are now over 300 Men's Sheds around Ireland, supporting nearly 10,000 men every week to improve their connection to their community and their mental wellbeing. If their development continues, I can see them becoming as ingrained in Irish communities as the GAA. 

Irish Community Rapid Response was founded in 2009. They now have 115 volunteer GPs around the country responding to 100 emergencies every month, helping to save 72 lives a year. Such an inspiring example of community activism and support, almost like the RNLI for the roads of Ireland. 

Pieta House opened their first centre in 2006 and now have nine centres around Ireland. To date they have supported over 20,000 people who were suicidal and self-harming. They recently opened their first centre in New York. I'm always blown away by their Darkness Into Light walk which had 130,000 people take part last year (at 4am!). 

The first Coder Dojo was founded in Cork in 2011. There are now 875 Dojos teaching thousands of young people to code in 63 countries around the world. You could say this is one of Ireland's greatest gifts to the world! 

GIY Ireland was founded in 2009 and there are now 800 community groups around the country growing their own food. They are currently launching Grow HQ, a national food education centre. They are quickly bringing back the Meitheal mentality to Ireland. 

Soar was founded in 2011 and have now worked with over 10,000 young people around Ireland. They deliver early-intervention, preventative wellness programs for young people, where they are given the opportunity to be themselves, to build self-confidence, self belief and emotional awareness. 

FoodCloud was founded in 2013 and already they have re-distributed 855 tonnes of food, the equivalent of 1.9 million meals, to over 300 charities across Ireland and the UK. An idea with huge potential to continue to grow in the years to come. 

The next big idea
These are just a few snapshots of a few of the incredible entrepreneurs and organisations that we have had the pleasure of working with over the past 11 years. We seek out the entrepreneurs that have the most potential to create change in Ireland, provide them with the support and funding that they need to develop their organisations, and work with them for up to two years to help them to scale. 

Now we are searching for the social entrepreneurs with the next big idea to change Ireland. We can't wait to meet them. 

Darren 

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You can spread the word about the Social Entrepreneurs Ireland selection process by sharing this post or directing people to www.socialentrepreneurs.ie 

Pictured above with me is Josh Garvey from Blossom Ireland (Blossom were one of the 2015 Elevator Awardees) and Tommy Breen, CEO of DCC plc who are flagship sponsors of the SEI Awards Ceremony.