Down to 'business'

My name is Dan Rafferty, an unemployed graduate and disability rights activist [http://realnetworkni.com/ ]. I have taken a few steps down the career path of social entrepreneur and it is the best thing I have ever done alongside getting my degree and campaigning for disability rights. And now I want a job - without being limited to the Job Centre. My major strength in the job market is my staying power with less conventional ideas for building my career; my major flaw is wavering self-esteem and lack, as a professional, of 'the voice of authority' when promoting myself and my ideas. This blog, however, will give me confidence in dealing with others when promoting my project in a way that social media does not. Say what you like about being online - but there is no greater resource, for a man with an idea, than the internet. Apart from Facebook, I'm on it but it's a horrible waste of time in my opinion. :/

On one hand the decision to turn to social enterprise came from my study of journalism, politics and sociology, and my skill with the English language - and if I think I can write like an entrepreneur, chances are I can talk, act and feel like one. Someday, I might be one - and so far I have immense pride in the fact I have an UnLtd [ http://www.unltd.org.uk/ ] award for my project. While I am yet to put in the work if feel the project needs, on the way to where I am now, I surprised myself and agreed to try a local programme for people to learn business startup skills [ http://www.goforitni.com/ ], from which I learned plenty of tips and up went the self-esteem once more. To me, I am in social enterprise and not in business and I do not believe in capitalism - but this archaic Marxist notion of mine in no way deems all of free market capitalism to be negative (but the Thatcherite stuff still proves itself to have been harmful to the UK). Economics aside, the thought processes in motivating the entrepreneur in me via the Go For It startup programme suggest that my idea will succeed. And personally, having the self-belief of a successful businessman is going to transform my life for the better.


So, what is my idea. Do I have copyright for the above logo? And what on earth is G.O.A.T.?
Goat is my proposed name for a local social enterprise project. With some invaluable help from Newry and Mourne Enterprise Agency I am putting together a series of workshops. Their goal is to teach and explore creative skills to anyone that wants to attend, while motivating them as part of a group who will ultimately have grown and expanded their transferable skills. Also, a major element of my project is the desire to cater for vulnerable or marginalised members of society, integrating them into a social environment which will bring out their creativity, personality, skills and knowledge. The project is nothing to do with Cameron's Big Society drivel, but is certainly a project with potential benefits for my local community. Right at this moment, my task is to get people on board to formulate the workshops but annoyingly it is the hardest part, other stuff has taken up my time, and I'm a wee bit stuck.

Beyond this, in future (when I'm more sure of what the heck I'm doing) I imagine myself filling the blog with ideas for the like of amateur short films made by Goat: documentary ones, cultural ones, fan ones... all the way to out sourcing commissioned fundraising ideas and content for workshop 'tutors' to deliver. All I want from the content and creations of my workshops is to show off the benefits of different individuals brainstorming over different media and enjoying the process. This blog is my channel of thought - feedback, dialogue, conversation etc will become my best friends and writing stuff down is my course of action in my early years of social entrepreneurship. So ask me anything, I don't have all the answers, even if it is my project.

A final note, if you want to know the real me, these are the kind of things the internet was made for. In-depth academic analysis for something as 'entertainmenty' and nerdy as videogaming:
http://www.screwattack.com/shows/partners/game-overthinker/game-overthinker-episode-61-bells-whistles