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The case study on Inner city Renovation authored by Marty Donkervoort and John Melnyk, published by Ivey Publiahing has been entered into a an international case competition. EFMD,  an international membership organization based in Brussels, Belgium is recognized globally as an accreditation body of quality management education. EFMD has been organizing its yearly case writing competition for the last thirty years.

For Immediate Release                                                                                  October 26, 2015

Internationally-Renowned Social Innovator to Visit Cape Breton

(Sydney, NS) – Cape Breton University (CBU) is pleased to welcome internationally-renowned social innovator, Marty Donkervoort, to Cape Breton later this week. Donkervoort is also author of Inner City Renovation: How a Social Enterprise Changes Lives and Communities. His book chronicles the emergence and impacts of a Winnipeg-based company that does renovations and new construction, of which Donkervoort was general manager. The social enterprise creates good jobs for people who are hard to employ in the inner city, and at the same time revitalizes housing stock.

Dr. Catherine Leviten-Reid, associate professor at CBU in the community economic development program, connected with Donkervoort through her work as a board member of the Affordable Housing Renovation Partnership. She is planning on making the most of his time on the island. He will be visiting with several community groups, including Pathways and New Dawn, and will deliver a lecture at CBU on Thursday. Donkervoort will also lead a workshop on Friday to discuss how Winnipeg’s Inner City Renovation’s success could be applied locally.

Several local organizations are already looking at ways to address community need, particularly around housing and homelessness in CBRM. “Marty’s visit is timely….we have an opportunity to talk about his experience and develop a plan that suits local conditions. I look forward to seeing where this could go, and envision a social enterprise here in CBRM that both addresses employment and problems with our housing stock” says Dr. Leviten-Reid.

Anyone wanting to attend the workshop is asked to email tanya_andrews@cbu.ca or by calling 902-563-1492.

This visit is taking place through partnership with the Shannon School of Business, the Affordable Housing Renovation Partnership, the Tompkins Institute, NSCC-Marconi Campus, and Habitat for Humanity Cape Breton Chapter.

New Dawn is also inviting community members to hear Donkervoort speak at the Ideas Powered by Passion series on Thursday, October 29^th at the New Dawn Centre for Social Innovation. This event is open to all and will include music by local musician Victor Tomiczek.

About Marty Donkervoort

Marty Donkervoort is internationally recognized as a leader in community development. Earlier this year he was named one of the “50 Most Talented Social Innovators” by the World Corporate Social Responsibility Congress.

Marty is also the author of Inner City Renovation: How a Social Enterprise Changes Lives and Communities. The book documents the impacts Inner City Renovation, a much-lauded social enterprise in Winnipeg, has had on its employees and on their community. Marty was previously the general manager and board member for this innovative social enterprise.

Marty’s contributions have been celebrated by the CBC, who named him “A Canadian making a Difference” in 2009 and by a special recognition award in 2010 from Ernst and Young in their Entrepreneur of the Year Competition. He is a leader in community economic development being a past or current director of the Canadian Worker Co -op Federation, the Worker Owner Development Foundation, and the Social Enterprise Council of Canada.

About Cape Breton University

Cape Breton University is one of Canada’s youngest and most ambitious universities with a comprehensive set of liberal arts, science and professional programs and a unique commitment to community, economic development, aboriginal learning and research into many aspects of environment and culture. Currently home to approximately 3500 students, CBU’s vision of higher education allows students to pursue diverse fields of study in programs with national reputations in final year student satisfaction, faculty-student interaction and employability. Cape Breton University delivers an authentic multicultural experience to all who become part of its academic community. Strong community involvement and a spirit of entrepreneurship enhance CBU’s position in post-secondary education.

Contact

Becky Chisholm

Manager, Communications & Media Relations

Cape Breton University

t: (902) 563-1638

c: (902) 574-5884

e: becky_chisholm@cbu.ca

I will be giving a public talk on social enterprise at the Faculty of Law, University of Manitoba Tuesday March 31, 2015.

The University of Winnipeg has posted a story related to my recognition for this international award. The story on the University News Centre can be accessed at
http://news-centre.uwinnipeg.ca/#&panel1-1

I am delighted and honoured to learn that I am being recognized as one of the “50 Most Talented Social Innovators” by the World Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Congress in Mumbai, India on February 18, 2015. The theme of the Congress is “Connecting Minds: Creating the Future”.

The “50 Most Talented Social Innovators,” as awarded by a jury, pays tribute to those who are missionaries and passionate about innovation and who believe that innovation must contribute to social change are recognized. Visiting Mumbai and meeting other activists at the conference will give me a chance to talk about my hands-on work in Winnipeg, and my policy work in Canada – and hopefully raise the profile of Inner City Renovation: How a Social Enterprise Changes Lives and Communities, as well!

http://www.worldcsrcongress.com

http://worldcsrday.com

A number of Universities including Cape Breton University, Canadian Mennonite University, Arcadia University and University of Winnipeg are using “Inner City Renovation: How a Social Enterprise Changes Lives and Communities” as a text in their business schools and or community economic development programs. The book was published in 2013 by Fernwood Publishing and has already sold nearly 2000 copies.

This year’s annual world forum on social enterprise will be held in Seoul, Korea in October.

A promotional video and web banner can be found on the SEWF website – http://www.sewfonline.com/annual-events/seoul-2014/.

The Social Enterprise Council of Canada and Pillar Nonprofit Network are proud to present the 2015 Canadian Conference on Social Enterprise on April 22 – 24, 2015, in London, Ontario. This multi-day conference is an opportunity for practitioners, government, social investors and nonprofit organizations across Canada to come together and learn from leaders and members of the social enterprise community as they share first hand insights and “Tell Our Story.”

Canadian Conference of Social Enterprise Successes
• Fifth conference of Social Enterprise in Canada
• Forecasting over 500 attendees in 2015
• Held in Toronto, Vancouver, Halifax and now London

Social Enterprises are a positive response to complex social issues and driving force for local economic development.

WEC is hosting a national conference in Toronto September 10 and 11. I have agreed to deliver the keynote address highlighting the opportunities and challenges related to starting social enterprises and other CED enterprises.

WEC is a non-profit national organization that supports women’s organizations and women in using CED (social enterprises; Co-operatives; business) to gain economic security for their organizations and themselves.

A video on supported social enterprises is being produced in Winnipeg July 10 -13, 2014. The video is part of a project coordinated by the Social Economy Centre and the Centre for Learning, Social Economy and Work, both at University of Toronto.

The video is the second in a series of videos on social
enterprise for educational purposes. The first can be viewed at

Social Enterprises that will be featured in this video include ImagineAbility, B.U.I.L.D., Inner City Renovation, Aki Energy and Diversity Foods. The video should be available on the web in September 2014.