SSE Community Consultation - Waterloo

Our half-day workshop in Waterloo took place on a blustery fall day at Social Innovation Generation (SiG@Waterloo), in a lovely old bank building in the heart of the city. Representatives from a range of different sectors — the business development community, academia, social entrepreneurs and planners — gathered to discuss the merits or potential improvements for a school of social entrepreneurship (SSE) in the Kitchener-Waterloo region.

After a short presentation on the SSE UK model, we opened the floor for general feedback. Throughout the discussion, several major themes arose which included the cost of admission as a potential barrier, the method of selecting teaching staff and ways to establish the credibility of the school in Ontario. The panelists represented their community’s interests and took part in analyzing the current model and making recommendations specific to their region. 

Overall, the opinions we gathered throughout this process were interesting as they were varied. Some members also expressed that Waterloo, being an engaged community, might not necessarily benefit from a school of social entrepreneurship. Perhaps allowing something similar to arise organically might be preferable?

Moreover, participants identified that there are organizations already in place with the spirit of SSEs driving their development. Ideally, an SSE based in Waterloo should bring together existing resources and talent from organizations such as the Schlegel Centre for Entrepreneurship at Wilfrid Laurier, Capacity Waterloo, SiG@Waterloo, Leadership Waterloo, Small Business Centres or Waterloo Region Social Planning, to name a few.

The group also talked a lot about the importance of curriculum and measuring impact, how high school students might be involved (ie. harnessing the 40 hours of community service), should the hands-on learning component be delivered via service learning? One of the most optimistic visions for the future of SE was voiced by a young social entrepreneur and DiverseCity Fellow who said, “In ten years, ALL entrepreneurs should be social entrepreneurs.” Now that would be something.

With thanks to the individuals at the organizations mentioned above, particularly SiG@Waterloo for letting us use their space.