Gaby Arenas de Meneses On Collaboration And Social Enterprises Catalysing Systemic Change Globally

Gaby Arenas de Meneses Catalyst 2030.png

Gaby Arenas de Meneses is a pioneering social innovator and entrepreneurial leader with over 15 years of experience catalysing systemic change.

As founder of the TAAP Foundation, she has transformed over 4.7 million lives globally through groundbreaking initiatives in education, peacebuilding, and social innovation. Her work has earned prestigious international recognition, including appointments as Rotary Peace Fellow (2021) and Ashoka Fellow (2014). She was named Social Woman of the Year by She Is Foundation (2020) and served as UN Ambassador for the Network for Peace in Latin America.

Gaby has co-founded transformative global initiatives including Catalyst 2030, The Weaving Lab, Colombia Cuida a Colombia, and NetEdu. She holds a Master’s in Development Communications from Universidad Católica Andrés Bello (Andrés Bello Catholic University) and specialised in Peace Studies at Chulalongkorn University. Her expertise in fostering cross-sector collaborations has established her as a thought leader in systems change.

Currently, as Co-Chief Facilitator at Catalyst Now, she leads an international team across six continents, promoting innovative solutions for complex social challenges and building bridges between sectors to create lasting global impact.

Gaby discusses why leading with trust and patiently co-creating solutions is vital for advancing peace building efforts and transformative impact globally, and the key mindset shifts enabling social entrepreneurs to tackle complex problems and drive systemic change.

Highlights from the interview (listen to the podcast for full details)

[Indio Myles] - To start off, can you please share a bit about your background and what led you to the world of social entrepreneurship?

[Gaby Arenas de Meneses] - It was not my initial field of work. I am a journalist, and I worked for several years as a producer and with the private sector organising events and corporate communication. I co-founded two enterprises to produce events.

At some point in my career, I met my husband, visual artist Carlos Meneses. Carlos was working with children, using the arts to help them perform better in school and to develop and overcome trauma. I was really interested in his work. It was a very complex time in my hometown in Venezuela, and during my master’s degree I began researching the relationship between arts, journalism, and peace building processes.

One thing led to another, and I eventually decided to transition from my work in the private sector. I sold my companies and became a social entrepreneur. Together with my husband, I co-founded the TAAP Foundation to use arts and journalism practices to promote peace building in communities.

As the founder of TAAP Foundation and co-founder and co-chief facilitator of Catalyst Now, could you share a bit more about these organisations and how you are advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals?

With TAAP, it was a journey that began in 2008 when we started working in communities. We developed a methodology using the arts for peace building. One thing led to another: we began working locally in Venezuela, but then became part of the Schwab Foundation Network in the region.

Later, I became an Ashoka Fellow, and that opened the door to collaborating with other organisations around the world. Almost 20 years ago, it was difficult to find open-source programs or shared methodologies. We didn’t have AI to help us, so learning about peace building (and especially sharing practices) was something we found very valuable.

At the same time, we deepened the impact of our programs in Venezuela. As the programs grew, we began to receive threats from people close to the government because the political situation was so interconnected with violence. We had to leave the country in 2014, moving to Colombia, where we were already engaged in peace building processes. We relocated the organisation there and began working internationally.

That journey became an incredible process of learning, not just from other organisations, but also from the sector itself. In 2014, the social sector was very competitive. Many social entrepreneurs were focused on being recognised: winning awards, securing grants, or receiving fellowships, because that recognition was necessary to keep their work going. Collaboration was difficult. Coming from the private sector, this was surprising for me.

In business, if you don’t collaborate, you can’t do your job. No company in the world can do everything alone; you must work with providers, communities, governments, and engage in advocacy. It was surprising to see how collaboration in the social sector was perceived as complex, even though it was essential.

When I became an Ashoka Fellow, I discovered a group of people who thought like me. There were other fellows and social entrepreneurs who wanted to collaborate, so we began exploring potential partnerships, and this eventually led to co-founding broader movements.

My first experience collaborating with social entrepreneurs internationally was The Weaving Lab, a movement we founded in 2014 that is still active today. It focused on learning how to weave collaboration within communities and between stakeholders.

This gave me an incredible group of friends and partners around the world, but more importantly, it showed me why collaboration is so essential. The impact we achieved when working together was far greater than anything our organisations could have accomplished individually.

During this journey, I had the pleasure of meeting Jeroo Billimoria. Jeroo is one of the co-founders of Catalyst Now, a mentor to me, and one of the social entrepreneurs I respect most in the field. Jeroo has always sought ways to strengthen our sector and increase the impact social entrepreneurs can achieve.

In 2019, I was in a conversation with Jeroo and a group of other social entrepreneurs where we agreed: we need to collaborate. The problems we are facing are too complex to tackle in isolation. We are not going to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals if we continue working alone. That was the spark that led to the first conversations about Catalyst 2030, which has since evolved into Catalyst Now.

Jeroo created a WhatsApp group, which quickly became very active. What started as 50 or 90 members has now grown into a global movement of more than 6,000 members across 121 countries.

There are many ways to advance the SDGs, but one of the key lessons we learned is that to truly achieve them, we must transform systems. That is exactly what our members are doing; collaborating to transform systems locally in their communities, at national and regional levels, and globally.

Today, Catalyst has 75 active cross-sectoral collaborations. It now includes not only social entrepreneurs but also private companies, institutions, local governments, and social businesses. It has become a diverse and vibrant global movement.

I have the privilege of serving as co-chief facilitator alongside Fredrik Galtung. We are living the collaboration we preach, working with an extraordinary group of social entrepreneurs who lead the movement in different capacities, whether through governance, collaborations, or regional chapters.

You’ve led and contributed to initiatives impacting millions worldwide. Could you share some of the biggest or most pivotal lessons you’ve learned in leading systems-level change?

It’s important to understand that systems are made by people. Systems do not change if people don’t change. When you analyse system change, one of the most complex aspects is shifting people’s mindsets, relationships, and power dynamics, because these are the elements that sustain change in the long term.

Just yesterday, I was in a conversation with one of our members who asked why, when we do peace building, we incorporate communities at the negotiation table. For me, the answer is very simple: if you don’t include the community, children, young people, mothers, teachers, churches, everyone peace will not be sustainable. It will not be sustained because it won’t have the commitment of the people who coexist and must keep it alive.

The same applies to systems. If you are trying to transform the educational system, you need to include families, students of all ages, founders, investors, institutions, and politicians. The reality is that if you don’t involve everyone in the process, and if you don’t change power dynamics and people’s mindsets, change will not be sustainable.

The moment you step away, or the organisation stops its programs and interventions, things will return to how they were before, or even worsen. We’ve seen that happen many times. That’s why it’s so important, and most of our insights have been related to this: if we want to change systems, we must begin with mindset change. We need to start by changing the way we relate to problems and to the system itself.

I’d like to share a recent example from Catalyst. At the end of March and beginning of April, conflict erupted in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In the first conversations with our members there, they responded as any social entrepreneur might: asking what could be done in terms of humanitarian support for those suffering, advocacy with governments to secure a ceasefire agreement, or mobilising support from international organisations such as the United Nations. This is the immediate reaction we tend to follow when crises erupt.

But after a few deeper conversations about the root causes of the problem and what was truly needed, our members realised something unexpected: they required mental health support. When you are in the middle of a conflict, that is often the last thing you think of. Yet they recognised that in order to keep working effectively, they needed to receive mental health care themselves, and they needed to learn how to provide it to their teams, organisations, and the communities they served.

That simple realisation, combined with the work we did through our mental health collaboration and sharing tools and methodologies, completely shifted their approach. For the first time in years, a group of social entrepreneurs had a seat at the negotiation table alongside governments. They sat as equals with international representatives, able to negotiate not from a place of pain, anger, or frustration, but from a more grounded and constructive position.

Changing systems is not just about structures, practices, or processes. It also requires deep internal work, mindset shifts, new ways of relating to others, and rebalancing power dynamics. Without that, systemic change cannot be sustained.

How can you build genuine relationships and collaboration between different sectors and initiatives, especially when working across diverse regions and cultures?

Social Innovation and Social Enterprise.png

You need to be aware that relationships and trust cannot be rushed. Time must be dedicated to listening, getting to know one another, and developing mutual understanding. This isparticularly when you are collaborating with people who are not like-minded or are not connected with your sector. Sometimes you have to step back and really try to understand their point of view.

We always encourage our members who are working in collaboration to focus on trust building with stakeholders. That means taking the time to listen, using different methodologies for listening, co-creating, and developing understanding. Only after that process should you begin exploring potential solutions together and co-creating specific actions.

This has also been a personal exercise for many of us: unlearning what we were taught as social entrepreneurs. We were trained to design solutions, to believe our solutions were the most effective, and to promote them. But sometimes, when you truly listen, you realise that what you are offering is not what the community actually needs.

One beautiful example comes from one of our members working in disaster preparedness in India. Their team was creating prevention methodologies: handbooks, guidelines, and documents to help communities become more resilient and prepared before disasters struck. But when they shared these resources with the community, they realised many of the people could not read or fully understand these materials.

They had to undo much of their work and develop new methodologies together with the community, using formats and approaches that were culturally relevant and accessible. This happens often: well-designed tools may not work if they don’t align with the cultural beliefs or lived experiences of the communities you’re serving.

That is why collaboration must always begin with listening and trust building. It is impossible to co-create something meaningful with someone you don’t trust.

How do you define peace building in the context of social enterprise and social innovation, and why is it so critical to building lasting, sustainable change?

Peace building has many definitions depending on who you ask. If you asked me the same question while wearing one of my different hats, for example as a peace negotiator, a social entrepreneur, or a journalist, you would receive very different answers.

But at the end of the day, I see peace building as the process of establishing agreements and peaceful coexistence within communities. It is about creating opportunities for communities to live and flourish, with access to resources and opportunities, so that people do not need to resort to criminal activity or conflict in order to survive.

This requires several elements. One of the most important (yet one that is often ignored in conversations about social entrepreneurship) is trauma healing. It is impossible for a community to truly flourish and live with wellbeing if it does not go through a process of healing, forgiveness, and reconciliation.

In communities that have been victims of violence or conflict, unaddressed resentment and anger will inevitably lead to future conflict. Unless these conversations are had, and communities are supported to work through them, cycles of violence will continue.

The second crucial element is creating the conditions for people to understand the true costs of violence and conflict. This is something we often forget about, but it is essential if we are to build lasting peace. I’d like to share a personal example, rather than those of our members, out of respect for them.

Gaby Arenas de Meneses Co-Chief Facilitator Catalyst Now.png

I am a refugee. I left my country 11 years ago and I am unable to return. For many years, I worked fuelled by anger. My thoughts were: I need to change this. I must do something to stop this injustice. How is it possible that my people are suffering like this? That sense of injustice drove me, but the reality was that after years of working in that state, I burned out. I lost much of the support I had for my cause, because people do not want to support anger.

People want to solve injustice, yes. People want peace, yes. People want restoration, yes. People also sometimes want reconciliation. But the reality is that the source and driving force behind the change you seek is just as important as the change itself.

One of the biggest lessons I learned was that I had to go through my own personal journey of forgiveness and reconciliation. I had incredible support from The Wellbeing Project , the Reconciliation Initiative led by two Colombian Ashoka Fellows at the Centre for Forgiveness and Reconciliation, and from The [Global] Forgiveness Initiative in collaboration with founders, organisations, and universities worldwide. I even studied the neuroscience of forgiveness, because I needed to understand it deeply.

At some point, everything shifted for me personally. My motivation was different, my understanding was different, my way of working was different, and my results were different too. I was able to reach more people, gain more support, work more efficiently, and create greater impact, because the driving force behind my work had transformed into something that others genuinely wanted to support.

If you translate that lesson to any cause in the world, you will see a difference. That is why I often challenge our friends and members who work solely from a place of activism: how many of the movements did we see last year create lasting change?

Take Black Lives Matter, for example. It was an incredibly important movement that put a critical issue on the table, but it did not end racism in the United States. Movements bring attention to problems, but without a driving force that connects with people, they often do not deliver solutions that last.

You need to identify the change you want to create and how to make it lasting. From what we have seen in the communities we work with, lasting change only happens when it transforms the way people live, both now and in the future. That means changing education, making systems fairer, creating opportunities for everyone, supporting mental health and wellbeing, and developing human rights protection programs that guarantee every single person the opportunity to live with dignity, regardless of where they come from, who they are, their skin colour, religion, or beliefs.

I know this may sound like an idealistic topic, but we have seen countries that have managed to do it. Recently, I had the privilege of speaking with our members in Kazakhstan about their country’s transformation. They are learning how to drive change and how innovation can support this journey.

Another example is Colombia. After 50 years of conflict, the country is truly transforming. People are saying: we don’t want more violence, we don’t want to live like this anymore, we want something different. They are demanding institutions, respect, justice, restoration, and opportunities.

Of course, it takes time. It’s not easy. It’s a long process that requires personal growth, development, and continuous learning. But, it is essential. At the end of the day, if you don’t do this work, you will always return to conflict. And everyone who works in contexts of violence and conflict knows one truth: violence only brings more violence.

You’re going to be an upcoming speaker at the Social Enterprise World Forum in Taipei later this year, on the 29th and 30th of October. What are you most looking forward to about this event?

I’m so excited to be participating in the Forum. First of all, I’m looking forward to connecting in person with our members in Asia. For the past year, as co-chief facilitator, I’ve been working with them mostly over Zoom. Usually it is very late at night for them and very early in the morning for me when we work together. To finally be together, in the same place and the same time zone, will be incredible.

I’m also very excited about the perspective of the Forum this year. We are living in a historical moment with many complex issues happening around the world, and we cannot ignore them. It is not an easy time.

We are seeing regions suffering from climate disasters, earthquakes, floods, and the displacement of people. We are also witnessing severe economic problems, political instability, and shortages of resources. These are difficult times. When navigating moments like this, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, pessimistic, and to lose perspective. That is why I believe this Forum is so important. It brings together people who are genuinely changing systems, not only to inspire one another, but also to share what is working and how it is working.

I think that exchange is essential, especially now. I am really looking forward to learning from everyone attending the Forum and hearing about their local realities. I want to understand how those realities can translate into changes that can be adapted and adopted globally. After all, we live in a global world.

What would be your advice for social entrepreneurs who are trying to move from local contexts and solutions to creating collective impact?

I’m not very fond of giving advice, because every social entrepreneur has a different journey. What I can do, however, is share some of the lessons I’ve learned in my own path, and perhaps they might be useful or inspiring for others.

The first lesson is don’t fall in love with your solution. I know this is difficult, because when you pour your heart into creating something (an organisation or a program) you naturally believe it is the best solution. But if you want to collaborate, you must be open to making changes, adapting your methodologies, and co-creating with others. That requires stepping away from being “in love” with your own program.

The second lesson, which I think is more relevant now than ever, is: don’t depend solely on funders or external funding to do your work. That will jeopardise your mission.

From day one, if possible, build a revenue model for your organisation. Every organisation should have diverse ways of funding its work, and social entrepreneurs must learn to manage finances so they are not dependent only on grants. Develop whatever works for your context: products, services, revenue models, or crowdfunding mechanisms. Otherwise, you and your team will be in a constant state of stress, always chasing the next source of funding.

The third lesson I’ve learned is this: when you want to collaborate and connect globally, the most important thing you can do is listen and connect. People often go to networks like Catalyst Now, Ashoka, Schwab, or Skoll looking for ready-made solutions, or expecting others to tell them what to do. But you won’t find that there. What you will find, if you go with an open mind and a willingness to listen, are opportunities, and many of them.

It’s your responsibility to be open, to take risks, to attend learning sessions and explore things you’ve never done before, to go to events and connect with people outside your usual circle of stakeholders, and to participate in collaborations or co-creations and see what emerges. Your role, your mindset, and your willingness to engage are more important than the role of these networks or international actors. You need to be the one who genuinely wants to connect and collaborate.

That requires a mindset shift. Like any other area of life, how you show up is what people will receive. If you show up to a family meeting ready to fight, you’re not likely to have the best relationships. If you show up to school or university without the energy to study, you probably won’t learn much; even if you’re at the best institution in the world.

Collaboration is no different. If you show up believing it’s not going to work, then it probably won’t work for you, even if it’s working for thousands of others.

What inspiring projects or initiatives have you come across recently that are creating positive change?

First of all, if you want to see many of them, I encourage you to visit the Catalyst Now website and explore the list of collaborations.

One organisation that comes to mind immediately is the collaboration with Sociopreneur in Asia. They are doing incredible work transforming education in Indonesia, working to embed social entrepreneurship into education and reform the educational system through collaboration with multiple actors across the country.

This connects closely with the work of Dream A Dream and young people in India, which I find truly impressive and remarkable. They are not only working in education but also focusing on youth empowerment and mental health issues that are absolutely crucial.

This also made me think about the work of our mental health collaboration, and in particular Chris Underhill, who has been supporting mental health initiatives with governments in the UK. Alongside this, many of our members are also working on climate-related initiatives, such as Economy of Love. Their work is equally remarkable.

Honestly, I could go on for hours sharing inspiring examples. There are hundreds, even thousands, of them around the world. One of the most important things for me, when I began working internationally 15 years ago, was dedicating time to learn from these initiatives.

Back then, I would explore the Ashoka website or reports from the TAAP Foundation. Today, much of that knowledge is accessible through Catalyst Now. Taking the time to read, learn, and be inspired by the incredible work of social entrepreneurs everywhere is something I recommend to everyone, because there is so much insight and wisdom to be found in the field.

To finish off, are there any books or resources you would recommend to our listeners?

I’m going to recommend a few books that may not seem directly connected to social entrepreneurship, but they completely changed the way I understand it.

The first is The Surrender Experiment by Michael A. Singer. It’s a book about surrendering to the flow of life. This can be through meditation, yoga, observing the signals around us, and spending time in nature. Even if you don’t practise yoga or meditation, the book teaches you how important it is to pay attention to those signals. For me, it was crucial because it opened my mind to innovation in a new way, reminding me that opportunities don’t always arrive in the form we expect. Sometimes they come in a different way, one that may be even more powerful.

The second is Happy Money by Ken Honda. It’s no secret that many social entrepreneurs struggle with money, resources, and sustainability. This book was transformative for me. It helped me understand that there is enough for everyone, and what we need to learn is how to connect with that sense of abundance.

The last book I will recommend is Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself by Dr. Joe Dispenza. It reminds us how often our ego controls what we do more than our purpose. Sometimes we don’t even notice it. But when you start to become aware of the mindsets, habits, and ideas driven by ego (and you let go of them) you can be more collaborative, impactful, and ultimately happier in your work.