School for Social Entrepreneurs

The School for Social Entrepreneurs was founded by the British Social Entrepreneur Michael Young, also known as the Lord of Dartington, in 1997. The school opened in the summer of 1997 and welcomed its first cohort of students in early 1998. Since then, over 400 social entrepreneurs between the ages of 18 and 80 have completed the SSE programs. Today the SSE runs nine ACTIVE UK-based programs in Cornwall, Devon, East Midlands, FIFE, Ireland, Liverpool, London, Hampshire, Yorkshire, as well as an international school in Sidney, Australia.

Based on a peer-to-peer learning model that incorporates action learning, mentoring, site visits, tutoring, and reflection, the SSE seeks to aid social entrepreneurs in creating community-engaged, community-shaped organisations.

In addition to its core programs, the SSE is involved in the policy and practitioners world as a strategic partner to the Office of the Third Sector, as well as through several other partner initiatives in the UK like the Shine Unconference and the Social Enterprise Ambassadors program.