US special envoy Joe Kennedy offers his commitment to social enterprise leaders

Joe Kennedy, US special envoy for Northern Ireland, has offered his commitment to social enterprise leaders in Northern Ireland, saying his role was to help focus on people.

Mr Kennedy addressed a meeting at Stormont on Wednesday hosted by Speaker Alex Maskey in conjunction with Social Enterprise NI.

The social enterprise leaders at the meeting represented a range of issues, including sustainable energy, helping children in the care system and integrating refugees into communities in Northern Ireland.

Many spoke of their wish to break into the US market or receive US investment for their projects and businesses in Northern Ireland.

Mr Kennedy told them: “What you have is my commitment to try to do what we can to meet the needs of your organisations.”

He said his role as special envoy included a focus on the quality of life in Northern Ireland.

“As I come here, for the president of the United States, who cares so much about this place and your people, to say ‘hey, yes why don’t you focus on economic affairs’.

“We’re asking you that because we want you to focus on people.

“To focus on not just jobs, it’s not special envoy for GDP. It’s not a special envoy for employment numbers. It’s a special envoy for economic affairs, which is quality of life.

“Which is a roof over your head, food on your plate and your kid in a good school.

“It’s healthcare, it’s childcare, it’s skills, it’s sustainability, it’s prosperity.

“And so filling those needs and working with partners, from businesses, from communities, government, to try to find ways to amplify the folks that are striving and struggling and fighting and scratching and clawing, to innovate.”

Head of the Northern Ireland civil service Jayne Brady said social enterprise initiatives were a key part of ensuring more young people want to live and work in Northern Ireland.

She told the meeting: “We shouldn’t have to leave the place that we grew up to find career opportunities. It shouldn’t be that hard.

“But it was and it still is for a lot of people here in Northern Ireland, this place we call home.

“I suggest we need to look beyond the equality of opportunity, of which we have made great strides, but to the equity of opportunity, and address some systemic changes that are holding us back.

“I believe we need to focus on innovation, on inclusivity and on sustainability. We need to create higher value jobs, more fulfilling jobs that are accessible to more people.”

She added: “Social enterprise has been and always is vital to that vision.”

After the event Mr Kennedy spoke to a number of the social enterprise leaders in the Great Hall at Stormont.