Schofield Patrick
Organization: Streetwires
Year Founded: 2000
Country: South Africa
Website: www.streetwires.co.za
The first certified Fair Trade craft organization in South Africa, Streetwires has revolutionized the informal wire and bead market industry for artists and artisans. Focus: Enterprise Development, Fair trade Geographic area of impact: South Africa Model: Social Business Number of Direct Beneficiaries: 720 (2009) Annual Budget: US$ 700,000 (2009) Percentage Earned Revenue: 100% Recognition: Regional Social Entrepreneur of the Year, Africa, 2009; SEOY 2008 South Africa Background Unemployment is one of South Africa’s biggest challenges. It is often connected with numerous other social issues such as crime and poverty, hampering the growth and development of communities. Without formal employment, many citizens carve out a meagre living in informal industries, including handicrafts. Streetwire art is a living testimony to the industriousness and creative spirit of the country’s people. Born in the townships and dusty backroads, this genre of craft was undervalued and only available in the informal markets of South Africa, and typically not very profitable. Streetwires was created to tackle the problems of unemployment and poverty in South Africa through combining and formalizing the wire and bead craft industries, and ascribing value to the design and labour that goes into craft production. Today, this genre is a thriving and legitimate art form in its own right, with many artists making a living selling their creations not only on street corners and at craft markets, but also in up market shops and galleries around the world. Innovation and Activities Focused on driving social development through demand, Streetwires is a “proof of concept” social enterprise, an art project, a job creation programme and cooperative management system that initially brought together two distinct craft forms – wire and beads. Streetwires has revolutionized an informal wire and bead market industry for craftsmen and women in South Africa. It has not only grown the social business model and the business of its artists, but it has lifted the status of these wire and bead crafts into art forms assigning proper aesthetic and economic value. By creating innovative and formal systems of craft development, team cooperative manufacturing, quality control and marketing to local and international audiences, Streetwires ensures the producers a fair price for their art, making it the first certified fair trade craft organization in South Africa. Written on the wall at the Streetwires studio is: “the history of wire art is a human story”, which describes the thread of values running through the organization. The primary aim of Streetwires is to create sustainable, meaningful long-term employment for as many unemployed and needy South Africans as possible and supporting members to branch out on their own and in a wider role as a leader by example in the broader craft sector. This aim is realized through the creation of an organization that is driven by marketing. Recognized as a leader in craft, both as a design house and in efficient systems, by operating as a professionally run organization, the long-term social objectives are ensured. The model has since been studied, written about and emulated in numerous craft organizations in South Africa and Streetwires regularly consults and assists other craft organizations in achieving their objectives. A parallel non-profit organization, Streetwires Training and Development, sets the company’s broader social and community development goals in terms of skills training, individual artist development and a series of outreach initiatives in orphanages, schools and impoverished communities. The Entrepreneur Inspired by creative thought and action, Patrick Schofield’s business grounding came through his formal education at the University of Cape Town where he graduated with an honours degree in business science. A strong believer in social entrepreneurship, he has worked hard to ensure that Streetwires is a true hybrid social/business enterprise. Patrick is the winner of the 2007 Top Billing Entrepreneur of the Year, and the 2002 Cape Times Business Personality of the Year, Editor’s Choice. In 2009, he co-founded Kwalapa, an organic wholefoods centre which supports the growth of urban agriculture.
<< back