June newsletter
This month surfaced some honest and necessary conversations about the realities of creating decent, meaningful work: what’s working, where we’re falling short, and the structural shifts still needed. At the same time, we’re seeing more spaces open up for real participation and learning. This includes the peer-led work of learning communities and the chance to come together at SXSW Sydney to share bold ideas, challenge assumptions and amplify voices that often go unheard.
If you're just coming up for air after end-of-financial-year madness, we hope this gives you a moment to pause, reflect, and engage with the opportunities on the horizon. And if you have insights or learnings that could help shape our work, share with our team.
A path to access to decent work for all
The Social Enterprise Jobs Summit was a big moment for jobs-focused social enterprise. We co-hosted the summit with White Box Enterprises with a clear intent: to lift this work, give it focus, and help shift systems by bringing people together.
The summit was real about the challenges. As our CEO Jess Moore said in her opening, those who are struggling and putting their hearts and hard work into doing things differently every day are swimming against the tide, not being able to recoup the costs of the impact they are making for disadvantaged job seekers.
It also created space for new and different approaches to be explored, generated energy and a sense of hope, and connected us to each other and to a shared vision of a future where everyone has access to decent and meaningful work.
To build on this, we have shared a rough cut of themes and ideas from the summit.
Download a slide deck summary.
This is not yet organised into priorities. It will inform the access to decent work arm of the social enterprise sector’s national strategy, being led by Social Enterprise Australia. We’ll come back to you on what’s next, and how you can get involved.
Join us at SXSW Sydney 2025
For the third year running, we’re opening up Sydney’s annual festival of creativity and innovation to hundreds of people who may not otherwise get the chance to attend.
Thanks to our collaboration with SXSW Sydney we can offer free all-access Pro Passes to social enterprises and some of the people they support, making the festival more inclusive and diverse.
SXSW Sydney (13-19 October) is for those who are curious, creative, and always thinking about ‘what’s next’.
There is a program full of global innovators, 1600 events across tech, games, music and screen, a start-up showcase, and many opportunities to network and connect.
Explore SXSW Sydney 2025 here.
Free passes are available for:
People living with disability
Members of First Nations and culturally and racially marginalised communities
Concession card holders in the screen, games, music and arts sectors
Social enterprises
Full-time students, those living in regional and rural NSW, and those travelling from interstate will also be considered for a free pass.
If this sounds like you (or someone you know) now is the time to apply. We’re pulling together our panel of judges so we can start processing applications.
Opportunities to join learning communities
Right now there are opportunities for people working in social enterprise to join learning communities that are building capability and exchanging knowledge on a range of priority topics identified by the sector.
PermaQueer is seeking expressions of interest for a learning community that explores regenerative design including culturally and ecologically responsive practices to make lasting change in the social enterprise sector.
Social Impact Measurement Network Australia (SIMNA) is seeking expressions of interest from social enterprises for a roundtable to learn from each other, develop skills and contribute to growth and innovation of social impact measurement in Australia.
Arise Foundation is bringing together stakeholders supporting survivors of family violence to help build the capability of social enterprise to address barriers to work for this cohort of job seekers.
Sefa Partnerships is engaging rural and remote leaders delivering social impact, and funders, investors and others in a learning community that aims to bridge gaps and increase the flow of funding to rural and remote areas.
BlackCard is engaging First Nations social enterprise leaders to share challenges and insights on strengthening relationships between First Nations peoples/communities and the Australian social enterprise sector.
The WA Social Enterprise Council (WASEC) is welcoming micro social enterprises in Western Australia, particularly those led by or working with marginalised communities and in regional/ remote areas, to workshops covering practical topics including finance, governance, impact measurement and leading from lived experience.
Learning communities are commissioned by Social Enterprise Australia and funded under the Australian Government's Social Enterprise Development Initiative (SEDI), to build capability in the sector to grow social impact.
Explore a summary of learning communities and how to get involved here.
Cheers,
Christina Chun
