Social Enterprise Feature #2 // Goma Collective
The second feature we’re running as part of this enterprise series is on Goma Collective. A social enterprise that focuses on creative projects. I came across Goma whilst listening to Loyle Carner, a young and talented Rapper from London, currently taking the UK by storm. An unlikely but enlightening find.
Whilst reading about a project Loyle and Goma were running together (A cookery school for kids with ADHD), I became interested in Goma and spent the whole night reading about who they were and what they're up to. Their attitude, ethics, and ethos blew my mind. It's exciting to know that there are young people out there making things like this happen.
Founder, Mikey Krzyzanowski is a skateboarder from Oxford with a humble and simple outlook on what the Goma Collection is trying to achieve. Sustainability is at its core, but the projects they're working are grounded in inclusion, improvement, and equality. Always putting something back into the communities they're working in, or are part of.
So far, for each project, they've been producing limited releases of products, with a minimum of 5% of profits going to community projects. They are raising money for the projects without over producing and being sucked into the never ending world of capitalism. Mikey says "When we get together to make products, it’s not about selling as many as we can, then moving on to the next thing. I want to make something that has a lot of value to whoever owns it."
Moving forwards, Mikey says they'll be focusing much more on the community projects, rather than just the products. Maximising social impact, reach and longevity of the work they're doing.
Goma collective continues to grow and explore new areas in which they can raise awareness and have a positive impact in communities across the globe. Their current project is in Brazil's largest Favela, 'Rocinha'. Here, they found a surf school teaching young kids to surf, speak a second language and care for their environment, all for free. If you have a second, please have a listen to the Rough Guides podcast to find out more about Mikey and the project in Brazil. It's fascinating, inspiring and breeds positivity.
m.soundcloud.com/roughguides/episode-8
