ruralnet|uk's experience in UK online centres and service delivery falls on fertile ground in China

ruralnet|uk's Business Development Manager, Jane Berry, returned this week from China, following an invitation to join a delegation of UK Social Entrepreneurs. The trip was organised by Global Links Initiative (GLI) and was supported by the British Consulate-General, Shanghai. Three leading Social Entrepreneurs were selected to represent different approaches to UK Social Enterprise and different target groups. With the emerging third sector in China developing fast, the visit created enormous interest and culminated in seminars, attended by not-for-profits (NPOs), national and local government representatives and the media, and was hosted by the British Council China NPO Network in Beijing, and the YMCA in Shanghai.

Responding to visits to a dozen local initiatives, Jane Berry presented ruralnet|uk's latest thinking on designing and sustaining rural multi-service centres, as well as her experience of supporting UK online centres under the DirectSupport initiative, which she designed and manages. She also drew lessons from her earlier work on enterprise creation for rural women. Amongst the projects visited was the Rural Women's School in Changping county, which has assisted over 3000 women from isolated communities. Martin Blakeborough, of Kaleidescope (Kingston and Wales) drew on experience supporting the rehabilitation of drug users and other marginalised groups, whilst Adrian Carridice-Davids presented the work of The Enterprise Centre in Manchester, which incubates new SMEs and Social Enterprises. Issues discussed included the influx of rural economic migrants into Chinese cities, as well as funding, sustainability, legal structures and NPO networking.

In recent years China has experienced an unprecedented opening up to new ideas, both home-grown and adapted from abroad, and the open-mindedness and innovation seen among the local projects was as welcome as it was unexpected for the British delegation. Jane was able to present and run community participation games, often used by ruralnet|uk to aid planning for UK online and multi-service centres. These included a boxed set recently developed by ruralnet|uk partners David Wilcox and NIACE, which was presented to delegates to adapt to the Chinese situation. Delegates responded with enthusiasm, and a game played at the Shining Stone Community Centre in Beijing led to over 20 local people staying on at the centre into the evening for lively and stimulating discussions. There was considerable interest in ruralnet|uk's approach to online collaboration networks for the third sector - Networks Online - and in the Business Planning CD developed for UK online centres by UfI and DirectSupport.

The international networking organisation GLI hopes to organise a return visit for a Chinese delegation next year, with ruralnet|uk proposing to include a UK online centre and a rural multi-service centre in the itinerary.

Notes to editors
1. Global Links Initiative is a new UK registered non-profit organisation which aims to support positive and creative action on social inclusion and citizen empowerment, using information technology as an enabler to make practical links among socially entrepreneurial people around the world as well as promoting partnership with government and business. See www.glinet.org
2. ruralnet|uk is a rural regeneration charity, which also supports third sector networking and social entrepreneurship. See www.ruralnetuk.org
3.ruralnet|uk's 2004 paper on rural services and multi-service centres, as well as Jane Berry's A-Z of Social Entrepreneurs, and other relevant downloads are at www.ruralnetuk.org/downloads/
4. David Wilcox's Regeneration Game and other gaming techniques are discussed at: http://partnerships.typepad.com/usefulgames/2003/11/
5. The boxed version of the Regneration Game can be purchased from NIACE at: www.niace.org.uk/Publications/R/Regeneration.htm
6. DirectSupport is funded by UfI for UK online centres and is at www.directsupport.org.uk
7. More on the Ufi Business Planning CD for UK online centres, developed from an original concept by Jane Berry is at: www.helpisathand.gov.uk/info/support/business-planning/
8. Networks Online is a joint venture by ruralnet|uk and Community Action Network to enable UK non-profit networks to collaborate online. Over 20 networks participate. www.networksonline.org.uk