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Growing Pains: Social Enterprise in Saskatoon’s Core Neighbourhoods

Last Updated on April 15th, 2010
 

Project Title: Growing Pains: Social Enterprise in Saskatoon’s Core Neighbourhoods

Project Number: CL4-04-SK

Term of Project: May 2006 to September 2006

Status: Completed

Academic Researcher:

Student Researcher:

Community Researcher:

Community Partners:

Project Summary:

Over the last decade , unique community economic development (CED) and social enterprise (SE) innovations in Saskatoon’s core neighbourhoods (the Core) have provided some compelling new directions and possibilities for building stronger, more inclusive, and more prosperous communities. There is much to be learned from the renewal of the Core. And there is much to be learned about the social economy: as a mode of production (how development is done: democratically, for common benefit to balance the private market and state); as an alternative or parallel development paradigm (how development should be done); and as an alternative cultural matrix of discourse, alliance, and identity (how we should talk, think, and work together). Although many challenges, obstacles, and disappointments emerged in our dialogue on the community-led redevelopment of the Core, these conversations also tell a story of compelling achievements and of promising opportunities to build on new foundations.

Specific Project-Level Research Objectives:

Mapping of the social economy in an urban setting in Saskatchewan.

Expected Deliverables:

Findings:

Saskatoon’s Core Neighbourhoods Observations

  • Suburbanization and globalization drive decline
  • Widespread poverty, unemployment, and social exclusion
  • Affordable housing issues and transience weaken social ties
  • Social dislocation drives youth drop-outs and conflicts with law
  • Urban in-migration and Aboriginalization create new challenges and opportunities
  • Strong CED and social economy innovation in groups like QUINT
  • Emerging social enterprise opportunities

Saskatoon’s Core Neighbourhoods Findings

  • Resource scarcity and competition hampers organizational stability and capacity
  • Widespread burn-out among staff, volunteers, and board members
  • Need for education on CED and social economy, on culture’s role in community revitalization
  • Need for specialist social enterprise infrastructure and unifying initiatives and vision
  • High degree of trust and cohesion among key actors drives successful social economy innovation

Project Poster: Poster (pdf)

Final Report: Final Report (pdf)

Projected Expenditures: $7,500 (internship)

In-Kind Contributions:

Publicity:

Dissemination Activities:

Additional Notes:

The previous title of this project was: Exploring the Social Economy in Saskatchewan: Saskatoon’s Core Neighbourhoods.