Support Available

Knowledge and Skills Transfer

The entire Enterprising Solutions Programme is built on the foundation of people supporting people to take enterprising action.

At our heart is the belief that communities can help other communities, and practitioners can support other practitioners. The knowledge and skills about how to set up and run sustainable, successful community enterprises is already out there in our communities across Wales. Our job is to make sure that the learning from this experience is harnessed and shared with new and emerging projects and groups approaching community enterprise for the first time.

Our intention is to create a lasting legacy and support network, which will endure beyond any period of funding.

Enterprising Solutions facilitates networking, and learning and skills transfer between communities in various ways:

• Masterclass Learning Events, such as alternative forms of funding, social media training and running social enterprises in difficult times.
• Best Practice visits, to learn from existing enterprises who can share their stories such as our recent visit to Stroud, which you can read about here.

Mentoring

The majority of support available directly for participating community organisations on the Enterprising Solutions Programme is peer mentoring support.

Peer Mentors – What do we mean?

Our Peer Mentors are practitioners who have a track record and practical experience of setting up and running community enterprises and / or developing assets into sustainable community enterprises. They are people who have started their own community enterprises from scratch, set up new enterprising community groups, and undertaking trading and enterprise activity in a variety of ways. To be part of Enterprising Solutions, they must all be hosted by a third sector organisation.

We have over 50 people on our list of Peer Mentors for Enterprising Solutions, to ensure we have coverage across Wales and that they are local and accessible to the groups we are supporting.

Our Peer Mentors are people who inspire others with their personal commitment and achievements in the field of community enterprise. They are not afraid to talk about what they have learned. This includes lessons from their failures as well as successes.

In addition to the Peer Mentoring support available, some community organisations taking part on Enterprising Solutions may need support from a Specialist Mentor. Specialist Mentors could be professionals in a particular field, who expertise is required by the community enterprise to help it move forward. Specialist Mentors will be brought in as and when required to work with a participating community group. The support is very bespoke, and designed to meet a very particular need. It may be legal, technical or other professional support.

Our Mentors are there to support, but not “do” to or for a community. Above all our Mentors are there to listen to the emerging community enterprise and be a critical friend for them.

We produce a newsletter to share funding, event and sector information.