Categoría Knowledge
Lakua-Arriaga Launches Its New Community Care Initiatives
More than twenty people gathered in Lakua-Arriaga to continue shaping the process of building a community network in the neighborhood. The meeting brought together a diverse group: in addition to technical experts, participants included older volunteer residents, representatives from the parents’ association (AMPA), local organizations, and young people and immigrants, whose input had been gathered beforehand by the street educator.
The session began with a short skit performed by the Arriaga Loturik network, which brought to life three realities of the neighborhood: Maite, an elderly resident who volunteers but also requires care; Jose, who embodies the barriers to access faced by young people, migrants, and retired men; and Leire, the technical staff member who seeks to give the neighborhood a greater voice beyond the confines of the office.
The discussion stimulated debate and made it clear that the focus should be on ongoing, community-based processes. Two key challenges also emerged during the conversation: the need for a clearer commitment from the government and its adaptation to new neighborhood needs, and the need to better understand the spaces and rhythms of the groups with which it is most difficult to connect (youth, the immigrant population, and retired men).
After discussing four initial proposals, the group agreed to focus its efforts on two specific projects:
- Community Weavers: Establish a neighborhood support network with tangible tools and explore the role of a professional community facilitator to ensure the process’s continuity, drawing on lessons from experiences such as those in Getxo and Galdakao.
- Living Memory and Welcome: Combining recognition of the older adults who built the neighborhood with an active welcome for new generations and those arriving from outside, through initiatives such as photo compilations, community gatherings, or partnerships with schools.
The meeting concluded with very positive feedback and a desire to continue building on this progress. The next step in the process will focus on training sessions to begin shaping these two initiatives.
Network Architecture and Artificial Intelligence: New Opportunities for K-Tool with Pedro Portela
Pedro Portela, an aerospace engineer and complexity expert, met at ALC headquarters and in Donostia to work on and analyze future opportunities for the K-Tool digital platform and new approaches to social media analysis.
On September 30 and October 1, Pedro Portela spent several days working with the teams at the Agirre Lehendakaria Center, Bestiario, and the HiTZ Center (EHU). Despite his extensive career in the satellite industry, Portela has focused his work over the past decade on the social sciences and complexity, particularly in relation to the peacebuilding processes in South Sudan, analyzing funding models, network dynamics, and capacities for collective action.
Network Structure and New K-Tool Layer
During the session held at the ALC headquarters, attendees analyzed how different types of networks shape a community’s capabilities. Portela asserts that there is no single, perfect network structure: its suitability depends on the function the network must fulfill at any given time (mobilization, knowledge exchange, coordination, or mutual protection, among others).
Afterward, along with Bestiario, the technical possibilities for making a qualitative leap forward in the K-Tool platform were analyzed. The possibility of involving Arthur Amalir of Columbia University in the simulation and evaluation work currently being developed for K-Tool was also explored:
- Add a graph layer: Test a graph layer to analyze the relationships between nodes and information flows within the current relational data structure, without having to rebuild the entire platform from scratch.
- Investment simulations: Develop a tool to help philanthropic organizations and funders analyze the potential impacts and scenarios of a given investment on the structure of the entire ecosystem.
- Initial Test: Work4Progress Colombia was proposed as a potential initial test case.
Collaborating with the HiTZ Center
At the meeting in Donostia, the possibilities offered by natural language processing (NLP) and artificial intelligence were discussed with researchers from HiTZ. Among other things, the CPT shared the work it is conducting with the Urdaibai conversations to analyze different phases of the listening process using NLP and linguistic models. In addition, during the social simulations, participants discussed linguistic and cultural diversity, LLM biases, and the potential of probabilistic or stochastic approaches.
This visit opens up new avenues for better structuring the relationships among K-Tool data, analyzing ecosystems in greater depth, and linking network analysis with the future potential for evaluation and simulation.
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Shaping Future Sovereignty with TM eLab
The “Etorkizuneko Euskal Burujabetza” (Basque Sovereignty of the Future) project, jointly promoted by the Agirre Lehendakaria Center and Telesforo Monzon eLab, aims to identify the main sovereignty challenges that the Basque Country will face in the coming years and to analyze the existing capabilities, actors, and opportunities for collaboration to address them. Focusing on areas such as energy, housing, food, the Basque language, and education, the project seeks to link the debate on sovereignty to specific challenges, fostering new connections among stakeholders and identifying opportunities for shared action and experimentation.
In this context, ALC and TMeLab held a workshop in Bilbao on October 23 with the aim of taking the project forward. Building on the discussions that began in March and July, the workshop combined a presentation of the K-Tool digital tool, a collective analysis of the mapping work carried out to date, and a discussion on how to move from challenges to opportunities for collaboration.
Among other issues, the meeting analyzed the potential of K-Tool as a tool for dynamically connecting stakeholders, initiatives, and challenges. The discussion addressed several key points: prioritizing challenges based on the jurisdictions of the different levels of government, avoiding information asymmetries, and ensuring coordination among stakeholders.
For the next phase of the process, it has been proposed to move from general discussions to experimentation using a specific prototype. The development of a pilot project at the municipal or regional level was proposed, focusing on two or three areas (including housing, health, education, or sports, with the Basque language as a cross-cutting theme). The goal is not only to analyze the situation but also to connect existing capabilities, identify gaps, and test new collaborations in practice; thus, efforts will focus on both short-term learning and strategic experimentation over the next two or three years, avoiding duplication and fragmentation among stakeholders.
The meeting concluded with a roadmap and resources for the next phase. Over the coming months, an operational team will be established to define the methodology, the list of challenges, and each participant’s commitments, while funding options for carrying out the pilot phase were also analyzed.
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Rethinking traditional trades training
On Friday, October 23, the San Cristóbal School Market hosted the first co-creation meeting of the Social Innovation in Traditional Trades (ISOT) project. The event brought together some thirty participants affiliated with CESAL, primarily social organizations and public administration bodies.
This collaborative effort addressed a specific and urgent concern: How can we adapt our training programs to the current and future needs of young people? The discussion examined recent legal reforms (including the European Pact on Migration and Asylum) that affect the day-to-day operations of social organizations, particularly the shortened timeframes in the international protection reception system.
During the listening session, clear proposals were gathered to address their specific needs:
- Shorter, modular courses leading to quick certifications.
- Practical, skills-based training, such as obtaining a driver’s license.
- Looking beyond the classroom: emotional support during the transition to adulthood and assistance with accessing housing.
- A specific focus on rural areas, where versatile skills are needed more than highly specialized ones, supported by local working groups to facilitate integration.
- A stronger connection to the actual needs of hiring companies.
Based on this assessment, participants worked in groups to develop five proposals for pilot training programs that bring these ideas to life:
- Manitas 360 Training: A three-month basic theoretical and practical course in maintenance trades (electricity, landscaping, etc.) to train versatile professionals such as building maintenance workers, thereby reviving traditional trades facing a lack of successors.
- Work-Study Training in DIY and Technical Trades: A 200-hour program with the workday divided equally between theory and paid work at companies. It stands out for offering the possibility of subsidizing a driver’s license and for targeting both urban and rural areas.
- “Overcoming Inertia” (High-Demand Jobs): An initiative focused on trades such as caregiving (aiming to destigmatize female-dominated sectors) and mechanics. It proposes a long-term approach that respects the participant’s true calling rather than forcing a quick but precarious entry into the workforce.
- Fishing Training: An intensive one-month project to be carried out in coastal areas to decentralize training away from the big city. It seeks to build on the prior knowledge of young migrants, helping to repopulate areas affected by depopulation.
Multipurpose Fresh Produce Assistant: A 180–200-hour training program focused on preparing workers to rotate through the deli, fish counter, butcher shop, and bakery. It is designed to meet the enormous demand in the labor market at large supermarkets.
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Gorka Espiau holds the Elbira Zipitria Chair to foster social innovation collaboration between the Basque Country and Quebec
The director of the Agirre Lehendakaria Center has been appointed to the Elbira Zipitria Chair (2026–2027), established by Etxepare Euskal Institutua at McGill University (Montreal). During his stay, which will take place from October 26 to November 8, he will focus on social innovation and systemic transformation, facilitating methodological comparison and the identification of strategic avenues for collaboration between the Basque Country and Quebec.
Shared Learning to tackle complex challenges
Quebec is an international leader in the development of ecosystems for social innovation, collaborative governance, and the social economy. Espiau, who maintains close research and teaching ties with McGill’s Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Montreal Studies (CIRM/CRIEM), aims to further explore the co-design of new infrastructures geared toward addressing complex social challenges.
Over the coming weeks, the Agirre Center will share methodological advances and local projects it has developed, based on community engagement, collective interpretation, and the deployment of large-scale experimentation platforms.
Work agenda and key activities
The academic and outreach program, co-organized with CRIEM–McGill University, brings together various forums for debate and knowledge transfer.
On October 27, the seminar “Politiques de science, de technologie et d'innovation: perspectives du Pays basque et du Québec” will be held, designed as a forum for shared reflection on the public and industrial strategies of both regions. The program also includes the lecture “From Industrial Heritage to Democratic Futures: Lessons from Bilbao and Montreal,” which focuses on the impact of industrial heritage and urban regeneration from a community perspective. The agenda is rounded out by the presentation “Cities that Care: Building Compassionate, Democratic, and Innovative Communities from Bilbao to Montreal,” which will address the role of care, social innovation, and community cohesion in designing the cities of the future.
Elbira Zipitria Chair
Creada en 2022 por el Etxepare Euskal Institutua en colaboración con las facultades de Artes e Ingeniería de la Universidad McGill y el CIRM, la Cátedra Elbira Zipitria lleva el nombre de la legendaria educadora y promotora del movimiento ikastola, que busca conectar los estudios vascos con la innovación cultural, lingüística y social contemporánea en el ámbito académico internacional.
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Galdakao and Getxo Launch Community Initiatives to Prevent Suicide
To mark World Suicide Prevention Day, the community innovation initiatives Galdakao Zeugaz and Getxo Zurekin have launched various awareness-raising efforts to provide residents with information and support resources. Both initiatives—in which the Agirre Lehendakaria Center participates alongside local stakeholders in both municipalities and the Galdakao City Council—aim to strengthen care and prevention systems through active community participation.
As part of the work carried out in both municipalities, the K Tool platform and the efforts of community connectors—known as Ehulea in Galdakao and Lokarria in Getxo, a key role that Action Against Hunger is now also fulfilling—enable the community’s voice to be heard and help bridge the gap between public perception and institutional decisions. In this way, a network of shared responsibility is established that facilitates the co-creation of collective responses to situations of vulnerability.
Zurt Alert! The Pilot Project
In 2022, through a community co-creation session in Getxo, citizens themselves designed the information they considered essential to highlight in order to persuade and encourage people to ask for help. This collective effort gave rise to the Alerta Zurt! pilot project. From this participatory process emerged materials such as informational stickers to partner with local businesses and raise awareness of resources at locations frequented by residents—an initiative that was initially rolled out in municipalities such as Sopelana and Plentzia. In 2026, on the occasion of World Suicide Prevention Day, the Galdakao Zeugaz project joined the Alerta Zurt! movement.
Local Awareness and Information Resources in Galdakao
In Galdakao, the awareness campaign has been organized under the slogan “Garrantzitsua zara, entzuten zaitugu” ( You are important, we listen to you). Following in the footsteps of Alerta Zurt!, the initiative has placed stickers and informational brochures in local businesses to provide tools that help identify warning signs and offer avenues for assistance.
Among the materials distributed, the prevention guide stands out; it compiles helpline numbers such as the Osakidetza Health Council (900 203 050), the suicide prevention hotline (024), and emergency services (112). The document includes guidance on how to support and listen to people in times of difficulty without judging them. Additionally, the Galdakao City Council has created a dedicated section on its website featuring informational resources and risk factors.
Community Action in La Galea
Meanwhile, in Getxo, the “Alerta Zurt!” initiative—part of the “Getxo Zurekin” program—has organized a human chain in the area around La Galea. This peaceful demonstration aims to call for increased preventive measures, as well as the installation of informational signs and helplines in the area.
In both Galdakao and Getxo, these actions highlight the importance of strengthening local support networks and promoting holistic well-being through collaboration among institutions, professionals, community leaders, and citizens.
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“Listening Better, Acting Faster”: Social Innovation and Technology
The Work4Progress program is organizing the “Listening Better, Acting Faster” event on September 22, 2026, in New York—a one-day conference jointly hosted by the “la Caixa” Foundation, the Visa Foundation, and the Grupo Social Foundation during United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Week.
Against a backdrop of increasingly complex social challenges and a demanding funding environment, the event will explore how the philanthropic sector can strengthen collaboration among different stakeholders. Throughout the event, participants will examine the role of technology, data, and artificial intelligence in actively listening to communities, accelerating learning processes, and transforming information into initiatives with real impact.
The event will bring together leaders from the fields of philanthropy, multilateral institutions, academia, and civil society to share practical experiences. The working sessions will explore how collaborative approaches help identify emerging needs, adapt interventions on the ground, and scale up the solutions that yield the best results.
Within the framework of these community listening and social value analysis processes, ALC contributes its methodological expertise and the development of digital tools such as K Tool, designed to structure the interpretation of qualitative data and support participatory decision-making processes.
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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.
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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.