Winning Entrepreneur 'Makes A Change'

The Melbourne School for Social Enterprise has named Karen Corr as the Melbourne Social Entrepreneur of the Year for her Make a Change Australia social enterprise.

The School for Social Entrepreneurs (SSE) Australia runs a nine month program that gives social entrepreneurs the personal and business support needed to grow their venture to become more effective.

Since launching three years ago, SSE Australia now boasts a fellowship of over 150 social entrepreneurs across Australia.

Corr moved to the regional Victorian town of Bendigo having worked previously as a corporate consultant and became involved in numerous community sustainability initiatives in the town.

“There is so much potential and interest in our communities from people eager to get involved in local changemaking such as events, campaigns and fundraisers but there is a lack of accessible training and support for these people to assist them to achieve their goals,” Corr said.

“Make a Change provides workshops, programs, project services, networking opportunities and resources for anyone that wants to become fulfilled and effective agents of change.

“When I started at SSE, Make a Change was just an idea and I was struggling with how to put it into action. The action learning process helped me to understand and grow the skills I thought I didn’t have in empowering others and the enthusiasm and support of my peers was critical in getting our first pilot up and running.”

Corr graduated from the SSE program with 19 others who have all been involved with developing social initiatives to address unmet needs in their communities.

Deputy chief executive of SSE Australia Jessie Williams said that the students of the 3rd Melbourne program have benefited from the supportive and non-academic approach of the
School.

“We have seen amazing results from our students to date with many developing the confidence, networks and skills to make their social ventures more effective and sustainable,” Williams said.

“Our students have not only secured funding but also developed strong partnerships and delivered significant social impact in their communities. We are delighted to be welcoming them as fellows of our growing network of social entrepreneurs in Australia.”

SSE Australia was founded by Social Ventures Australia, the SSE UK, and serial social entrepreneur Steve Lawrence AO.

The graduating class of the Melbourne School for Social Enterprise