WiSE Wednesdays are organised and facilitated by iSE CIC in order to provide regular support, insight and Q&A opportunities for the social enterprise sector during these challenging times. iSE are a leading third sector support organisation providing start-up and development opportunities for social enterprises, community organisations and not-for-profits in Birmingham and beyond.

Kevin Davis will pose the question can levering localism help us to build back better in these unprecedented times and cover the following topics, followed by a Q&A session:

1. The Economy of Together! A vision for place based social enterprise, looking to the Black Country as an example.
2. Influencing the Social Economy in the public/private realm.
3. Can Social Enterprises save the High Street?

Looking ahead to the webinar Kevin Davis said: “Now more than ever it is crucial that we are supporting young people and social enterprises in all aspects of education, enterprise, employment and engagement. In my day job and in my role on the Board of the Black Country LEP my focus is very firmly on social enterprise and economic inclusion and I am delighted to be speaking as part of the iSE webinar series. I hope to encourage social enterprises to recognize their role in our economic recovery as we move forward through this extraordinary time.”

Sallie Ryan, of iSE CIC said: “In these challenging times, iSE understands that social entrepreneurs and social enterprise leaders have a number of concerns as they look to survive, stabilise and sustain their enterprises. Future planning is a key element as we look forward to what the ‘new norm’ might be for each of us and how we can develop new delivery models, services and markets.

“To do this, we need to understand the here and now and know how to best use our knowledge, assets and resources, experts like Kevin can help us understand the opportunities and the ways in which we can support local economic recovery.”

Kevin Davis is CEO of the Vine Trust Group – a group of social enterprises focused on education, employment and the re-engagement of young people. He also serves on the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership, with a focus on social enterprise and economic inclusion.