Further Information

Why is this important?

If you had the opportunity, would you want to make a difference in the world? Of course, you would! But often, instead of starting to do things by ourselves, we leave them to somebody else – government, municipalities, charities.

Unfortunately, our society is currently experiencing unprecedented social and environmental challenges. Aging society, immigration, environmental issues, social inclusion, the increasing gap between the rich and poor – these are only a few of the challenges that our modern society faces today. Challenges foster innovations and therefore we have an opportunity to create fast, effective and game changing solutions.

We believe we can all make a difference. We believe businesses can be a vehicle to create change. Businesses should help the world be a better place. Products and business practices should benefit society and the planet. We believe we can build a road towards that reality.

And it starts with discussions and topics on social innovation and social entrepreneurship. That is why we are so excited, with your help, we can co-create the first conference of its kind here in Iceland.

You will literally be voting with your euros and kroners. If this crowdfunding campaign is not successful then the conference will not be taking place. You vote with your contributions if this is the future of Iceland or not. Let’s figure out together why social business is the future of solving social problems and how we can bring the momentum of this worldwide movement to our little island as a force for good.

Buy a ticket and join us on September 16th!

During the crowdfunding campaign, this will be the only place you can buy tickets for the conference (limited to 120 seats). This is your opportunity to be a part of the first think tank discussions and thereby influencing the future of the social entrepreneurship sector.

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Why should you attend?

You will be joining and meeting like-minded people who believe in the power of social innovation and entrepreneurship as a force for good in Iceland. You will be part of the start of something truly revolutionary. It is your chance to be a part of the movement of using social business as a force for positive change. It is your way to get involved and make an impact.

Social innovators / intrapreneurs / entrepreneurs: You get it. You know social entrepreneurship is the future. You get that all businesses in the future will in some shape or form be a social enterprise. We want to help you achieve that future. This conference is for you, to meet partners, other like-minded social entrepreneurs, potential investors, understand your support network and let your voices be heard.
Buy a €125 / €175 ticket and join us on September 16th!

Socially responsible companies: You have committed to implementing CSR in your business. We applaud you. This conference is for you, because you are constantly thinking how you can make more impact in society because you believe your company is a responsible citizen. We can help you achieve this by attending the conference, you will meet potential partners in the social entrepreneurs. Creating a win-win-win.
Buy a €250 / €300 ticket and join us on September 16th!

Educators: You are passionate about teaching your students they can make a difference in the world. You are open to new ideas. This conference is for you. You will meet and listen to fellow educators who are actively integrating social innovation and entrepreneurship into their courses.
Buy a €250 / €300 ticket and join us on September 16th!

Government & municipality officials: You have a commitment to supporting and achieving your pledges to your citizens. You know that better results can be achieved by working with all sectors in your community. This conference is for you. You will have a clear understanding of how social innovation and entrepreneurship can assist your departments in reducing costs and increasing impact, enabling you to meet your goals in value creation for the citizens of Iceland.
Buy a €250 / €300 ticket and join us on September 16th!

Impact Iceland Conference 2016

On 16 September 2016, Impact Iceland 2016 will be the first in a series of conferences based on the topic of social innovation and social entrepreneurship. Its main purpose is to raise awareness, highlight benefits that social entrepreneurship can provide to society, feature current social innovation projects in Iceland and also look at how we can create a support network to enable social entrepreneurs to prosper and thrive for society’s benefit.

The theme for the Impact Iceland 2016 conference will be:
Is social entrepreneurship a solution to today’s social and environmental challenges? Can social innovation be profitable, sustainable and impactful?
The program of the conference will feature the following sections:
Section 1: What is social innovation and social entrepreneurship?
Section 2: Challenges and opportunities
Section 3: Meet the social innovators in Iceland
Section 4: How can we support social entrepreneurs?

We aim to create opportunities for meeting different people and community building to ensure that everyone gets a chance to express their ideas and share them among participants.

The conference will be held in English as we will have international speakers and international attendees. The conference is intended to share knowledge from a local and international perspective.

Buy a ticket and join us on September 16th!

Speakers

What will we achieve?

Your contribution

When you contribute you're saying you believe we can and should have this discussion. We should be looking at how we can encourage and support these innovations. How are we supporting the social entrepreneurs, the pioneers, who think beyond profit and truly believe they can make an impact in society through their social innovations?

This is what your contribution will achieve:

Kveikja is a registered NGO (félagsamstök) since July 2015, where previously it operated as a project under the name “Social Enterprise Iceland / samfélagsleg frumkvöðlastarfsemi á Íslandi” since mid-2013.

Kveikja aims to be the leading authority on social entrepreneurship in Iceland through:
1. Education: Raising awareness, promotion and education on social entrepreneurship
2. Support: Continual development of a strong framework, policies and access to resources, in order to support social entrepreneurs in Iceland
3. Development: Providing development opportunities for individuals, our members and startups in the field of social entrepreneurship.

The organization is currently volunteer run with a board of 3 members, 3 advisors and a small team of ad hoc volunteers. Kveikja is currently in partnership with Wilfrid Laurier University to complete an academic paper on the definition for social enterprise in Iceland after conducting 23 research interviews in 2014. Kveikja has also presented 3 different talks on social enterprise to a cumulative audience of +225 participants consisting of youth groups,entrepreneurs and at a documentary screening.

Our Partners

This video is produced by Living in Minca from their visit in Iceland in 2014.