We have completed a number of sessions across the country - 4 in Dublin, 2 in Clare and 2 in Galway, as well as hosting an 'awareness stand' at Clare Pride.
The Dublin events went extremely well. The sessions were booked out and the attendees shared very positive feedback afterwards, mostly relating to how the game helps them move from idea to action, or to see the next steps on their journey.
It was more difficult to get players engaged in Galway and Clare. As we were only working with a minority community (LGBTQ+ women) we had less people to target, where as in Dublin the population is much higher! We still received very positive feedback, even though the numbers were lower (3/4 in Galway sessions, 2 in Clare sessions). The groups spoke about their desire to stay connected and linked in with one another as entrepreneurship can be a lonely journey.
Since the turnout was low in Clare and we still had some budget left we decided to do an awareness stand at Clare Pride. We designed an A5 leaflet, got some fancy cupcakes to attract people over and chatted about the game and how it worked with attendees. We hope this will help us increase our reach for future Playground events.
We are eager to keep the group going with our target population, in particular with the self employed network we run in Dublin for LGBTQ+ women & non binary people, so will keep promoting and playing the game at regular intervals.
Implementation Playbook ChangeX Playground for Entrepreneurs
Conscious Connections
Karina Murray
20/02/2024
Introduction
This Playground for Entrepreneurs project is going to be aimed at LGBTQ+ women and non binary community members. I have recently moved into self employment delivering diversity and inclusion workshops and health promoting events. As part of this a network for LGBTQ+ women and non binary people who are currently self employed or looking to move into self employment was established. Through this network I can see that there is a demand for more entrepreneurship initiatives specifically for our community but also for women in general who may have entrepreneurial spirit and great ideas but who need that bit of extra support to start their journey. For this reason I strongly believe that the Playground for Entrepreneurs is a worthwhile endeavor that will contribute greatly to the progress of our community members who are looking to make positive changes to their lives.
Team
Facilitator - Karina Murray - Karina founded Conscious Connections as a way to bring LGBTQ+ community members together in safe, healthy spaces that provide an opportunity for growth and connection. She has experience of training design and delivery through a number of past professional roles and is eager to connect more people in the community via new and engaging initiatives, like the Playground for Entrepreneurs.
Facilitator - Orla Vaughan - Orla is an LGBTQ+ community activist who currently sits on the board of Quare Clare LGBTQIA+ - a county Clare based organisation that creates opportunities for LGBTQIA+ community members to come together throughout the year by attending a variety of events, as well as organising Clare’s annual Pride celebration. She is also currently working alongside Karina to facilitate diversity and inclusion training across the county.
Community promotor - Michelle Mulvaney - Michelle is an accountant by trade but has a keen interest in the area of health promotion in all its forms. She is a qualified life coach who enjoys supporting others on their journey to a more fulfilled life, as well as a breath works instructor who will be leading classes for community members over the coming months. Michelle has the ability to motivate others to get out of their comfort zones and try new things. This makes her the ideal connection to help promote these sessions and workshops.
Advisor / Potential Partners Brittany Winkelman - Brittany is a therapist in training who delivers practical courses on mindfulness to our community members, as well as being an avid photographer. In the previous employment roles she has planned and executed fundraising events and campaigns, ran community outreach programs to raise awareness in the community, and was responsible for donor communica. She volunteers with Ireland’s largest LGBTQ+ Youth Organisation, Belong To, and has good connections in the LGBTQ+ community that will support the implementation of this programme. She is eager to use her skills to support the marketing of workshops and engage as many entrepreneurs as possible.
Apprentice / Community Promoter Bernie O’Gorman - Bernie is an LGBTQ+ community activist who currently sits on the board of the previously mentioned community group Quare Clare LGBTQIA+. She regularly leads out social events for the LGBTQIA+ community in Clare and organises fundraisers to raise money for the Clare Pride celebrations. Her social skills and ability to bring groups together are second to none and she will be of huge support to any group, both in supporting facilitation and in promoting the programme to the right people.
Creating your community of entrepreneurs
Our target audience is women and non-binary people in the LGBTQ+ community in Ireland. As members of the community ourselves we believe that we already have the right connections and know who to engage to increase our reach.
The already existing network for self employed LGBTQ+ women and non binary people is a good starting point for engaging people in the sessions. The group is a mix of people already self employed and those with an entrepreneurial spirit who are looking to get some wonderful ideas off the ground. Having this network in place already is a major advantage for our group.
Through our different work and volunteering in the community we are already connected with a lot of the large LGBTQ+ community groups and charities who we know would support our outreach efforts. To name a few - LGBT Ireland, Outhouse Community Centre (where we host our networking events), LINC in Cork, Amach in Galway, Quare Clare and Belong To (who work with young people up to age 23) would be supporters of any programmes that are aiming to engage their audience in new ideas.
Old school promotion would also be key - posters in our main community venues (like Street 66, Outhouse, Love Tempo, Dublin Pride Hub, Vibe in Cork, Nova in Galway, etc.), and visibility at Queer Markets and Pride Pop Up events would ensure we are reaching more of the right people who could benefit from joining our sessions and workshops. Gay Community News, Ireland’s largest LGBTQ+ press, would certainly support this. It is likely we can run an online article for free and will look into the costs of printing an ad in their quarterly print edition (free to everyone, 5000 copies distributed across Ireland).
We will also use our social media platforms to reach the audience who are already connected with us but who may not know about the programme. Short Instagram reels explaining what’s involved, as well as using our Linkedin to connect with others in business, would be our main platforms but we will share across all available media options.
Furthermore, depending on the location, we will link in with other social enterprises and community organisations outside of the LGBTQ+ community who have connections to an audience who may not already be connected to us but who could join the sessions and workshops. Examples of these would be the Womens Collection, Public Participation Networks, Common Knowledge, etc..
Create partnerships
For this specific project I think LGBTQ+ NGOs and community groups will be very important from the start to finish. On a higher level, the LGBTQ+ organisations listed above will be central to all activities in terms of promoting and engaging the right people. Other relevant groups will be the social groups for our community, mostly based on the Meetup.com website, who have a large audience of eager community members on the lookout for new ideas and events. As an organiser on a few of these groups, we already have access to this community and will partner with whatever social group is most relevant to our work.
Other potential partners would include Universities, colleges and educational institutions, whose students would benefit from the Playground. They are always looking for ways to be more diverse and inclusive and we will approach them with an opportunity that could meet both our needs and their needs. We could also link in with wellness and health promotion events as we believe this programme can contribute to a person's wellbeing when they begin to follow the path they are eager to follow.
Playing sessions with the Playground for Entrepreneurs
Ideally we would run these sessions during the summer months, coinciding with days of importance or Pride celebrations. Dublin would be our prime location as we know there is a larger population of our target audience living in and around the city. We would aim to run 4 sessions in Dublin, spaced out over a few weeks (2-3 maybe - open to suggestions during training). If it is possible, we would like to run the rest of the sessions in 2 other locations - Clare and Galway (2 sessions in each). We would do a full workshop in each location, and a closing event in Dublin towards the end of the summer.
All of this is open to feedback during the training to see what works best. If we have to keep them all in Dublin then so be it, but we would love to engage a wider audience, even if it means lower numbers by moving outside of the capital city.
Workshops with the Playground for Entrepreneurs
This question seems similar to the one above- but apologies if I answer incorrectly.
We would aim for weekend workshops on a Saturday morning / afternoon as we believe this is more accessible than weekday evening time events. It is also easier to get the venues we are considering (Outhouse Community Centre, Family Resource Centres, etc.) on a Saturday. The sessions and workshops will all be run close enough together, every 2 weeks possibly, over a 2-3 month period, with the aim of having the closing event at the end of the summer.
The audience we’re expecting at this workshop are people currently still in employment who have ideas or at the very early stage of their journey. For this reason I think tailoring the workshops around topics that are practical, like what’s needed to get started, and motivational, like having speakers who are successfully on their journey, would work best.
Entrepreneurship program for aspiring entrepreneurs or small business owners
In an entrepreneurship program, you support entrepreneurs during a fixed period of time. In this context, make sure you plan (and write down here):
Who are your participants (or audience) and what is their expected starting point LGBTQ+ Women and non binary people aiming to get into self employment or at the very beginning of their journey.
How long, with what frequency, are you supporting them. - monthly through the network that has already been established for self employed LGBTQ+ women and non binary people - they will be invited to join if they are not already members so they can get ongoing support from the facilitator and their peers.
What elements are part of the program (coaching, workshops, advisors, events, one-on-one, etc.) - Workshops and events - however, the network will be bringing in advisors every month on different topics so people who take part in the Playground will be strongly encouraged to join the network (no cost to join)
What is their final goal, what point are you going to take them to at the end of the program? - It depends on their starting point. However, the goal for everyone who takes part is to finish up with a sense that they have the skills, knowledge and confidence to execute what they want to do - we will give them the tools and connections and what they decide to do from there is up to them - community, support will remain available through the network.
Final event
Promote the program with the entrepreneurs in it as a work-in-process. Invite the community to come and take a look, to get involved. As I think most of the people who take part will be in the early stages of their journey this option is probably more feasible.
Timeline
Any additional comments on the timeline of the activities and events. Our timeline is open to feedback when going through the training process.
Set up your budget
Cost category
Venue for session
8 sessions
€35 per session
€280 total
Comments: meeting room 4-8 people. Outhouse in Dublin offers a community rate. We have a free venue in Clare if organising one there, possible free venue in Galway through AMACH LGBT group.
Venue for workshop
3 workshops
€75 per workshop
€225 total
Comments: venue with the capacity of 20-30 people - again may be free or at community rate in Outhouse
Catering
3 workshops
€2 pp (different numbers of ppl at different workshops)
€120 total
Catering for the workshops (teas, coffee, treats). Less people at workshops outside of Dublin, estimated between 10-20 people
Closing event
1 event
€500
€500 total
Comments: venue, catering (snacks+drinks),using Outhouse in Dublin so all equipment included in room rental, as well as stands and Pride decorations, promotional flyers / ad in Gay Community News maybe
Petrol expenses
8 sessions + 3 workshops
€35 per session / workshop
€385 total
Total budget: 1510
NOTE - The text box ye provide in the template does not copy over neatly to this box so might be worth removing it form the template.
Revenue model after completing the process -
We would have two main options:
Partner with the Local Enterprise Offices across Ireland (www.localenterprise.ie) and other organisations who are supporting people on their entrepreneurship, e.g. the Women's Collective of Ireland if we are opening it up to women outside of the LGBTQ+ community.
Or
Partner with LGBTQ+ organisations like Dublin Pride, LGBT Ireland etc. to keep it LGBTQ+ focused and implement it on a larger scale.
