Encuentro de Colaboración Ciudadana [Citizen Collaboration Meeting]

The Citizen Collaboration Meeting (ECC) is an event organized by the Mexican Center for Philanthropy (Cemefi) that will hold its fourth edition on May 12 and 13, 2026, at the Iberoamerican University in Mexico City. This edition holds particular significance as it coincides with the United Nations' declaration designating 2026 as the "International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development," a global recognition that underscores the importance of volunteer work in building a more equitable and sustainable future.

The ECC is conceived as a space for encounter, learning, and collaboration aimed at a diverse audience including youth, volunteers, board members, directors, and staff of foundations and civil society organizations, as well as representatives from national and international institutions focused on volunteering, leaders of corporate foundations, and socially responsible companies. The Iberoamerican University, hosting the event for the second consecutive year, offers a trustworthy environment conducive to exchanging ideas and building shared responsibility among the participating sectors.

The fundamental objective of the meeting is to promote the creation of a common agenda around citizen participation, making available to the philanthropic sector new ways to get involved, organize, and assume shared responsibility in the construction of the public sphere. Through various activities such as conferences, panels, workshops, and networking spaces, the aim is to stimulate the creation of alliances that allow for the weaving of collective actions with national impact, highlighting the importance of citizen initiatives.

One of the most notable aspects of the ECC is its interest in validating and strengthening the so-called "invisible support networks"—those that arise spontaneously among neighbors, colleagues, or families to sustain and improve their immediate environment, without the need for formal structures like names or logos. The meeting recognizes the value of these expressions of solidarity and seeks to integrate them with the work of formally constituted organizations, fostering more integrated collaboration with greater capacity for social transformation.

The event's program unfolds over two intensive days. On Tuesday, May 12, activities will begin with an opening lecture, followed by collaboration workshops, dialogue roundtables, and networking activities. During the morning of this first day, the International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE) and Cemefi will hold joint sessions within the framework of the International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development, adding an international dimension to the meeting.

On Wednesday, May 13, the agenda will continue with more networking activities, plenary sessions, and practical workshops designed to open spaces that facilitate the creation of strategic alliances. The focus of this second day will be on promoting citizen participation and volunteering from different institutional and community spheres, thus consolidating the ECC's purpose of articulating organized civil society, socially responsible companies, and academia around a shared vision of collective impact on the country's social dynamics.