SEWF 2022 set to hold in Brisbane, Australia

The Social Enterprise World Forum (SEWF) and SEWF 2022 Co-host, White Box Enterprises, are pleased to announce that SEWF 2022 will be coming to Australia in September 2022! The event will be hosted in Brisbane as a hybrid event where guests will have the opportunity to participate both digitally and in-person.

As the leading agency for the social enterprise movement, SEWF has collaborated with co-hosts all over the world to host events on every continent of the world since 2008. The events aim to facilitate conversations and promote a greater understanding of the social enterprise sector. And in 2022, the spotlight will be on Australia.

White Box CEO, Luke Terry, mentioned in a media release that “SEWF 2022 will be a catalytic event, providing a focal point for Australia’s emerging social enterprise sector and will also be an opportunity to create a legacy for the sector’s long-term development”. With young people at the centre of their work, White Box Enterprises is a large-scale, jobs-focused social enterprise builder with a mission to transform Australia’s youth employment system using social enterprise as a tool.

In further conversation with Impact Boom, SEWF Event Director, Helen Harvey also noted that SEWF is constantly “working to build, connect and support the social enterprise community throughout the year… SEWF was last in Australia in 2009 in Melbourne, so since then the social enterprise sector in Australia has grown significantly.

“There’s some really exciting and innovative work taking place that we’re looking forward to spotlighting next year during SEWF 2022, when we return to Australia”, Harvey concludes.

With the annual SEWF events needing to move to digital format in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19, the event format for SEWF 2022 in Australia will see a return to in-person convening for SEWF. This will involve a hybrid structure that prioritises networking for those attending in-person and emphasises accessibility for the thousands attending digitally on every continent. Gerry Higgins, SEWF Managing Director and Founder identifies that “moving SEWF in Australia back from 2021 to 2022 will have a positive impact as the social enterprise sector has been central to COVID-19 response efforts worldwide and in 2022 the stories will be richer and convening will be more inclusive”.

White Box CEO, Luke Terry, also referenced in conversation with Impact Boom that “we at White Box are just totally excited and honoured to have the opportunity to be a Co-host”.

The supporting partners for SEWF 2022 include The English Family Foundation, Impact Boom, Griffith Yunus Centre, Tourism Queensland and MinterEllison. Major partners also include Westpac Foundation, SAP and Torrens University Australia. And the Co-host for SEWF 2022 remains White Box Enterprises.

The Social Enterprise World Forum acknowledges the Turrbal and the Yuggera People, the Traditional Custodians of the land on which the forum is held and pays respect to the Custodians of all Country throughout Australia. We recognise a continuing connection to the land and the vital role First Nations’ knowledge will play in shaping our shared future.

Click here to visit the SEWF 2022 event page and register your interest.