We currently provide support to our Shackleton Leaders in the form of an annual Leaders Forum, as well as ad-hoc 1:1 support from Trustees. After discussions with around one third of our existing Leaders and constructive contribution from the other Trustees, we are launching an enhanced support programme for Shackleton Leaders involving the following elements:
Leaders Forum
We will continue to hold the annual Leaders Forum for all Leaders in our network. Each Forum will comprise a specialist speaker discussing a topic relevant to early-stage social enterprises, and then the session will open up for Q&A and networking. In the past, these have included subjects such as Crowdsourcing, ED&I, and Scaling, and have proven to be productive in encouraging debate, sharing experiences and learning, best practice, and providing an overall sense of belonging to the Shackleton community.
Knowledge Hub
We aim to build an online platform solely for Shackleton Leaders, used to signpost helpful online resources. These resources can be posted by Shackleton staff, Trustees and Leaders, but will also include an FAQs section developed by the most common questions posed by, and answered by, Leaders.
Mentorship Programme
This is a new initiative where each new Shackleton Leader will be mentored 1:1 by an existing Leader for their first two years. Our grants are awarded to those in their early years of establishing their social initiatives so having a connection with someone who has travelled a similar path will provide unique guidance, insight and counsel.
Leaders Information and Advice Surgeries
We will also introduce three online surgeries per year, where a panel comprising both Shackleton Trustees and Leaders, will be on hand to answer ad-hoc questions from other Leaders around all aspects of social enterprise. These will further extend the sharing of challenges and solutions.