A holiday gift basket filled with teas, coffee and chocolates from Aq’saak Aboriginal Foods is packed with West Coast Aboriginal culture and social impact. Operated out of the Wachiay Friendship Centre in Courtenay, the social enterprise provides employment opportunities and business training in marketing and sales for the local Aboriginal community.

Aq’saak is just one of many social enterprises throughout B.C. that can multiply the impact of your holiday purchases. A gift from a social enterprise is a triple-giving gift – to the person on your shopping list, to the community by helping to meet social needs and to the local economy. Social enterprises – a form of social innovation – differ from most traditional businesses in that some, or all, of their profits are re-invested to help address a social or environmental issue.

This winter, the BC Partners for Social Impact, a network of B.C. social innovators and entrepreneurs, have launched the Buy It Forward campaign to encourage British Columbians to shop at social enterprises and give gifts with a social impact.

Explore HubcapBC.ca, B.C.’s online social innovation hub, to find a social enterprise near you and use the hashtag #BuyItFwd on social media to join the discussion online.

Looking for gifts with a social impact?

B.C. social enterprises can help you serve up a holiday menu. Brew holiday guests a cup of coffee from East Van Roasters in Vancouver, which provides training and employment opportunities to women living in the Downtown Eastside. Or have holiday party refreshments served by Smokehouse Kitchen, a social enterprise catering company operated by the Prince George Native Friendship Centre that provides on-the-job training and work experience to their employees, many of whom have barriers to employment.

Give gifts with social impact. Help a special someone tune up their bike with a gift certificate to Double O Bikes in Oliver, where 100% of profits are returned to the South Okanagan Association for Integrated Community Living. This organization supports children and adults with developmental disabilities in the South Okanagan. You can find high-end used clothing and jewellery at Surrey’s Sisters Thrift Boutique, operated by NightShift Street Ministries, which provides outreach, care and recovery programs for people struggling with poverty, addictions, mental illness and homelessness. In Victoria, profits from sales of the Fruit Tree Project’s locally picked and processed apple-cider vinegar and quince paste support the LifeCycles Project’s community programming that increases people’s access to local healthy food.

Looking for a socially impactful way to get out of town this holiday season? Visit Aboriginal Travel Service for ideas and trips throughout B.C. The travel agency is First Nations owned and operated, and re-invests its profits in Aboriginal communities through youth scholarships. Downtown Vancouver visitors can rest easy at the Skwachàys Lodge, knowing the boutique hotel is operated by the Vancouver Native Housing Society and supports the society's work to provide safe, secure and affordable housing to Vancouver’s urban Aboriginal population.

Quotes:

Minister of Social Development and Social Innovation, Michelle Stilwell –

“Several months ago, our ministry launched Social Impact Purchasing Guidelines, which help ministry staff consider not only the cost of goods and services, but also the social benefit of their purchases. Now we’re inviting all British Columbians to consider purchasing their holiday gifts and services from one of the growing list of businesses that are making a difference in our communities.”

Wachiay Friendship Centre, executive director, Michael Colclough –

“Aq’saak Aboriginal Food Products is very much a community social enterprise supported by the work of our board, Elders, staff and youth. Our products are inspired by the authentic tastes, bold flavours, ancient family recipes, traditional natural ingredients and legends of British Columbia’s west coast indigenous people. Aq’saak means ‘respect for nature’ and is pronounced Ak-suk. Enjoy the magic and spirituality of our indigenous culture through our teas and chocolates.”

Buy Social Canada partner and B.C. Partners for Social Impact member, David LePage –

“Buying social means you're supporting social enterprises that re-invest in the community. Choosing to purchase from a social enterprise means your multiplying the impact of your dollars – you’re having an economic and a social impact.”

Quick Facts:

• Part of the Ministry of Social Development and Social Innovation’s mandate is to work with partners in the business and community sectors to support social innovation and enterprise in B.C.
• For example, B.C. was the first jurisdiction in Canada to create the Community Contribution Company – a corporate entity recognized by people who want to use their purchasing dollars to support a positive social impact, and by investors who are interested in both a social and financial return.
• Based on a 2011 survey, B.C. social enterprises provided services to nearly 700,000 people and generated at least $60 million in revenues.
• A social enterprise can be as simple as a charitable organization having a thrift store to support their social programs or a catering business that provides on-the-job training and work experience to their employees, who may have disabilities or other barriers to employment.
• As an active member of the BC Partners for Social Impact, government works with social innovation leaders in the public, private and non-profit sectors to promote and support social innovation and enterprise throughout the province.
• In March 2015, the Ministry of Social Development and Social Innovation implemented Social Impact Purchasing guidelines, which require staff to consider social value when they are making procurement decisions.

Learn More:

Ministry of Social Development and Social Innovation: http://www.sdsi.gov.bc.ca/social-innovation/index.htm

For more information on the social enterprises referenced in this release, visit:

• Aq’saak Aboriginal Foods Ltd: http://www.aqsaakfoods.com/
• East Van Roasters: http://eastvanroasters.com/
• Smokehouse Catering: http://www.pgnfc.com/rental_catering.html
• Double O Bikes: http://www.doubleobikes.com/
• Sisters Thrift Boutique: https://thriftboutique.wordpress.com/
• LifeCycles Project: http://lifecyclesproject.ca/
• Aboriginal Travel Services: http://www.aboriginaltravelservices.com/
• Skwachàys Lodge: http://skwachays.com/

For other examples of social enterprises in B.C., visit: http://www.hubcapbc.ca/