Emma's Amazing Social Enterprise!
Donation protected
A little bit of background:
Hi everyone, my name is Emma and I’m the single mother of the loveliest 14 year old you will ever meet. My daughter is so caring and passionate about the welfare of others (she seems to make an 80 year old friend on every bus ride she takes, and has also been known to use her last – or should I say, my last $10 to buy a meal for the homeless man at the shops). However, much like me, my daughter suffers from anxiety that can be debilitating at times. It often leads to depression.
In the last two years my daughter and I have both required increased mental health support.
Even though I’ve been working in mental health and suicide prevention for years, I found navigating the public mental health system to be a nightmare and eventually had to access the private (and very costly) mental health system.
I couldn’t possibly afford to not work or to even go down to part-time employment. With a lot of unpaid personal leave and mounting bills, I had to leave the career I’d been building in the not-for-profit sector for a more lucrative job…
The new job:
My new workplace in the private sector was rampant with bullying. I’ll say that again – bullying!!
I was shocked at the lack of support provided to employees who were going to work every day only to be traumatised and go home in tears. No other employees would report the behaviour for fear of losing their jobs, but after years working in mental health advocacy I couldn’t just sit by and watch it all happen.
After 6 months of working closely with the CEO and writing letters to the Board, the bullying unfortunately continued and I had been labelled a whistle blower. My anxiety had reached its peak and I was forced to resign for my own health and the health of my daughter.
Traumatised by this entire experience, I’ve taken 2 months off work and my savings are running dry. However, it’s been worth it to be there for my daughter 24/7 while she transitioned to a new school that will better support her mental health. It’s also given me the opportunity to think seriously about the next steps in my career…
In short, I can’t afford to go back to the not-for-profit sector where I find the work rewarding. But I also can’t stand the idea of going back to the private sector just for the money…
The dream:
My dream of opening my own second-hand bookstore began to resurface. The dream I’ve had since I was 8 years old; of comfy couches and high stacks of books arching over children as they climb ladders to reach the high shelves – you know, something like a Quentin Blake illustration from a Roald Dahl novel :)
However, with the recent closure of my daughter’s favourite second-hand bookstore, I got to work on a new business model. A plan that could sustain through these times of online sales and e-books. A social enterprise that would combine my love of books and admiration of community development, and will also encourage children to read. Owning my own business will be a lot of work, but it does mean I can set my own work hours and be there for my daughter when needed.
The aim:
Without giving too much of the ingenious plan away - my mobile kid’s book exchange will visit schools and local community organisations and donate 10% of all book sales back to partnering not-for-profits (perfect for primary schools and not-for-profits with limited fundraising capacity). Kids and parents alike will be able to exchange books for as little as $2 with every visit, making the book exchange accessible to everyone. And with the support of local community groups and shops, the book exchange will bring communities together to support their local primary schools.
Once the book exchange is fully up and running, I aim to provide employment opportunities for people with physical and/or intellectual disabilities that require short shifts.
I would also love to franchise the book exchange in the future. It would be so rewarding to help other low income carers to own their own business and have the book exchange run throughout all of Canberra.
The nitty gritty:
My incredible (!!!) parents are lending me the money to buy the caravan that will be converted into the mobile book exchange. However, in order to really get this business started I’m going to need another $10,000. The money will help me fit-out the caravan, buy the stock, and support me and my daughter financially over an 8 week period while I make the community connections and partnerships that are needed to ensure this social enterprise really gets off to a great start.
Any help you can give will be much appreciated. I’m currently looking for part-time work to cover living expenses while I continue to care for my daughter and begin fitting out the caravan. If we don’t make it to the $10,000 I can assure you the money will not go to living expenses, it will all be saved for the business (which will just have to get up and running at a slower pace). I will keep everyone up to date with developments.
Thank you in advance for all your support and well wishes!
Hi everyone, my name is Emma and I’m the single mother of the loveliest 14 year old you will ever meet. My daughter is so caring and passionate about the welfare of others (she seems to make an 80 year old friend on every bus ride she takes, and has also been known to use her last – or should I say, my last $10 to buy a meal for the homeless man at the shops). However, much like me, my daughter suffers from anxiety that can be debilitating at times. It often leads to depression.
In the last two years my daughter and I have both required increased mental health support.
Even though I’ve been working in mental health and suicide prevention for years, I found navigating the public mental health system to be a nightmare and eventually had to access the private (and very costly) mental health system.
I couldn’t possibly afford to not work or to even go down to part-time employment. With a lot of unpaid personal leave and mounting bills, I had to leave the career I’d been building in the not-for-profit sector for a more lucrative job…
The new job:
My new workplace in the private sector was rampant with bullying. I’ll say that again – bullying!!
I was shocked at the lack of support provided to employees who were going to work every day only to be traumatised and go home in tears. No other employees would report the behaviour for fear of losing their jobs, but after years working in mental health advocacy I couldn’t just sit by and watch it all happen.
After 6 months of working closely with the CEO and writing letters to the Board, the bullying unfortunately continued and I had been labelled a whistle blower. My anxiety had reached its peak and I was forced to resign for my own health and the health of my daughter.
Traumatised by this entire experience, I’ve taken 2 months off work and my savings are running dry. However, it’s been worth it to be there for my daughter 24/7 while she transitioned to a new school that will better support her mental health. It’s also given me the opportunity to think seriously about the next steps in my career…
In short, I can’t afford to go back to the not-for-profit sector where I find the work rewarding. But I also can’t stand the idea of going back to the private sector just for the money…
The dream:
My dream of opening my own second-hand bookstore began to resurface. The dream I’ve had since I was 8 years old; of comfy couches and high stacks of books arching over children as they climb ladders to reach the high shelves – you know, something like a Quentin Blake illustration from a Roald Dahl novel :)
However, with the recent closure of my daughter’s favourite second-hand bookstore, I got to work on a new business model. A plan that could sustain through these times of online sales and e-books. A social enterprise that would combine my love of books and admiration of community development, and will also encourage children to read. Owning my own business will be a lot of work, but it does mean I can set my own work hours and be there for my daughter when needed.
The aim:
Without giving too much of the ingenious plan away - my mobile kid’s book exchange will visit schools and local community organisations and donate 10% of all book sales back to partnering not-for-profits (perfect for primary schools and not-for-profits with limited fundraising capacity). Kids and parents alike will be able to exchange books for as little as $2 with every visit, making the book exchange accessible to everyone. And with the support of local community groups and shops, the book exchange will bring communities together to support their local primary schools.
Once the book exchange is fully up and running, I aim to provide employment opportunities for people with physical and/or intellectual disabilities that require short shifts.
I would also love to franchise the book exchange in the future. It would be so rewarding to help other low income carers to own their own business and have the book exchange run throughout all of Canberra.
The nitty gritty:
My incredible (!!!) parents are lending me the money to buy the caravan that will be converted into the mobile book exchange. However, in order to really get this business started I’m going to need another $10,000. The money will help me fit-out the caravan, buy the stock, and support me and my daughter financially over an 8 week period while I make the community connections and partnerships that are needed to ensure this social enterprise really gets off to a great start.
Any help you can give will be much appreciated. I’m currently looking for part-time work to cover living expenses while I continue to care for my daughter and begin fitting out the caravan. If we don’t make it to the $10,000 I can assure you the money will not go to living expenses, it will all be saved for the business (which will just have to get up and running at a slower pace). I will keep everyone up to date with developments.
Thank you in advance for all your support and well wishes!
Organizer
Emma Judges
Organizer
Page ACT
