Community | SEWF Events

SEWF 2021 programme and speakers announced!

by Mirabelle Morah / August 2021

Our flagship annual forum is the event for the global social enterprise community. Join SEWF 2021 (28-29 September) to connect with thousands of leading social entrepreneurs, access world-class content and be part of the world’s largest social enterprise conversation.

This year we travel – albeit virtually – to Nova Scotia, where we have partnered with Common Good Solutions as 2021 Co-host to shine a spotlight on Canada, while also addressing priorities and issues for social enterprises around the world. Priority themes and topics include climate and circular economy, youth, rural, Indigenous-led social enterprise, gender, social procurement, COVID-19 and economic recovery.

Designed by and for social enterprises, SEWF 2021 will champion the potential of social enterprises – small and large, rural and urban – to bring about inclusive and sustainable economic development. 

Past participant testimonial

“I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the digital format. The sessions felt more intimate and connected than seeing speakers up on stage. There were lots of opportunities to connect with speakers and with other participants. The speaker selection was fantastic.” – Participant, SEWF Digital 2020, Sri Lanka

Key event info

Date28-29 September 2021 (into 30 September depending on time zone)
Time12:00-00:30 BST (GMT+1)
LocationSEWF 2021 is being held virtually on Hopin. Community Hubs are also taking place in a range of locations. More info on Community Hub locations coming soon.
RecordingsAll sessions will be recorded and available to ticket holders via the SEWF event platform during the event.
TicketsPrices range from £29-£49 with discounts available for students, start-up social enterprises and social enterprises based in low income, lower middle income and conflict-affected countries. Group discounts are available for bookings of 10 or more.  
Bursaries available

1. COVID-19 hardship bursary (closes 31 August).

2. Bursaries for social enterprises based in low income, lower middle income and conflict-affected countries (closes 31 August).

3. Youth bursaries (closed on 16 July).

LanguagesThe event will be held in English with French interpretation and CC captions available. Other languages to be confirmed soon.
  

Programme

The SEWF 2021 programme has been co-designed with Co-host Common Good Solutions and partners from around the world. The two-day programme features fireside chats, panels and discussions with live Q&A, expert-led masterclasses, partner sessions, online networking, private meeting rooms and a virtual marketplace giving you the opportunity to connect, learn and be inspired.  

Also read:  October opportunities for social entrepreneurs

The programme design builds on feedback and experience from previous SEWF events, our Community Consultation in 2020-2021 and also event best practices from around the world. We are grateful to the SEWF Community for your support and feedback – thank you! 

Check out the programme page for more details of sessions and times (updated design coming soon, which will feature filters to help you find the sessions of most interest to you, as well as a time zone switcher and ‘add to calendar’ option to make sure you don’t miss out). 

more reasons to attend SEWF 2021

Speakers 

We received hundreds of speaker nominations from around the world and will be following up with all nominations over the coming weeks. Thank you to everyone who contributed to this process.  

This year, 90% of our main stage speakers will be first-time speakers at SEWF. As well as highlighting the outstanding work of social enterprises in Canada as part of our 2021 spotlight, we will feature speakers from around the world with over 30% of speakers under 30 years old and over 50% of speakers identifying as female, non-binary or trans. Check out some of our amazing speakers below and visit our speaker page to find out more.

  • Alfred Burgesson, Tribe Network (Canada) 
  • Karla Córdoba Brenes, Cambiatus (Costa Rica)
  • Carolann Harding, SmartICE (Canada) 
  • Celia Hodson, Hey Girls (UK)  
  • Garth Johnson, auticon (Canada) 
  • Aayushi KC, Khaalisisi (Nepal)
  • Manu Sekar, HashHackCode (India) 
  • Councillor Lindell Smith, Halifax City Council (Canada) 
  • Hina West, WWF-Nature Pays (UK)

Over the coming weeks, we will be announcing more speakers and session details. Book your SEWF 2021 ticket today!

Mirabelle Morah is the community and communications manager at SEWF