The Melting Pot E-bulletin November 2008
Key Concept: Hindsight is a marvelous thing!
One year in – and what a celebration! Thank you one and all for making it such a great day – three great events.
Knowing what to ask about seems the hallmark of time passing. Did we concentrate on the right things? We did what we did to get thus far, but I know now which questions I would have asked - with hindsight:
Q. Have you added in enough for contingency - money and time taken?
A. What you can get your hands on, but keep it lean - and plus 1/3.
Q. Who is going to staff it, and what skills will they need, and bring?
Q. Recycled furniture costs time and, therefore, money. What do you really need?
Q. What's your quickest route to market, to paying punters? How long will it take to make the sales exchange? Can you do sales?
Q. Who are you 'getting into bed with' - how well will they deliver?
Q. Where are your points of leverage?
Q. What do you need to keep you really alive throughout the process? How will you keep that going too? What supports you? Nurtures you? Feeds and houses you?
Q. Who can you trust? Who do you respect?
Q. How will you know when it'll all be 'alright'?
Q. When are you going on holiday? Start dreaming!
Q. What's holding you back? How can you go forwards?
Q. What's your next move?
News from The Melting Pot
Over Half a Million in Innovative Social Capital Celebrated at The Melting Pot
Fundamental to the successful completion of The Melting Pot’s first year of trading is the 2,600 hours of professional expertise, valued conservatively at half a million pounds, volunteered in support of turning an idea into a vibrant and successful operation in just three years.
The Melting Pot is more than just an office, more than just a venue and for more than profit, working actively to build community and develop ‘Social Capital’ - enabling relationships between people who have diverse skills, experience and interests, to catalyse and support social innovation in Scotland and beyond.
Exhibiting typical ambition and vision TMP pulled off three events as one in their fantastic space on 12th November, celebrating all of their Social Capital; their Members, their Stakeholders and their wider community. The greatest reward for the TMP Team involved was summed up by Claire Carpenter, Founder and Managing Director “It was fantastic, seeing numerous examples of bonding, bridging and linking happening right before our very eyes, and underneath our very own roof.”
In the first part of the day, some 20 members joined together in a workshop reflecting on the previous 12 months and the positive effect that membership of TMP had had on their achievements. This was followed up by a more formal discussion with stakeholders, including the Scottish Government, who all unanimously offered their support in building this extraordinary community at The Melting Pot.
The evening event was less formal with a mix of Members, the curious and wider supporters light-heartedly creating a “Gourmet Recipe” for Social Innovation:
Starter: Inspiration and a Plan
Main: Customer Focus and Human Resources
Side Dishes: Great working Relationships and Fun
Dirty Dishes: Expect the unexpected and Prepare for crisis management
Magic: Right time, right place and Vision
Social Capital At Work in The Melting Pot
Introducing Social Capital at The Melting Pot
Several TMP members and staff took part in Assist Social Capital's introductory training day, 'Introducing Social Capital', at The Melting Pot in October.
They took part with others leading community development initiatives, all people getting their heads around social capital as a resource for their work, and for the communities they support.
Colin Campbell, of Assist Social Capital, told us:
"We chose The Melting Pot to carry out this introductory training because of the strong link between TMP and the idea of social capital. The blend between Assist as the external agency, and TMP as a living example, let people really use the knowledge in the room.
"The day was really enhanced by being here."
Social Capital in action
We also want to say a big thank-you to the following members, for their voluntary contribution to The Melting Pot recently. The copywriter Rob Mathieson and designer Julie Ellam made great contributions to the re-development of our website. And Tom Kane filmed and produced a video of our members for our one-year celebration.
We're now more flexible with our Out-Of-Hours charges
Over November and December, we are becoming increasingly flexible with our out-of-hours charges. If you would like to discuss potential events, please call Celia on 0131 243 2623 or drop her an email at
bookings (at) themeltingpotedinburgh.org.uk
Fair trade shopping, fashion & wine tasting event
25th November 2008, 6-9pm at The Melting Pot, 5 Rose Street, Edinburgh
FREE event - Featuring fair trade wine talk & tasting, fair trade fashion show, guest speakers and eco-friendly organic and fair trade food, clothes & crafts…
Enjoy tasty fair trade nibbles and wines while shopping in comfort for gifts that give something extra – a unique and individual present for your friends and loved ones and a fair deal for farmers and craftspeople in the developing world…
Featuring Joolz Accessories, Ethics Girls, Muirneag Art & Texture Imports, Green Touch Bamboo Clothing, Friarwood Wines, & The Co-op
For info call 07811 579 386
How about a living tree this Christmas? Deck the hills with scots pine, birch and holly.
With The Melting Pot Member, New Caledonian Woodlands
Many people like the idea of buying a live tree for Christmas, but usually the roots are so severely damaged that they don’t replant successfully and so rarely live for more than a few years. Neither is there space in the average garden or window box for a full size forest tree! Through our ‘Gifts That Grow project, New Caledonian Woodlands can plant a native species tree to replace your Christmas tree this year. We can also plant a tree on your behalf as a Christmas gift for friend or family. This means that you can festoon your fairy lights and baubles over a traditional tree, while also contributing to the growth of native woodlands in Scotland.
A key part of what New Caledonian Woodlands does is to play a role the creation of new native species woodlands and the management of existing native species woodlands in Scotland. We do this through our ‘Gifts That Grow’ project and also through our ‘Caledonian Woodland Project’, which organises tree planting days for members of the public and include a superb lunch. We see these projects as a way to get people involved in new woodlands that are local to them and also to get them thinking and talking about their role in dealing with climate change and other sustainability issues.
Is it time for you to decorate the hills?!
ChangingPace short-listed twice
The Melting Pot member ChangingPace had two recent projects chosen for the short-list of Cycling Scotland’s Innovation Award 2008 in Perth.
Read more about Changing Pace's shortlisted projects.
Jobs and Opportunities
SEA 20:Twenty Leadership Residential
The Social Enterprise Academy have announced that their next 20:Twenty Leadership Residential will take place in January 2009. They are now welcoming applications from current and future leaders from the third sector for places at this fully funded, prestigious event.
Forms and further information are available on their website at: http://www.theacademy-ssea.org/main/programmes_section/Prog_Open_Progrs.php
Scottish Fair Trade Forum Small Grants Scheme
The Scottish Fair Trade Forum is giving away small grants of up to £500 each to not-for-profit groups and organisations who have ideas for projects to promote Fair Trade in their area. The first funding round ends November 14, 2008 and funds will be awarded by December 1, 2008, just in time for activities around the Christmas season. Another funding round will end January 19, 2009, in time for Fairtrade Fortnight, which starts 22 February 2009. For more information, forms and guidance on the SFTF small grant scheme, go to www.sftf.org.uk.
Starter for 6 – Now open for applications
NESTA’s Starter for 6 programme provides enterprise training, support and grant awards of up to £10,000 to innovative business start-ups across Scotland. Now in its 3rd year, applications for the 2009 programme are open to individuals and teams with a strong business idea in the science, technology and/or creative industry sectors.
Apply online and find out more: www.nesta.org.uk/starterfor6
Bank of Scotland Social Entrepreneurs Award
Organisations large and small, social enterprise, charities, voluntary organisations or churches, all are eligible for these two awards:
Up to £5 million of funding or a donation of up to £500,000.
Up to £1 million of funding or a donation of up to £100,000.
Award winners also receive mentoring from a leading UK social entrepreneur, publicity and networking opportunities.
More information: Bank of Scotland Social Entrepreneur Awards
Useful ideas and resources
UK needs ‘Green New Deal’ to tackle ‘triple crunch’ of credit, oil price and climate crises
The global economy is facing a ‘triple crunch’: a combination of a credit-fuelled financial crisis, accelerating climate change and soaring energy prices underpinned by encroaching peak oil. It is increasingly clear that these three overlapping events threaten to develop into a perfect storm, the like of which has not been seen since the Great Depression, with potentially devastating consequences.
“A Green New Deal” can be downloaded here: http://www.neweconomics.org/gen/z_sys_publicationdetail.aspx?pid=258