To change the narrative around migration from “takers” to “makers” by identifying, connecting and supporting changemakers and social innovators with a migrant perspective. This will also make their changemaking ability visible and contribute to enrich the migration and social innovation ecosystems.

Spain, focus on where changemakers from a migrant background live (i.e. rural and periphery cities)

Migrant communities face economic, social and exclusion challenges across the board. There is also a narrative, in the best cases, where migrants and their children are framed as “takers” or passive subjects in need of compassion vs. active changemakers eager to contribute.
More specifically, there is little support for changemakers from migrant backgrounds in the migration and social innovation sector, which seems to confirm this narrative. Also, few solutions from migrant communities are round migration a adding to this narrative and not including solutions from the migrant communities themselves (which would be more effective). When they are represented, it is often as people giving testimonies, or as token participants.

Migration population in Spain is over 6 million people. This is the final population that will benefit.
We have also identified many young leaders from migrant and minority backgrounds who are either social entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs in existing organizations, or who have great ideas to start something of their own. Their viewpoints are extraordinarily important in the sector, but they are consistently excluded from the “mainstream” ecosystem. We have mapped out around 30 of these leaders to start the experience, and have co-designed this project with them, so the community is more effective.
These leaders already have influence and following in their communities (locally and often nationally), meaning that working with them can bring power to many others.

Our approach has three strategic aims:
1) To strengthen, support and empower migrant changemakers by co-creating a learning community with migrant changemakers to create and offer training, workshops, networking events, other events (bootcamps, etc.) and sharing resources.
2) To enrich the ecosystems of migration and social innovation by increasing the presence of change leaders from a migrant background. We’ll act as a pipeline-bridge to nominate migrant leaders to key awards (including Ashoka Fellowship) and get migrant leaders invited to events, raise awareness in large organizations, etc.
3) To contribute to change narrative and perception of migrants from “takers” to “makers” by featuring these leaders’ stories.

A group of 20-30 changemakers from a migrant background will have greater organizational success, greater impact and are better positioned within the ecosystem, due to the tools provided and the visibility given.
The number of migrants will increase both in events, awards, fellowships as well as, hopefully, being offered leadership positions within top organizations of the sector.
As a result, more youth from a migrant background will be interested in social entrepreneurship and changemaking, and start creating organizations and initiatives. Many will be selected in social entrepreneurship programs.
This new narrative will be more present in Spain around migrants as active changemakers who are contributing to society (“makers”) and from whom we can learn.

1) Supporting and affirming leadership from changemakers from a migrant background. This strengthens leaders in the community, gives role models to younger potential leaders.
2) Helping these leaders increase organizational capacity. Initiatives from within the migrant community are more likely to engage migrants to participate, by supporting them, this will go up.
3) Building pipelines for leaders from migrant backgrounds to enrich migration and social innovation ecosystem will help initiatives and organizations in these sectors become more diverse and better at promoting democracy and citizenship.

My leadership in the migration sector as well as personal experience has led me to understand the need for leaders from a migrant background to be at the center of conversations. They currently are not. I have learned a lot from the few leaders I have been able to interact with, and from others that we are working with now. I’ve also realized that changing existing hiring and leadership selection processes is very slow and difficult. However, when a leader has an idea and builds an organization that works, their voice is more valued and it is more natural for them to be invited to decision-making spaces. This is why we have decided to support some of these leaders to both increase their impact in their communities and, for some, to get a place at the decision-making table.

EVENTS: (retreat, events, workshops,etc)
Transportation and accommodation: 3.750 EUR
Catering: 3.800 EUR
Venue fees: 1.500 EUR
Material: 1.250 EUR
PR: 2.000-3.000 EUR

People Cost:
Project Coordinator: 15.000 EUR
Part-time community manager: 12.000 EUR
Compensation for experts, facilitators and consultants: 1.500

Admin Costs: 10.000 EUR
Communications: 3.000 EUR

I really like the informality and logic sequence of the questions and how this website and fund is set up. It seems like a perfect setting to help leaders meet, connect and grow. Thank you!