Member Article

Manchester Active Voices top North West social enterprise

Manchester Active Voices Youth Empowerment Programme named top social enterprise in North West by RBS SE100 Index annual snapshot

Index designed to track growth and impact in the social economy highlights 2014 regional leaders

Manchester Active Voices Youth Empowerment Programme, a Manchester based community development organisation for young people has been recognised as a leading social enterprise in this year’s RBS SE100 annual snapshot of 2014, with an incredible growth percentage of 301%.

The RBS SE100 Index is an online listing of social ventures, ranked and scored according to their growth and social impact. The live market intelligence platform is designed to provide a substantial data resource for investors, commissioners and policymakers as they seek to understand the landscape of the social economy and identify top performers across the UK.

In the annual data snapshot for 2014, registered social enterprises in the North West show an average growth of 31% and a total combined turnover of £751 million. The North West accounts for 9% of the total registered Index users, with 99 social enterprises on the Index in the region.

The Manchester Active Voices Youth Empowerment programme is rooted in a community development approach based on the belief that success and sustainability of any activities promoting young people depends on their local support, local resources and the specific local context of need.

The Board of Directors is formed of youth participants who have succeeded on earlier MAVYEP programmes. With their own experiences in mind, their remit is to develop strategic engagement to provide opportunities for young people on the ground level.

The organisation is also guided by a Youth Advisory group of young people currently accessing our services who aim to raise awareness of emerging issues that impact young people in the North West. The organisation promotes community cohesion, diversity, and awareness. It provides opportunities for young people to engage positively with issues that affect their local communities in a solution focused environment.

MAVYEP Director Angela Lawrence said of its recent growth and success: “We’re thrilled to have come so far since our initial vision of working with young people in an empowering way in 2009. We have seen significant growth with over 250 young people benefitting from our service to date.

“I came across the SE100 index last year and thought it would be helpful in terms of measuring our growth and impact. To learn that we are the top social enterprise in the North West in terms of growth is a both overwhelming and exciting. This is testament to the great work of the young people who work with us and I can looking to the future with enthusiasm and confidence in our ability to make lasting changes to peoples lives.”

Over the past 5 years, the average growth of enterprises across the Index has been 45%. The RBS SE100 Index data set is made up of the 1,1,57 social enterprises with profiles on se100.net, all of which have at least two years worth of financial data, including turnover and profit loss figures.

Eric Munro, Director of Community Banking, RBS said: “ RBS has been supporting businesses set up to solve social problems for many years. The RBS SE100 Index and the annual snapshots in particular allow us to recognise the successes of new ventures, track growth and progress of Index users over the past year, as well as provide a wider view of the social enterprise landscape as a whole. As it enters its 6th year, the RBS SE100 index remains a vital source of information for a growing number of businesses and a key initiative in our commitment to the success of the social enterprise sector.“

The RBS SE100 Index is open to any organisation delivering social, environmental or economic change. It is created by Matter&Co in partnership with the Royal Bank of Scotland and RBS Inspiring Enterprise, with the support of Buzzacott and the SROI Network. For more information visit se100.net

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by RBS SE100 Index .