Welcome

As the official co-host, White Box Enterprises is extremely proud to welcome you to Meeanjin Brisbane, Australia, for the 15th Social Enterprise World Forum. SEWF22 marks a flagship moment for the social enterprise sector, in Australia and around the world.

As the history of these events has shown, the connections we form, discussions we have and actions we commit to during the forum have the power to be transformative for our sector, shoring up our role in solving some of our world’s most complex social problems. The galvanising effect it’s already had on our national sector has been remarkable.

Since the idea to bring SEWF to Australia was sparked in 2018 by Impact Boom’s Tom Allen and Yunus Centre’s Alex Hannant (who brought SEWF17 to New Zealand), and as the idea was shepherded to reality by English Family Foundation’s Belinda Morrisey and the Queensland Social Enterprise Council, our sector ecosystem has united like never before.

We have a new national peak body, Social Enterprise Australia; work is well underway on a national strategy; collaboration has strengthened between our state networks; our governments are coming to the table; and new dialogues have opened up with corporates and philanthropic foundations. This cohesion comes as more people than ever are flocking to the values at the heart of our sector.

The devastating toll of the pandemic and growing urgency to address the climate crisis has caused many to think deeply about the fragility of communities and the planet. As they do so they’re searching out pioneering businesses, like ours, that act as a force for positive change. They’re directing their support to businesses, like ours, that value people above capital, provide essential services and contribute to a fairer, green and digital transition; businesses, like ours, that create jobs with impact, that engage youth and coalesce to fix social problems. The resulting momentum across the social enterprise sector is palpable. We’re certainly feeling it at White Box Enterprises, as the strong demand for each social enterprise or jobs hub we build paves the way for the next. Despite this mounting energy, the critical role social enterprises can play in building a more inclusive global economy remains vastly under-leveraged. Barriers continue to hold back many in our sector from reaching their potential. SEWF22 provides us with an opportunity to chip away at those barriers, to continue the work to help accelerate the sector’s role in creating a new global impact economy. I’m thankful to the global SEWF team for helping us build such a strong program. I’m also thankful to all participants for the role you’re playing in our sector, at a time when our planet and communities need us more than ever.

I look forward to dreaming, innovating and collaborating with you on new ways to cement our sector’s fundamental place in the economy, and drive home the value of creating a world where all business are social.

This is the time for our sector to shine.

Luke Terry CEO and Co-founder, White Box Enterprises