[Sub ID 4264] Homestead for youth (Barry Green)

Submission ID: 4264
Contact name: Mr Barry Green
State: WA
Contact email: vandaview3@bigpond.com
Contact number: 0433038423

About the submitter:
I am a Civil Engineer 72 with vast experience of community development work around the world. I am establishing Sesteem because I can.

Which priority group of the Try, Test and Learn Fund does your idea support?
Young students at risk of long-term unemployment

What need or issue are you trying to address?
The need for many NFPs is to become financially self sustainable and less dependent on government grants or philanthropy. Sesteem will address this issue through the establishment of Social Enterprise (SE) businesses.

The need for at risk youth is to find an escape to a safe and caring environment where they can receive professional counselling and participate in a wide range of Try, Test & Learn (TTL) programs, possibly also engaging their parents. Homestead for Youth (H4Y) will fill this need.

H4Y will provide a range of TTL programs for their clients, that they would not normally have access to. These include farm activities, equine therapy, car restoration, vegetable growing, computer skills, arts and media, carpentry, hospitality, food processing and many more.

Once an individual identifies an activity of interest, H4Y volunteer mentors will guide them onto a path that could lead to further training and a career in their chosen field.

Sesteem will then help to create SE businesses in each activity field that will guarantee the participants a permanent job. Sesteem will also assist by facilitating low cost entry onto a path to home ownership.

What is your idea?
Our idea is to establish Sesteem, a new world-first profit for purpose company that will identify, fund and manage SE businesses on behalf of other NFP organisations. www.sesteem.com.

Under the Sesteem model a SE business will be established in partnership with a NFP. The NFP will hold a 90% share of the business and Sesteem will hold 10%. The Sesteem Development Fund (DF) will finance the business with a zero interest loan. Sesteem will provide all the management and technical expertise to ensure business success. After loan repayment, the annual profits will be distributed, 90% to the NFP (to do with whatever they want) and 10% to Sesteem. The Sesteem 10% ROI will all go to grow the DF.

Sesteem is un-funded but active and our first project is working with H4Y (www.homesteadforyouth.org) in the Peel region of WA. H4Y has received no government grant assistance and Sesteem is currently helping them to prepare small grant applications to finance equipment for their TTL activity programs.

One of the key TTL projects Sesteem will establish with H4Y is a commercial scale business growing fresh vegetables, 24/7, year round, under climate controlled conditions in hi-tech greenhouses. Produce will be sold in the local community. This business is very lucrative and will generate a substantial income for H4Y, giving them financial stability. H4Y kids will work in the business for a commercial wage.

The Sesteem/H4Y relationship will be long term. The next goal is to help H4Y find funding to purchase a 150 acre farm where they can provide longer term home stay facilities for ther clients. The property has been identified.

The H4Y project is just the start, but will provide a model for other NFPs. Sesteem will work across the whole spectrum of community disadvantage to generate major, self funded, change.

Sesteem seeks to engage in dialog with DSS to identify and resolve many social issues. Government will play its part. Sesteem will bring big company thinking and participation to the table.

Let’s make it happen!