- Videos & webinars
- Build specific skills
Witness session: Being an authentic leader
SSE Fellow Darren Brady reflects on what it means to be an authentic leader.
SSE Fellow Junior Smart shares his remarkable journey from serving a long prison sentence to becoming a social entrepreneur. While inside, he began supporting others who were struggling with addiction, lack of services, and the challenges of preparing for release. One man’s repeated return to prison made Junior realise how many people were being failed by the system.
Determined to change this, he started offering more structured support — connecting people with help, offering guidance, and helping them imagine a different future. These early experiences became the foundation for what would later grow into SOS Gangs Project, a pioneering initiative supporting people before and after release to break cycles of offending.
Junior’s story is a powerful reminder that leadership can emerge from unexpected places, and that lived experience can drive meaningful, lasting change.
Related resources
- Information & toolkits
- Start or launch something new
How to…start a social enterprise
If you’ve got an idea that could help people or the planet, this guide is for you.
- Videos & webinars
- Start or launch something new
Witness session: Tips for start ups
Simon Boyle shares practical start‑up advice: find a mentor, challenge yourself, build a strong team, communicate your vision, seek support, celebrate small wins, and keep growing.
- Information & toolkits
- Access funding
How to…find funding for a social enterprise
Finding funding can feel complex. This guide brings together trusted places to start: major UK grant providers, grant information and search tools, and social investment options.