Helping others help themselves in an ethical way

Jun 15 2009 by Andrew Mernin, The Journal

As we hurtle through uncertain economic times, a new world order is taking shape, where social enterprise is king and co-operation is key. Andrew Mernin meets a man who aims to change the world by helping others help themselves

WHILE the commercial banks flounder, the co-operatives will flourish and the world will be a better place for everyone.

That is according to social enterprise stalwart Dr Guy Turnbull who believes there has never been a better time for ethical businesses to come to the fore.

In over 20 years of leading the social enterprise movement in the North East and beyond, Dr Turnbull has watched the sector grow at a rate of knots as policy makers gradually come round to his way of thinking.

And now, with high street banks still reeling from the global credit crisis, consumers are beating a path for ethicals and co-operatives while community and social businesses prosper despite the recession.

“There’s no shortage of funding at the moment,” says Turnbull. “It’s really interesting because, the Co-operative Bank, community finance firms and ethical mutual enterprises didn’t make the same mistakes as the commercial banking sector.

“I really think there is a real opportunity for the whole co-operative and mutual movement to make a significant contribution to how we organise our work and our economy.”

And his argument that this is the optimum time for the ethical and social sector to rise up and show the world it really means big business, goes beyond the current financial climate.

“There’s more public appetite for ethical things – look at the growth of ethically-sourced food and the fair trade movement.

“The recession has been at the end of a global move against some of the excesses of globalisation and co-operatives have a really powerful message which is finally being heard.”

His induction into the social economy came in the late 80s as a PhD geography student researching the troubled Meadow Well estate in North Tyneside. As he analysed the impact of government policy on the local community, he realised that a life teaching geography to middle class kids was not for him.

“You can’t go on to an estate like that with a pack-a-mac and a clipboard and ask people why they don’t want to work. I just got blown away by the whole idea of co-op development and what became social enterprise and the impact it can have on changing people’s lives.

“I don’t think there was trigger, I’m not religious and it wasn’t a road to Damascus moment, I just always wanted to be involved in something that helped other people and I think my career since then has been a series of accidents.”