All Star All Star – Community Recognition

Every Voice Matters

On Thursday 29 March, I got the message to say ‘Congratulations, you’ve made it to the finals, you’re an All Star!’  My heart was buzzing, and the smile stayed on my face for the rest of the day.  And I began thinking about what was it that made me smile – pride, recognition, acknowledgement, happiness, achievement, everything bundled into one big grin.

So what are the All Stars?

The Business All Stars are an accreditation for excellence in business, and each year there is a competition divided into many different categories, culminating in an award ceremony at the All Ireland Business Summit.  We looked at all the categories, and decided to apply for the Community Focused Business of the Year.

The application form was lengthy and really challenged us to think about our business objectively, our strengths, our challenges, our achievements, and the ways in which we would like to grow.  As we moved through the process, it was wonderful to really think about what we offer, and what we receive from the community through our offerings.

The second stage of the process involved a phone interview with judge Kieran Ring of the Global Institute of Logistics.  Where I was expecting a conversation around our financial planning going forward, and the nuts of bolts of organisational life, I was instead met with an open and challenging conversation on acknowledging the work we have done to date and how we might share that with a wider community – why shouldn’t every town in Ireland have a SuSo!

On our second call with Kieran Ring, we were informed that we fell into the category of Social Entrepreneurship and that we should be acknowledged for that without competition – instead we were invited to stand with other Social Entrepreneurs and be given our newly titled accreditation of All Star in Social Entrepreneurship, specialising in Community Creativity.

And it’s the Community that makes it all work

So for us, we really want you, as a member of the SuSo Community to stand with us and receive this accreditation, and to reflect upon what you bring to the table.  We want you to be proud of your contribution to this process and to this transformation within the community – without your presence and your gifts, we wouldn’t be where we are today.

So congratulations on being an All Star Community!  We will wear this badge proudly and continue to grow and expand in new and exciting ways.  Next Thursday 19 April, we will be at the All Ireland Business Summit where we will receive our accreditation, and we look forward to celebrating with you all upon our return.

“SpeakUp SingOut – where every voice matters”