HUB LANDS IN HELSINKI

Finland is about to get its first Hub - a global community of people from every profession, background and culture working at 'new frontiers' to tackle worlds most pressing social, cultural and environmental challenges.

The Finnish Institute has been running its Social Enterprise Programme for a year. It has included a media campaign to change the current social enterprise legislation in Finland, series of talks, visits and a report about social enterprises amongst small and medium sized Finnish businesses.

Our gut feeling was that the time is ripe for Finland to join an international network of social innovators, so we invited Jonathan Robinson, one of the founding members of the Hub - a famous, international social enterprise - to Helsinki. And we weren't wrong.

The Hub is a network of spaces across four continents and 12 cities that offers tools, contacts and a platform for people that want to solve global problems. It is a cross between a private members club and an office hotel. Hub's attraction is based around the idea that it brings together people from small and medium sized businesses, NGO's, funding organisations and government bodies - the uniting factor is willingness to bring about positive change.

On his visit to Helsinki, Robinson met entrepreneurs, potential funders, members of the Finnish media and people interested in social enterprise. The seed has been planted. And we now look forward to seeing and supporting the development of the Hub Helsinki, as this could give social enterprises the right push in Helsinki and in Finland.

The founders of Hub believe there is no absence of good ideas in the world. The problem is crisis of access, scale, resources and impact.

Interested in joining the Hub community in Helsinki?
E-mail: harrijuntunen@me.com and join the Hub Helsinki in the Facebook.