A SHANNON social entrepreneur has been honoured as a graduate from a programme that helps start-up social enterprises get off the ground and doing some good in the community.
Karina Murray of Conscious Connections was one of the people chosen to take part in Social Enterprise Ireland’s Ideas Academy.
The enterprise is providing alternative avenues for women from the LGBTQ+ community and non-binary people to connect through activities and events that promote health.
There were 98 applicants for this year’s programme, of those 98, 30 were selected to join the Ideas Academy alongside the ambitious Shannon entrepreneur.
This year’s successful participants come from all around Ireland and are tackling social problems such as mental health, the environment, education, and reducing inequality.
Each project selected to take part in the Ideas Academy receives a €500 bursary to help subsidise costs while taking part in the programme. At the end of the programme, participants can pitch for a portion of a €25,000 seed fund to pilot in their idea.
Over the past three months, participants had peer training, mentoring, and consultancy support to help refine their ideas.
Having graduated, Karina said that “having the opportunity to learn from others who are on a similar journey to myself, as well as people who have completed the programme in the past, has had a significant impact on how I view my own idea and what it s capable of in the best possible way”.
“I have made so many super connections and the peer support has been amazing.”
