In fields as diverse as community land ownership, social care, social housing provision, cultural services and environmental projects, social innovation is driving place-based rural development. In the context of the SIMRA research project, the James Hutton Institute is researching how social innovation arises, what drives its success and how it can address challenges in marginal rural areas. Come, discuss and network with a community of practitioners working on social innovation.
Programme
9:30 Welcome tea and coffee
10:00 Introduction by Graeme Beale, Scottish Government
10:15 Introduction to the activities of the day
10:30 Action to support community capacity for social innovation in rural Scotland, Rodger Goodyear (Portsoy Community Enterprise) and Bill Slee (Rural Development Company)
10:50 Social Innovation in Forestry: Scottish experiences with communities and small businesses, Tom Cooper (Glengarry Community Woodlands) and Bianca Ambrose-Oji (Forestry Commission)
11:10 Social Innovation and Community Energy in Scotland, Garth Entwistle (Udny Community Trust Co Ltd) and Richard Hewitt (James Hutton Institute)
11:45 Tea and coffee
12:00 Focus groups organised around three activities:
Table 1: Enablers and barriers for community-driven innovations
Table 2: Facilitating community projects: actors, linkages and scales
Table 3: How can we help you? Research priorities for social innovation in rural areas
12:45 Lunch
13:45 Focus groups continue (tea and coffee)
15:45 Concluding remarks and farewell
16:00 End of the day
To attend, please register for this workshop by emailing simra@hutton.ac.uk by the 25th of May.