💡How can collective action drive democratic innovation in Latin America?

Hello,

What if we saw democracy not as a fixed structure, but as a living organism? A system that grows stronger through connection, care, and collaboration.

Imagine democracy as a neural network: each node representing civil society, governments, and the private sector. For this system to thrive, the democratic “synapses” between them must remain strong. But when these connections fray, the entire system weakens.

At the Centre for Public Impact (CPI), we’re responding to this challenge with the launch of CPI’s Collective: “Innovation for Democracy in Latin America”- a year-long initiative designed to build and strengthen regional democratic synapses through systemic collaboration. 

✍️ Discover more in our latest blog

Together with over 15 organisations from seven countries, we are identifying key areas to strengthen democracy and co-creating solutions in areas such as participation, representation, and trust.

Why? Despite the richness of democratic innovations across Latin America, many remain isolated. CPI’s Collective is here to change that – weaving a resilient and connected democratic fabric, rooted in local experiences and shared learning across borders.

CPI’s Collective is activating new democratic synapses: moving from fragmented participation to collective action, from local achievements to regional systemic change. Through systemic collaboration, we are reimagining democracies as something evolving, with the capacity to adapt, grow, and meet the needs of our time.

Want to follow our journey? Read our latest blog or join our Substack. Because just like neurons, our democracies grow stronger when they are connected. As José "Pepe" Mujica once said:

"Democracy is not perfect, it is full of defects because they are our human defects, but so far we have not found anything better. Therefore, it is easy to lose it and difficult to regain it. You have to take care of it." (07/13/2023, speech to young people at the 59th Congress of the National Union of Students of Brazil, Brasilia)

Best wishes,

Javiera Godoy

🔗 Connect with Javiera on LinkedIn

Hola,

¿Que tal si viéramos la democracia no como una estructura fija, sino como un organismo vivo? Un sistema que se fortalece a través de la conexión, el cuidado y la colaboración.

Imaginemos la democracia como una red neuronal: cada nodo representa a la sociedad civil, los gobiernos y el sector privado. Para que este sistema prospere, las "sinapsis" democráticas entre ellos deben mantenerse fuertes. Pero cuando estas conexiones se desgastan, todo el sistema se debilita.

Desde el Centro para el Impacto Público (CPI), estamos respondiendo a este desafío con el lanzamiento del Colectivo CPI: “Innovación para la Democracia en América Latina”, una iniciativa de un año diseñada para construir y fortalecer las sinapsis democráticas regionales a través de la colaboración sistémica.

✍️ Descubre más en nuestro último blog

Junto con más de 15 organizaciones de siete países, estamos identificando áreas clave para fortalecer la democracia y co-creando soluciones en temas como la participación, representación y confianza. ¿Por qué? A pesar de la riqueza de innovaciones democráticas en toda América Latina, muchas permanecen aisladas. El Colectivo CPI está aquí para cambiar eso – tejiendo un tejido democrático resiliente y conectado, arraigado en experiencias locales y aprendizaje compartido a través de las fronteras.

El Colectivo CPI está activando nuevas sinapsis democráticas: pasando de la participación fragmentada a la acción colectiva, de logros locales al cambio sistémico regional. A través de la colaboración sistémica, estamos reimaginando las democracias como algo en evolución, con la capacidad de adaptarse, crecer y responder a las necesidades de nuestro tiempo.

¿Quieres seguir nuestro viaje? Lee nuestro último blog o suscríbete a nuestro Substack. Porque al igual que las neuronas, nuestras democracias se fortalecen cuando están conectadas.

Y como dijo José “Pepe” Mujica una vez:

“La democracia no es perfecta, está llena de defectos porque son nuestros humanos defectos, pero hasta hoy no hemos encontrado nada mejor. Por lo tanto es fácil perderla y difícil volverla a ganar. Tienen que cuidarla.” (13/07/2023, discurso ante jóvenes en el 59 Congreso de la Unión Nacional de Estudiantes de Brasil, Brasilia)

¡Saludos!

Javiera Godoy

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