Categoría Knowledge
Models of Regeneration and Community Leadership: A Conversation with Clive Somerville
The ALC team met with Clive Somerville, Chief Executive of the South Waikato Investment Fund Trust (SWIFT). Somerville has a background in banking, technology, and community development, and currently leads initiatives focused on economic regeneration, social resilience, and intergenerational well-being in South Waikato (New Zealand).
His visit to the Basque Country is part of the research stay he is undertaking after being awarded the 2026 New Zealand Churchill Fellowship. This fellowship, granted by the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, enables professionals from New Zealand to travel abroad to develop projects that add value to their country. In this context, Somerville’s research analyzes how different regions—the Ruhr Valley in Germany, the Basque Country, and rural Ireland—have addressed processes of territorial regeneration and transformation under complex conditions, utilizing infrastructure investment, workforce retraining, and circular economy models.
Community-Based Work and Listening Approach
During the session, the team presented ALC’s history, its project portfolio, and its methodological approach to innovation and social transformation processes.
Throughout the discussion, special emphasis was placed on active listening and on the value of community narratives and perspectives in addressing complex social challenges. ALC’s methodological approach seeks to systematically incorporate the knowledge and experiences of communities, positioning them not only as a source of information but also as a key component in interpreting and guiding these processes.
The meeting provided an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the rural context of South Waikato through the experience of Somerville, addressing existing territorial disparities with respect to the so-called “Golden Triangle,” a key area for attracting investment and opportunities. The discussion also covered the fundamental role of Indigenous communities, the challenges of revitalizing the local economy, and the close link between identity, territory, culture, and language.
K Tool and a Comparison of Community Leadership
During the meeting, K Tool was presented as a tool designed to collect and organize qualitative information from communities, sparking a discussion focused on how to ensure that the community truly leads the processes of change. This led to a deeper exploration of:
- The difference between consulting the community and allowing it to have a real influence on decision-making.
- The need to move beyond designing initiatives “for” the community to building them “with” the community.
- The value of going beyond the one-time collection of testimonies to create ongoing spaces for interpretation, discussion, and decision-making.
Linked to this, the lack of neutrality in the evidence was analyzed, based on the understanding that qualitative information is neither collected nor interpreted in isolation from its context. Given that narratives reflect different positions, experiences, and power dynamics, it was concluded that the goal should not be to eliminate these perspectives, but rather to make them visible, contrast them, and incorporate a diversity of voices.
ALC will participate in the “Governing the Future” conference to discuss public and regional innovation
On September 3, the Espacio Mutua Tinerfeña will host the conference “Governing the Future: Public Innovation, Territorial Transformation, and Sustainability in the Face of Complex Challenges,” organized by the Government of the Canary Islands. The event will bring together experts to analyze how to anticipate changes, strengthen institutions, and transform public decisions into outcomes that improve people’s lives.
Gorka Espiau, director of ALC, will speak at 12:00 p.m. on the topic “Networked Governance.” He will then participate in the roundtable discussion “From Anticipation to Action” alongside Antoni Vives (City Transformation Agency), Melany Sosa (Science & Innovation Link Office), and Raúl Oliván (Hexagonal LAB).
The institutional opening remarks will be delivered by Fernando Clavijo Batlle, President of the Canary Islands. The program will include presentations on the new social contract in the face of complexity and the management of uncertainty by Josep Lobera (ONAC and the National Office for Foresight and Strategy), as well as the presentation “Territories That Transform” by Antoni Vives. In addition, there will be several brief K Tool presentations focused on the transformation of public administrations, territorial experimentation, and the scale of innovations.
During the afternoon, the session will cover topics related to community-based public innovation and multilevel governance for resilient regions, with the participation of UN-Habitat Spain. The event will conclude with a closing discussion on the Canary Islands’ potential to become a European laboratory for territorial innovation.
Related Information
The ISOT project launches 10 community-based pilot projects for social and labor inclusion
To gather insights and lessons learned from the process, the ISOT project continues to promote various opportunities for community listening and dialogue with the stakeholders involved. Evaluation and continuous improvement are integral to the initiative’s design, based on the understanding that the best solutions emerge and work best when they are developed collectively.
ISOT is a project co-financed by the Ministry of Labor and Social Economy and the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+). It receives methodological support from the Agirre Lehendakaria Center, which is responsible for the project’s formative evaluation, and from the University of Granada (UGR), which is in charge of developing the methodological guide and systematization.
A diverse, multisectoral space for co-creation
With the purpose of transforming the region’s challenges into real opportunities, a co-creation workshop was held on June 24 with more than 20 participants. The event stood out for the diversity of the participants, successfully bringing together key stakeholders from the area.
The breakout sessions brought together professionals from the Social Services departments of the City Council and the Provincial Council of Granada, students from the University of Granada’s Master’s Program in Psychopedagogical Intervention, and social organizations such as Provivienda, the Don Bosco Foundation, and CIC-Batá. The local business community was represented by leaders from the baking sector—such as the Alfacar Bakers’ Association, Zarina, and Sabor a Pan de Víznar—alongside the true protagonists: the students themselves enrolled in the project’s Bakery and Pastry courses.
This diverse ecosystem gave rise to 10 social innovation prototypes, which were distributed and developed across four working groups:
Table 1: Mobility and Generational Transition in the Bakery Sector
Challenge: Address the lack of adequate transportation for bakery workers to commute to their workplaces and training sessions.
1.-Accessible Individual Transportation Project: Agreements to provide bicycles or electric scooters (through loans or grants) to workers in rural areas without public transportation.
2.-“Let Me Get There Earlier” (Worker-Friendly Spaces): Negotiating flexible schedules with employers and setting up rest areas in public spaces for those who work early in the morning and lack bus connections.
3.-“Our Town, Our Bread”: An initiative in Alfacar focused on reviving and highlighting the town’s historical memory and baking tradition. Through this cultural revival, the goal is to ensure the next generation of artisans in artisan bakeries by bringing together master bakers and apprentices, complemented by campaigns to promote local products.
Table 2: Integration and Administrative Regularization
Challenge: Overcoming the challenges of social and labor market integration for people in the process of regularization.
4. Community Welcome and Counseling Fair: Regular, safe gatherings (fairs) that bring together in one place legal assistance, translators, help with basic administrative procedures, and support from migrants who are already familiar with the area.
5. Physical and digital resource guides: An easy-to-use tool (with maps, QR codes, and pictograms) to bring together all useful information on employment, housing, health, and administrative procedures.
6. Advocacy campaigns: Collecting signatures and mobilizing citizens to urge institutions to change the laws and regulations that hinder inclusion.
7. Awareness-raising in public spaces: Activities in streets and squares to break down prejudices in a hands-on way and improve coexistence among neighbors.
8. Comprehensive welcome program: Employment workshops and mentoring combined with a network where established migrants guide and support those who have just arrived.
Table 3: Overcoming the Language Barrier
Challenge: To facilitate Spanish language learning in training and workplace settings.
9. Pre-employment skills for all: Spanish classes and digital skills training within companies themselves (during breaks or work hours) using artificial intelligence to provide personalized support. The goal is for language learning to be a shared responsibility between the company and the participant, rather than the participant’s sole responsibility.
Table 4: Access to Affordable Housing
Challenge: Reduce the housing shortage and the additional barriers migrants face when renting.
10. “All or Nothing” (Housing Alternatives): Create temporary and permanent housing in towns and cities, using public or donated housing, and offer financial assistance or guarantees to facilitate renting.
Next Steps and Network Vision
These 10 solutions do not operate in isolation; rather, they are interconnected within a single ecosystem. As next steps, the proposals have been systematized within the Ktool digital tool to keep the process active and enable collaborative management. This platform will allow us to designate leaders for each proposal, map resources, and update the solutions based on the lessons learned.
Under the evolutionary evaluation approach, the goal is not to choose a single idea, but to test this set of solutions simultaneously. This will foster networked learning that allows us to quickly and collectively identify what works and what needs to be adjusted.
Inclusive Innovation in Manchester and Cardiff
In June, the Agirre Lehendakaria Center held a series of seminars in Manchester and Cardiff to gain an in-depth understanding of the inclusive innovation models being promoted in England and Wales. These meetings are part of a research project on 50 years of Basque policies in the fields of Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) that the ALC is conducting under the scientific direction of Cristina Uriarte.
The first seminar took place at the University of Manchester, thanks to the efforts of Professor Elvira Uyarra (Alliance Manchester Business Research), and the second was held at Cardiff University, organized by Professors Kevin Morgan and Rick Delbridge (Center for Innovation Policy Research). Representatives from research groups specializing in the study of innovation, science, and technology systems participated in both meetings, as did management teams from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and the Cardiff Capital Region.
In Cardiff, the seminar was chaired by Adam Price, the new Minister for Enterprise and Energy in the Welsh government, who has announced his commitment to strengthening the relationship between his government and Basque institutions to launch a new scientific and technological development agency inspired by the Basque experience.
Arrivals and departures at ALC: Beñat and Iker complete their internships, and Arthur joins the team
Our interns from Mondragon Unibertsitatea have completed their internship at the Agirre Lehendakaria Center, just as a new international participant has joined our IAP program.
Beñat Gorostizaga, a senior in the “Global Digital Humanities” bachelor’s degree program, is completing his internship after working with us since his junior year. During this time, he has actively participated in key projects at the center and, in fact, has just presented his final thesis, which focuses on the listening process for the Guggenheim Urdaibai project.
For his part, Iker Etxebarria Bilbao, a third-year student in the same program, has also completed his time at the center. During this time, he has worked on analyzing the evolution of science, technology, and innovation policies in the Basque Country, from the restoration of self-government in 1979 to their projected trajectory for 2030.
New Arrival to the International Agirre Program (IAP)
At the same time, we welcome Arthur Amalir, who is joining the team through the IAP (International Agirre Program) to contribute to the center’s social innovation projects and strengthen our international network.
Arthur Amalir is pursuing a master's degree in engineering at Columbia University and has a strong background in mathematics, physics, and data analysis. He specializes in designing computer models to understand complex systems.
The First Inter-Neighborhood Meeting of Galdakao Zeugaz Was Held
On June 17, the first inter-neighborhood meeting of Galdakao Zeugaz was held. At this meeting, the results of a full year of work were shared, and participants were shown how the needs raised by residents in the various listening sessions had been addressed. These needs and aspirations were organized into three main themes: community connectivity, neighborhood-based work, and improving communication through digital tools.
During the event, updated profiles of the municipality were presented using K tool, ALC’s digital tool, to illustrate how the municipality’s social map has evolved. Progress was also shared on ongoing projects, such as the initiatives in the Bengoetxe and Tximelarre neighborhoods, the “death cafés,” the integration of digital participation tools, and the pilot program for the “community connector”—a role that is already proving its benefits and will continue to be developed in a new phase.
Collective interpretation
The session included a group workshop to compare perspectives and collaboratively address the following question: How can we create a more connected Galdakao using what we already have? The working groups identified the following key points:
- Table 1: Proposed fostering intergenerational interaction and reclaiming public spaces through daily outdoor activities, as well as focusing on working with children to address screen time.
- Table 2: Suggested physically locating the “conectora” in neighborhoods to serve as a “radar” for the area, coordinating monthly visits by the “conectora” to the health center, and using the Galdakao Zeugaz anniversary to publicize the proj
- Table 3: Emphasized the need to flesh out existing ideas, improve accessibility for the most vulnerable groups, involve local networks such as Aperribai, and actively work toward the inclusion of migrants.
One of the priorities identified in this session was the need to strengthen follow-up and feedback with everyone who has participated at any point in the process, communicating the progress and lessons learned in advancing the Galdakao Zeugaz movement, and maintaining an open listening process shared with the entire community.
To follow up on the various initiatives prioritized in these sessions, it was agreed to strengthen the steering group through the role of “community weavers,” who will work hand in hand with the community connector.
Design of community initiatives in Galdakao Zeugaz is moving forward
On June 17, Tximelarre and Urreta hosted the second co-creation session of the Galdakao Zeugaz project. This meeting served to define the first “seeds”—or small community experiments—that will be launched this summer based on the citizen proposals gathered during the listening phase.
Priorities and Proposals from the Local Ecosystem
During the group work, participants analyzed different ways to adapt health and wellness initiatives from other settings—such as the Bengoetxe walks—to the context of Tximelarre and Urreta. Participants highlighted the opportunity to involve young families through parent-teacher associations (AMPA), as well as groups with specific mobility needs. Key meeting points for organizing these activities were identified as the Senior Citizens’ Association—with the proposal to reclaim the space of its former playroom—and other informal social gathering spots in the neighborhood.
Furthermore, there was a discussion about restoring community memory, particularly regarding the neighborhood’s traditional festivals held in late July—an interest shared by the young people who are moving into the Urreta area. They also explored simple ways to expand mutual support among residents (such as helping with package pickup or caring for children and pets), using visual tools to facilitate communication and neighborly coexistence.
Next Steps and Testing Phase in K Tool
Following the discussion, the immediate actions to be tested over the next two weeks as part of the social innovation process using the k tool were defined:
- Activation of the walks: Presentation of the initiative to local exercise groups to encourage resident participation.
- Reviving Local Memory: Launch of a neighborhood mail campaign to collect historical photographs of the festivities, which will be projected during a community picnic at the Senior Citizens’ Association during the Galdakao festivities. This gathering will serve as a starting point to reignite the conversation about the future of the Capi Neighborhood Association.
- Socialization and dissemination: Share updates and visual materials from the sessions through WhatsApp channels.
These initial experiments will be monitored throughout the month of July. The lessons learned and challenges identified during this phase will be shared at a new review meeting scheduled for late September.
Mayors' Forum at the 3rd World Congress of Age Friendly Cities and Communities
The Kursaal Palace in Donostia hosted the International Forum of Mayors under the title “Municipal Leadership in the Face of the Challenge of an Aging Population.” This political and deliberative gathering took place as part of the 3rd World Congress of Age Friendly Cities and Communities
The event brought together local leaders from diverse international contexts to reflect on the impact of demographic change on urban governance, social cohesion, and public innovation.
Four Global Perspectives on Demographic Change
The opening session, titled “Four Voices to Open the Dialogue” and moderated by Gorka Espiau (ALC), served to compare different global realities regarding longevity. Ricardo Luis Núñez, mayor of São Paulo, reflected on the complexity of managing aging in a large metropolis marked by diversity and social inequalities. From a very different cultural and territorial context, Jeevan Khatri, mayor of Changunarayan (Nepal), highlighted the value of community ties and everyday solidarity. For her part, Mechthild Weber, a member of the Hamburg Parliament, explained how a city-state structure facilitates integrated institutional responses that connect the local and regional levels. Finally, Jon Insausti, mayor of Donostia, advocated for the need to approach aging in a cross-cutting manner across all urban initiatives, empowering older adults as active agents in the city’s development.
A space for discussion and collective building
Following the initial discussion, the forum was organized into dynamic working groups. Participants explored in depth the challenges, tensions, and opportunities arising from the integration of aging into public policy and urban planning.
Through guided questions, participants discussed strategies for building more livable, sustainable, and healthy communities. They also examined the democratic role that older adults should play within government priorities and the new community partnerships needed for the future.
The conclusions and reflections shared during the forum will be compiled into an institutional statement that will serve as a policy contribution to the Congress and the development of the International Network of Friendly Cities and Communities.
The meeting concluded with remarks by Anne Berit, president of the Congress, and Thiago Hérick de Sá, representative of the World Health Organization (WHO).
Collective action, community-based work, and narrative analysis with Carmen van Bruggen
Researcher Carmen van Bruggen of the University of Groningen is conducting her doctoral research on the phenomenon of auzolan (community-based work) in the Frisian region of the Netherlands (known as Mienskip) and is comparing these practices with their counterparts in the Basque Country. Although not widely known, this type of collective and supportive response to community needs is common in traditional cultures and has persisted over time, particularly in rural settings.
The purpose of the meeting with Carmen van Bruggen was to learn more about this research and to explore how it relates to other research projects and programs being carried out by ALC. Since it is not possible to promote transformative innovation processes that do not respond to the social and cultural dynamics of the region, we are interested in examining how we are currently interpreting these types of collaborative strategies and what form they are taking.
From the farmhouse to the Mondragon Cooperativism
In this context, the discussion focused on the historical relationship between the traditional farming community and cooperation, highlighting how its self-sufficiency did not preclude community collaboration for tasks that exceeded individual capacity. An analogy was drawn between this model and the Mondragon cooperative system: autonomous structures interconnected through a network, a balance that has historically fostered greater social resilience.
K Tool and the Guggenheim Case
From a methodological perspective, participants discussed the potential of K Tool, the digital community listening platform developed and used by ALC for large-scale qualitative data processing, referring to the extensive work conducted in connection with the public debate on the expansion of the Guggenheim Museum. During that process, more than 1,000 real-life narratives were collected to identify underlying patterns and conduct comparative analyses. Thanks to this tool, it was possible to structure different levels of interpretation and systematically cross-reference people’s stories with their everyday actions.
Following this first meeting in Bilbao, Carmen van Bruggen will continue her research in Gipuzkoa over the coming days.
Collective intelligence responding to emergency situations
Agirre Lehendakaria Center welcomed Jayne Engle, a Senior Fellow at the center and an adjunct professor at McGill University in Montreal. During the meeting, Jayne Engle shared the experience of Polity, a cooperative that supports efforts to deepen democracy in digital environments.
Among other initiatives, Polity has collaborated with Engaged California through its digital platform, Ethelo. Engaged California is a platform for collaborative response between public institutions and civil society to the emergency situation that arose last year in California due to the wildfires that devastated the state. This tool allows users to visualize the complexity of different perspectives and response suggestions so that participants can prioritize proposals, weigh them, add comments, and see in real time how their opinions influence decision-making by public institutions.
