Social innovation ecosystems in migration in Latin America. The Hola America experience.

We live in challenging times. The world is at a crucial juncture regarding human mobility, marked by the sustained increase in migration flows, the polarization of public debate in response to this increase, and the progressive weakening of institutional capacities that could allow for a positive response to this situation. In a context of growing underfunding, measures unthinkable until recently are now being legitimized in the name of “managing” migration, measures that violate fundamental rights not only of migrants but of all people. Migration, far from being a “minor issue for the few,” is increasingly a key issue whose handling serves as an indicator of the health of the democratic system as a whole.

Latin America, of course, is no stranger to this somber moment. The region—which in recent decades has become a significant destination for migration flows, both within and outside the region—is experiencing a growing social polarization surrounding migration, a contraction in funding for this agenda, and a decline in institutional capacity to manage it.

However, humans have always been on the move. Moving across territory—despite difficulties and barriers—is a fundamental aspect of the human condition. Thus, the region is fraught with challenges, yes, but also with extraordinary stories: migrant and host communities creating synergies, innovations addressing the most pressing problems from new angles, and solutions transforming the lives of hundreds of thousands of people involved in mobility processes . Over the past five years, through Hola América and the global network Hello World , we have identified and supported these practices, learned from them, and set ourselves a challenge: to foster an ecosystem that places migrants who are innovating to change the current reality at the heart of the conversation about human mobility in the region.

Next, we will briefly present the work we have developed at Hola América in building and enhancing a social innovation ecosystem around migration in Latin America, and we offer recommendations for the future.

The mess

In an agenda traditionally dominated by state actors, Hola América chose to begin in an unlikely place: social innovators. This led to the development of tools, frameworks, and practices that continue to have an impact in various regions today. The most relevant of those developed and supported by Hola América since 2020 are:

1. Mapping innovations. Participatory exercises in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico identified initiatives already underway, led by migrants and community organizations. With a local perspective—from practice and the ground up—practices that often go unnoticed by institutions were brought to light, patterns were detected, and a contextualized analysis was generated to inspire new interventions.

2. Accelerating social innovations led by migrants. More than 40 initiatives were strengthened through support processes designed to amplify their reach, consolidate their models, and connect with other stakeholders.

3. Training and co-design with local governments. In Argentina and Chile, we promote territorial accelerators that bring together municipalities, migrant organizations, technical teams and entrepreneurs to design joint responses from the local level.

4. Guide to Good Practices in Migration Policies. To systematize what was learned, a guide was developed with frameworks, tools and examples applicable at different levels of government.

5. Transverse dimensions :

   1. Change the narrative. Initiatives such as Hacking Narratives and the Hola América Festival were concrete tools for transforming collective imaginaries about migration.

   2. Incorporate an intersectional perspective. Studies conducted in conjunction with UN Women and PRODEMU have highlighted the intersections between gender, migration, care, and exclusion.

With the strength and fresh perspective gained from working with migration innovators, we then turned to the ecosystemic approach. Because undoubtedly, many of the obstacles faced by change agents are not within themselves, but rather in the conditions of their environment.

This led to the emergence of multisectoral meetings (2020–2021) , pioneering spaces that brought together local governments, migrant organizations, businesses, international agencies, and academics to recognize interdependencies, identify patterns, and map shared challenges. Subsequently, the public policy roundtables (2022–2023) offered more focused processes where collaborative methodologies were tested to rethink regulations and socioeconomic inclusion programs in several countries of the region. And more recently, the Ecosystem Accelerator (2024–2026) has established itself as a collaborative design space at the regional level, articulating migrant leadership, social innovation, and public capacity to generate prototypes, alliances, andcollective learning.

A look towards the future

After more than five years, we have learned that ecosystems are not built on their own, nor are they permanent. For migration to become established as a system of opportunities, certain enabling conditions are necessary:

1. Situated and actionable knowledge. Understanding the challenges of migrant inclusion requires diagnoses built from the territories, based on the experience and knowledge of those who live the migration process.

2. Infrastructure for intersectoral collaboration. Co-creation spaces cannot rely solely on enthusiasm or one-off funding. Sustaining change requires stable collaborative structures among governments, civil society, the private sector, agencies, and migrant communities.

3. Financing that strengthens relationships and collective action. It is urgent to reconfigure financing models to support the building of trust.

4. Recognize and scale what works. Latin America is not starting from scratch: there are proven practices that can be scaled, adapted, and replicated in new territories.

5. Narratives that amplify what is politically possible. Public policies are also constructed in the symbolic realm and operate within cultural frameworks. Without transforming the imaginaries surrounding migration, many proposals will continue to be perceived as marginal or impossible.

6. Regional learning and action networks. Collaboration must transcend countries and project timelines. We need spaces for exchange and joint development that allow us to test, adapt, and scale what already works beyond political calendars and institutional budget cycles.

The “eye of the storm” in which global migration finds itself presents an opportunity to do things differently and to demonstrate the power of social innovation ecosystems in addressing the most complex issues. If not now, when?