*** NB: THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT AND THE WAITING LIST IS NOW CLOSED***

A BETTER WORLD. POWERED BY WOMEN

Imagine a place where women talk, not about women's stuff, but about the stuff they do to change the world...!

The Women’s Social Leadership Awards were set up in 2007 to recognise the achievements of women using innovative and bold solutions to solve social and environmental issues.

Now in their fifth year these prestigious International Awards run by Ogunte, the social business that supports women social entrepreneurs and activists, have been presented to campaigners and social entrepreneurs in the UK and abroad.

This year’s winners will be announced during an event sponsored by Ernst and Young on June 14th 2011, at 6pm.

At the event three winners will be announced from the nine finalists (listed below). The award categories are: Social Business Leader of the Year; Leader in Charities, Networks and Campaigns for Social Change; Leader in the Workplace.

The winners will each receive business coaching and mentoring support from experts to help them further develop their work.

Speakers:

Sam Roddick, Coco de Mer / Bondage for Freedom
Rebecca Harding, Delta Economics, World Entrepreneurship Summit
Daniela Barone Soares, Impetus Trust

Special Appearance from Mestra Rilene - Capoeira Amazonas.

Commenting on the finalists, Servane Mouazan, CEO of Oguntê Ltd said;

“These finalists have all made an incredible impact on society through their innovative ideas, courage and sheer hard work. They have stepped out of the tramlines of convention and been brave enough to try something different.

“There has been a lot of debate about creating a Big Society and how to do it. These women are showing how it is done and demonstrating that with generosity, focus, confidence and robust networks, you can achieve great and measurable social change.”

nb: MEN are welcome too!

Date and Place: Ernst & Young, 1 More London Place, on June 14th 2011, 6pm start.

OGUNTE WOMEN's SOCIAL LEADERSHIP AWARDS 2011 FINALISTS

**Shortlisted - Social Business Leader of the year - 2011**

Catherine Conway | www.beunpackaged.com | UK | In 2006, Catherine set up a market stall and a year later opened a shop in London, selling unpackaged organic products. By asking customers to provide their own packaging, Unpackaged estimates that each household shopping there saves on average £470 per annum and this also reduces the amount of packaging waste that goes to landfill.

Becky John | whomadeyourpants.co.uk | UK | In 2008, Becky set up an ethical, fashion workers co-operative specialising in female underwear. She empowers marginalised women by providing employment, education, social and community space. Becky John believes;“Nobody has the right to wear a cheap pair of knickers that means a child has had to work 14-hour days.”

Jess Cordingly | www.futurefirst.org.uk | UK | Jess Cordingly founded Future First which is a social business working to revolutionise careers advice and build communities in schools across the UK. They do this by bringing former students back to their old schools and colleges to inspire, advise and guide current pupils.

**Shortlisted - Leader in Networks/Charities/Campaigns for Social Change 2011**

Rioch Edwards-Brown | The Five Percenters | For 14 years, without pay or funding, Rioch has run The Five Percenters – a 24 hour free advisory service for families who have been wrongly accused (1 in 20 cases) of Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS). Rioch is campaigning for 24:14 - a nationwide protocol in all UK hospitals to allow doctors to tell the difference between abuse and non-abuse.

Jo Manuel | The Special Yoga Centre | UK | Jo founded The Special Yoga Centre in 2004 to give yoga therapy for children with special needs a nurturing and inclusive home and to make yoga accessible to all. Her aim is to develop and implement yoga therapy programmes that allow all children to receive the significant benefits of yoga and help them in reaching their fullest potential. Thanks to the Special Yoga Centre, these children are calmer, sleep better, and are more able to focus and integrate socially.

Kathryn Loughnan | Digi-Steps/Internet Rangers | UK | DigiSteps bring about digital inclusion for those most alienated from modern day technologies by providing one to one training sessions for would be silver surfers." Under Kathryn' s supervision, as their teacher, the self-styled ‘Internet Rangers’, four teenagers from a school, developed a course specifically targeted at training older people. Their venture is now supported by Martha Lane Fox.

**Shortlisted - Leader in the Workplace (Social Ventures Intermediaries) 2011**

Lina Maria Useche Jaramillo | www.impulso.org.br  | Brazil | Lina created Impulso, providing small loans to people who lack credit history and therefore cannot meet even the most minimal qualifications to gain access to traditional credit. Impulso brings financial and technical support to low-income micro-entrepreneurs while linking them to “Social Angel Investors” all over the world.

Allison Hoffman | Pari Project | Cambodia | At 21, Allie left Chicago for Cambodia, where she started the Pari Project. The organization works with over 30 NGOs to help them raise funds, become more transparent and improve their services.  Most of their work is based in Cambodia and they are now expanding to help projects in Africa. Pari is directed and staffed by a team of socially minded development professionals, who have dedicated their lives and their work to the fight against poverty.

Liz Douglas | CIC "The Roots Project" | UK | Since 2009 Liz has been breaking cycles of generations of poverty, abuse, neglect and exploitation within over 600 vulnerable families in estates in Bolton, next to Manchester. She supports their transition back into mainstream society, enabling some of them to start their own enterprises. Within these estates groups have been created including Parent & Toddler groups, Women’s groups, elite groups (over 50’s), Kidz clubs, all of which are resident-led and mentored by the Roots Project.

For further info about the awards, the finalists and previous winners, click here.

The Judges this year were:

- Natalia Oberti Noguera - Pipeline Fund - US
- Charlotte Cooper - Women's eNews - US/ UK
- Victoria Anderson, Philanthropy UK, Venture Partnership Foundation - UK
- Tommy Hutchinson, I-Genius - UK
- Nick Temple - Popse / UnLtd - UK
- Christina Jordan - Evolutionize It - Ashoka Fellow Belgium/ US
- Ruth Churchill Dower - EarlyArts UK - Winner Women's Social Leadership Awards 2009 - Category Social Business.