In the shadow of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta’s historic Sweet Auburn district, the Georgia Justice Project (GJP) represents the indigent accused. The GJP New Horizon Landscaping (NHL) social enterprise serves as an integral part of GJP’s holistic approach to helping people change and rebuild their lives in—and out—of prison. NHL employs GJP clients, who are eligible for pre-disposition and post-release employment at NHL, and up to 40 clients staff enterprise positions.

Q: What\'s your perspective on the current state of social enterprise? A: Social Enterprise is one tool among several to accomplish a goal. Many social enterprisers don\'t identify themselves as a social entrepreneur or as part of a movement--they\'re part of the arts, health or anti-poverty community. That\'s how they identify themselves and that\'s where the increased interest in social enterprise is coming from. That blend of financial and social is just smart work. Q: How does social entrepreneurship differ in Canada?

Q: What is PEOPLink? A: PEOPLink grew out of a social enterprise that my wife and I started 20 years ago. Pueblo to People was a nonprofit that sold crafts from Latin America, using the cutting edge technology of the time--a mail order catalog, with a peak circulation of 1 million, $3.5million a year in sales, and it was completely self-sustaining from day one. When the Internet was invented, we formed PEOPLink with the idea of working with Fair Trade artisans all over the world, helping them sell their items directly to buyers in the U.S.

Q: How do you decide which types of ventures to launch for HOPE? A: Since I\'ve been on staff we\'ve actually started fewer businesses than in the past. One of the important ways in which I\'ve been valuable to HOPE has been all the businesses we didn\'t start. Learning what not to do is as important as deciding what to pursue. Rigorous market research must be done, with ideas tossed aside as soon as we learn they are not a fit for us.

Located in Eugene, Oregon, Birth To Three is a private non-profit organization that has been providing parenting education and support to families with young children for over a quarter of a century. We bring parents together in groups to: • share parenting experiences, • increase their knowledge of early childhood development, • learn about community resources, • and create support networks with each other.

Located in Eugene, Oregon, Birth To Three is a private non-profit organization that has been providing parenting education and support to families with young children for over a quarter of a century. We bring parents together in groups to: • share parenting experiences, • increase their knowledge of early childhood development, • learn about community resources, • and create support networks with each other.

Q: Can you give me an example of one of your current consulting projects? A: SEG is currently consulting to the City of Redmond (Washington) Department of Planning and Community Development on the development of the Reds Xpress coffee stand. Q: What are the goals for Reds Xpress? A: The goal is to generate a sustainable, reliable source of funding for youth-serving programs and services in Redmond. Funding for many of Redmond’s youth prevention programs has been lost due to funding cuts.

Almost 600 social enterprisers attended the recent 6th Gathering of the Social Enterprise Alliance in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. \"There is a great willingness at SEA Gatherings to share successes and failures,\" said Dick Barnard, a Senior VP at Maryland-based Melwood Horticultural Training Center. Dick was there to share his experiences and to find new ideas to take back to Melwood--a 40 year-old leader in rehabilitation and employment for people with developmental disabilities.

1.Dampen the puffery and exaggeration about social enterprise and nonprofit venturing. Nothing is going to drag us down like hype and hypocrisy. Social Enterprise is very close to losing its meaning in the outside world. Sharpen the meaning of what it is we do and why we do it. 2. Look hard for \"first cousins\"--organizations with whom you can share experiences and projects, like the Community Development Venture Capital Association, social investment funds (itself a slippery term), community loan pools and the New Market tax credits. Create joint ventures.

Tamra Ryan, Executive Director of the Women's Bean Project in Denver, Colorado is convinced that helping chronically unemployed women develop job and life skills gives them the ultimate gifts: self-sufficiency and self-esteem.