Community-Owned Enterprises

What is it?

A community development trust is a community-owned and led organisation, working to combine community-led action with an enterprising approach to address and tackle local needs and issues. The aim of a community development trust is to create social, economic and environmental renewal in a defined geographical area, creating wealth within that area and keeping it there. Development trusts can be incorporated as a company limited by guarantee and is governed as a charity.

Why do it?

• The community and non-profit sector has been regarded as the ‘cost centre’ of Singapore Incorporated--markets make the money; the state redistributes it or philanthropic organisations donates it to the third sector to be spent.

• However, community can be a site of serious economic activity. E.g. placed-based community development trusts--e.g. a local community can own a wind farm, and proceeds from that go to meet local needs.
• When economic activity is subservient to local community needs, it only ever grows to an appropriate size--never too large so that it starts to exploit people or the planet. E.g. When a community development trust has created something that meets their needs, they do not go around the country scaling their business (set up wind farms across the country), they move on to see what else they need locally, perhaps a library, a pub or a social service.
• Therefore, it seems interesting to consider leveraging on this to pursue our various interests in social justice, economic inclusion or poverty alleviation. Working to alleviate poverty not at individual level, but at a community level. It is also something that we can already do--instead of advocating to policymakers to do something at a higher level. I suspect that this terminology might sit well with local policymakers/funders when we are ready to seek more support for it.

See IPS Scotland Study Trip Report that includes many Community Development Trusts and see Overview here.

How might we do it?

• Explore with fellow residents whether you are keen to consider setting up a community development trust or an enterprise owned and led by local residnets who live in the neighbourhood.
• Determine what the purpose of the enterprise will be--run a local centre for community activities, a retail shop that meets needs of local community, a business that hires local residents who might need a job or require fleixble work arrangements etc.
• Roving Labs will put you in touch with business mentors (if they are business owners from your locality, that would be even better) and supportive Social Service Agencies who will guide you along the way.