A Bristol-based social enterprise has been recognised for its for its achievements and ambition in creating social change through business.
The Cambridge Social Innovation Prize has awarded Babbassa's founder and chief executive Poku Osei in its 2023 prize. Babbassa helps disadvantaged young people from ethnic minority and low-income backgrounds into work, education and business.
The enterprise, which celebrated 10 years last month, was awarded one of five awards by Trinity Hall and the Cambridge Centre for Social Innovation at the University of Cambridge, supported by a generous donation from Trinity Hall alumnus Graham Ross Russell.
Mr Osei said: “I feel honoured to be receiving the prestigious Social Innovation Prize from Cambridge University, on the 10th anniversary of Babbasa. Taking into consideration where I'm from, this award reinforces for me that we can all descend the limits of our predefined story and pave the way for the future we desire.”
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The awards are made annually to founder-chief executives of scale-up social enterprises to support their growth as leaders. The Cambridge Social Innovation Prize recognises mid-career social innovators.
The prize includes a £10,000 cash award for personal and professional development. Additionally, mentoring from experts at Cambridge Judge Business School and support from an expanding community of social innovators at Trinity Hall will help them to develop the skills, resources, and networks they need to create more impact from their work.
Nicole Helwig, executive director for the Cambridge Centre for Social Innovation said: “On this the fifth anniversary of the Cambridge Social Innovation Prize, we are thrilled to celebrate five outstanding individuals. They come from diverse backgrounds with expertise and skills channelled towards creating social impact. They represent their ventures, but also the many people who work alongside them, behind the scenes and who are empowered through their efforts”.
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