REALiSE and Social Enterprise

REALiSE – Birmingham & Solihull’s biggest commitment yet to social enterprise growth

REALiSE is the support programme, improving the capacity and capability of social enterprises, to deliver more front line services. As part of the programme, micro-clusters of social enterprises have been created in five key areas: Employment & Training; Health & Social Care; Environment & Sustainability; Business support; Education, Culture & Sport.

The members of these clusters are working together to improve their local economies, develop inter-trading agreements, develop arrangements that will help them bid more effectively for procurement contracts, and to support and promote social and economic renewal in the community.

Cluster lead

Leading the Education, Culture + Support Cluster is St. Paul’s Community Development Trust, which works with and alongside the people of Balsall Heath in Birmingham and the wider neighbourhood to promote education, recreation and life-long learning.

Cluster members

There are 19 agencies in the cluster, which vary in terms of size, clients and capacity. Between them, the members deliver a wide range of education, sport, cultural recreational and arts services including:

• Youth training
• Playschemes
• Secondary education
• Community events and festivals
• Arts services for children, young people and families
• Community media education
• Social and cultural network for all ages
• Supplementary schools v Youth groups
• Sports events, courses & activities
• Adult classes, courses and training
• Nurseries, creches and playgroups

The cluster members also make a significant contribution in the areas of community safety and security; environmental improvement and waste management; the development of ICT networks; community empowerment; participation and social cohesion.

Users of the members’ services include children; young people, ‘families’, elderly people; mothers and babies; disabled people and people from a wide range of ethnic groups and faiths.

This broad spectrum of services delivered and groups whose needs are catered for, shows the cluster’s collective ability to provide a range of integrated services for local communities in Birmingham and Solihull.

Flagship project

Working together, the members of the cluster aim to establish an Enterprise Initiative Centre, which will house workshops, studios, meeting rooms, and offices for small enterprises. Youth training and youth businesses will be a central aspect. Cluster members are seeking to exemplify enterprise through inclusion of youth as staff as well as clients and by fostering youth-led enterprises.

The Centre will provide the opportunity for cluster members to share services (restaurant; caretaking; cleaning; maintenance; ‘back office’ etc.), as well as common spaces and facilities such as reception; gardens; security; ICT networks; innovative collective marketing and quality branding.