Most of the time at NCN, we focus on our amazing network of shared spaces in North America, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t shared spaces elsewhere. Over the years, we’ve learned of some amazing initiatives around the globe. Here’s a sampling:
Japan
Japan NPO Center http://www.jnpoc.ne.jp/en/ NCN became aware of the family of Japan NPO Centers in 2007, when they brought members of our team to share what we’ve learned about the field of shared space (Read more about that work here : http://blog.tides.org/2011/03/17/sendai-miyagi-npo-center-a-lifeline-in-japan/ ). As of today, there are approximately 40 multi-tenant nonprofit centers across Japan, designed to support the capacity of the growing nongovernmental sector there.
Australia:
Visy Cares Hub, managed by Youth Junction http://www.youthjunctioninc.net.au/about-us/ (Melbourne): The Visy Cares Hub is an integrated youth service centers for people between the ages of 12 and 25. You can read more about this hub in our blog feature written by Karen Hart, a Fulbright scholar based with NCN in 2015. http://www.nonprofitcenters.org/visy-cares-hub/
UK
Ethical Property Company (London): http://www.ethicalproperty.co.uk/ The Ethical Property Company operates 23 centres for charitable organizations across Great Britain, Scotland, and Wales. They pride themselves on creating spaces that serve the triple bottom line and foster partnerships among their tenants. Additionally, the have a sister organization, the Ethical Property Foundation that educates organizations real estate and property management in the UK. http://www.ethicalproperty.org.uk/
Ireland
The Carmichael Centre for Voluntary Group (Dublin) http://www.carmichaelcentre.ie/ The Carmichael Centre is a human services hub in Dublin that is home to 48 charities sees over 40,000 people per year. In addition to shared space, the partners enjoy shared services that support their operations. Also, in 2016, The Carmichael Centre launched the Good Governance Awards, raising the bar of professionalism in the sector.
France
La Ruche (Paris) http://la-ruche.net/ Translated loosely to “The Beehive,” La Ruche is a coworking space for social entrepreneurs with five locations across Paris and the country. They also have an incubator program called La Social Factory that has supported 25 entrepreneurs from idea to execution.