Gary Newlove and entrepreneurship

by Matthew Rock - Monday, 21st January 2008 - - Business comment

The appalling death of Gary Newlove may seem to have little to do with entrepreneurs. But entrepreneurialism is a powerful agent for social change.

Helen Newlove's powerful questions, raised in the aftermath her husband Gary's violent death at the hands of three thugs in Warrington, have been reverberating loudly for the past week. Is it safe to walk our city streets? How can teenagers so quickly resort to murderous violence? What can be done to make Britain safer?

Not traditional issues for entrepreneurs, you might think. But, in this fascinating interview with the Yorkshire Post, social entrepreneur Andrew (Lord) Mawson claims that entrepreneurialism can provide the energy and dynamism to activate projects and rebuild communities: "Where many people see only problems, social entrepreneurs see opportunities for change. It's about challenging accepted truths and making people see that they have to commit the time, energy and sometimes pay the personal price that social change demands."

To read the full article about social enterprise and Gary Newlove, click here.

For other articles from the Real Business archive about entrepreneurship and social change, click here.

And here.

To find out more about Andrew Mawson and his views on community entrepreneurship, here are some links.

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