The Black Social Entrepreneurs Peer Leadership Programme
The Black Social Entrepreneurs Peer Leadership Programme is a free support programme run by the School for Social Entrepreneurs for Black Social Entrepreneurs based in England.
The Programme will encourage you to review and refocus, to improve your leadership skills and learn from and with your peers in the sector.
It will take place from the end of November 2023 to the end of April 2024.
You will learn as part of a small group of six Social Entrepreneurs, so you can learn from and support each other. Delivery will take place both online and in person.
The programme will include:
- 2 in-person Learning Days focusing on the development of Leadership Skills
- 4 x online Virtual Action Learning Sets (learn more about the value of Action Learning)
- A personal PwC mentor who will support you through the programme
- Access to PwC business masterclasses online
- £1000 grant to support your attendance on the course payable in two parts at the beginning and of the programme.
What about the impact on my project/organisation?
By equipping you to be a better leader, you will be more able to develop:
- Resilience: respond to challenges facing your project/organisation.
- Sustainability: embed change, build sustainability, and achieve impact.
- Impact: develop a strong sense of purpose, and achieve social/cultural impact.
Can I apply?
To be eligible for this programme, the majority of your beneficiaries must be from Black communities in England.
You should also be able to answer “YES” to the following questions:
- You are a fellow of SSE (i.e you are a graduate of a previous long-duration SSE programme) or a PwC Club Member
- You are, or identify as, a Black Social Entrepreneur
- Your project has a social or environmental purpose
- You are over 16 years
- You are resident in England
- You have the right to work in the UK
- You have a DBS if you are working with children or vulnerable adults as an individual, and if you are part of a larger organisation, your organisation has a safeguarding policy (we will ask for copies).
Please do NOT apply if…
- You have, or plan to develop, a purely commercial business.
- Your social enterprise’s main beneficiaries live outside the UK.
If you’re unsure whether you’re eligible, contact [email protected] .
Applications are now closed
| The Black Social Entrepreneurs Peer Leadership Programme is facilitated by Michelle Thompson, an award-winning trainer and facilitator who participated in our first national programme for Black Leaders. We are grateful to have her bring her expertise on leadership and enterprise in Black Social Entrepreneurship across England to this programme. |
Need more information?
There is detailed information on the programme and steps on how to apply in our guidance notes. If you still need advice on your application, contact us on [email protected]
Does this include Asian or other ethnic minorities?
This programme is specifically aimed at Black Social Entrepreneurs and persons who identify as ‘Black.’ See here for more information on other programmes you may be eligible for.
What about safeguarding?
If you work with children or vulnerable/at-risk adults, you will be required to show that you are following good practice on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults including having an up-to-date safeguarding policy and procedure in place, which includes getting enhanced checks for people who require them. Individual applicants working with children or adults in vulnerable situations will be required to have the appropriate level of DBS Disclosure.
What if I have particular needs which may prevent me from fully taking part?
We want to remove all barriers to anyone being able to participate in the programme.
Please let us know if you are concerned about this. Contact us at [email protected]
Can I apply if I already have been on a School for Social Entrepreneurs programme?
Yes, this programme is specifically open for applications from SSE fellows. If you are unsure if you fit the criteria, please email us at [email protected] and we will contact you to discuss.
Can I apply if I am connected to the School for Social Entrepreneurs or to any of the funders of this programme?
We cannot accept applications from staff or trustees of SSE. If you have a close connection with SSE or PwC, we will decide on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us before making an application.
Can I apply for this programme if I have criminal convictions?
Previous SSE fellows have included people who have criminal convictions, some of whom have used their experience in prisons to make a difference to the lives of ex-offenders.
You do not need to let us know about previous convictions unless they are relevant to your application.
If you have unspent convictions for fraud or any convictions which may affect your ability to run your project, including working with children, young people or adults who are vulnerable, you should let us know, as we may undertake checks during the course of the application assessment.
What about Data Protection?
SSE is committed to protecting your personal information and acting in line with your rights under data protection laws and will treat all data in accordance with our Data Protection Policy.
SSE will collect and use personal information provided by you in the application form or separately, or which we otherwise lawfully obtain about you. We may use this information for processing your application and managing the selection process for the programme and conducting due diligence on you and your organisation as part of that process. This includes contacting you about the workshop or programme which you are applying for by phone or email.
If your application is successful, we may also use your information for managing your participation in the programme, monitoring your progress and the impact of the programme, sharing and promoting your story and the story of your organisation and other lawful reasons.
We may share your information with our funders and partners, including external evaluators for monitoring and reporting purposes. They will also only use your information for the reasons outlined above. Further details, including how we share your information and your rights relating to our use of your information, can be found under our Data Protection Notice, a copy of which is available here: https://www.the-sse.org/your-data.