Comunidad M is an initiative to strengthen Hispanics in Philanthropy's partner organizations that accompany migrants, refugees and people in situations of forced displacement in the Americas.
BACKGROUND:
Civic House, Kubadili and Wingu joined forces with the Hispanics in Philanthropy (HIP) Migration Program to help their partner organizations expand and improve their operations and services so that they can offer an effective response to the reality and needs of migrants in the Americas.
The idea was to foster conversations among partner organizations by facilitating online encounters of discovery, connection and exchange, and through other channels, in which the organizations themselves are the protagonists.
LISTENING TO THE CHALLENGE:
At the end of 2020, after a diagnostic process, different needs were identified that justified the creation and development of a Community of migrant organizations.
The need for collaboration among migrant organizations prompted the creation and development of a Community of migrant organizations to strengthen joint work and enhance comprehensive care for the migrant population. At this stage of discovery, 100% of the organizations surveyed stated that they collaborate with at least three others in order to accompany the migrant population in their needs.
Likewise, all the organizations interviewed mentioned the need to strengthen collaboration ties in order to reach more and better the people they were accompanying.
METHODOLOGICAL DESIGN:
From this, we proposed to generate biweekly Open Space spaces to build community. Community spaces are places where pain, needs and possible solutions are exchanged, where learning, techniques and whatever is valuable for those who are part of them are shared. The experiences, knowledge and processes are related to what this community has been cultivating.
In 2021, we proposed to generate regular exchange spaces between the people of these organizations and thus generate the right conditions for the emergence of a community of practice.
In 2022, we continue to accompany Project M organizations to create spaces where they can open conversations that are not taking place elsewhere, facilitating monthly online meetings of discovery, connection and exchange, and through other channels, in which the organizations themselves are the protagonists, defining the issues and acquiring dynamics to start the path of self-management. For this, we developed a whatsapp group so that the community is more connected and can share different activities, actions, resources, calls and encourage horizontality.
COMMUNITY BUILDING AND RESULTS:
We invited organizations to co-construct the Comunidad M, 12 meetings were held between 2020, 2021 and 2022. In these meetings we managed to discover those phrases and mantras that reveal the purpose and great meaning that work has for the organizations, what unites them and the power of networking that they hold.
In addition, we carried out spaces of co-creation of the design of the monthly meetings with the organizations that presented the themes, which strengthened and enhanced the self-management of the Community. These meetings also served as spaces for the organizations to meet and get to know each other better and share their experiences and contacts for collaboration.
RESULTS IN THE VOICE OF THE PARTICIPANTS:
"The value of knowing that we have people who are deeply committed to supporting activists and organizers who are still on their way to developing community tools for a common good."
"The importance of putting our hearts into achieving peace."
"A point of support in various areas within our association, a channel for help, updates, immersion in various issues and a meeting point with other organizations."
RESULTS IN NUMBERS:
We were able to achieve the objectives proposed in 2020, 2021 and 2022.
Meetings held: 12
Total attendees: 304
Countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States and Venezuela.
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