Community Land Outer Hebrides takes to international stage in Brisbane

Finlay MacLennan of Community Land Outer Hebrides (CLOH) has been invited to speak at the Social Enterprise World Forum 2022 in Brisbane, Australia.

A two-day conference studying the global social enterprise movement, the Social Enterprise World Forum (SEWF) will bring together more than 100 speakers on the 28th and 29th of September 2022. Speakers will attend from across the seven continents of the world and with more than 1,500 participants expected to attend the event, this is the largest gathering of its kind in 2022.

With 75% of the population of the Western Isles living on community-owned land, Finlay’s presentation at the event will focus on the ownership, management and stewardship of land in the Outer Hebrides, as well as how his role as Development Manager with CLOH to support members reach their community development aims and facilitate peer support. Finlay’s trip has been funded by the International Social Enterprise Observatory and presents “a great opportunity to broaden the thinking of the organisation”, Finlay said ahead of the event.

“The Social Enterprise World Forum presents a huge opportunity for us at CLOH to share our experiences, learn from others and develop connections with a wider network of organisations with the same social value concept at the heart of their operations”, Finlay said. “I am looking forward to meeting people from a range of social enterprises from across the world, and from these, developing networks of interest where we can continue to share experiences and best practice to support continued development. I’m also looking forward to representing the Outer Hebrides on the international stage.”

Community Land Outer Hebrides, a consortium of community landowners in the Outer Hebrides formally established in late 2020, seeks to build on the strengths of community land ownership in the Outer Hebrides by working together. It presently has 16 members and first employed Finlay as Development Manager in May 2021. Darren Taylor, Chair of Community Land Outer Hebrides and Chief Executive of Stòras Uibhist, spoke of the opportunities the experience presents for both Finlay and CLOHas a whole:

“We are delighted that Finlay has been given the opportunity to speak at the Social Enterprise World Forum, thanks to the bursary from the International Social Enterprise Observatory. It presents not only a fantastic opportunity for Finlay to network and learn from the wide variety of organisations and speakers present at the event, but also represents an excellent opportunity for CLOH, where we can utilise this experience to gain inspiration from other groups and help to build resilience within the community land sector locally.” You can find out more about the event, see other listed speakers and buy a digital ticket by visiting:

sewfonline.com/events/sewf-2022/