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“The way feels much longer when you walk alone, but much shorter when you walk together with others. That is why we must collaborate across communities.”
Tania Gómez of Dos Tierras, a grantee of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF), shared this wisdom with nearly 300 community leaders, organizers and change agents who gathered in Mérida, Yucatán, for Sembrando Alianzas, a multi-day convening hosted by WKKF in June 2025. The gathering brought together grantees and partners from across Chiapas, Yucatán Peninsula and beyond, united by a shared commitment to creating more equitable, thriving communities for children and families in Mexico.
Sembrando Alianzas was more than just a convening—a living example of how culture and connection shape the futures of children. Over four days, participants engaged in group activities, panels and shared lessons to help build inclusive communities rooted in racial equity and strengthened by the full participation of children and youth.
One of the most powerful throughlines of the convening was the role of cultural identity and language in helping children develop a deep sense of belonging. Recognizing the Indigenous richness of Chiapas and the Yucatán Peninsula, the convening’s organizers provided simultaneous interpretation in Spanish, English, Maya, Tseltal and Tsotsil. This commitment to language justice reflected a core principle of the event: true equity begins with being able to fully express yourself in your own words, in your own voice.
Women advocates and entrepreneurs also played a prominent role throughout the event, offering powerful reflections on leadership, community and gender equity.
“As a Mayan woman, I prefer to use the term ‘companion’ instead of ‘leader’ because the word ‘leader’ sometimes has negative connotations in our community,” said Minelia Xiu Canché of the Red de Agroecología Comunitaria, a WKKF grantee. “As companions in a community, we walk alongside our people to guide them and help them discover the path forward.”
Many participants brought their handmade textiles and jewelry, honey, fruit and coffee to sell, showcasing how strategic investments are spurring economic development in rural communities.
Participants emphasized that for the progress they are making in their communities to be truly sustainable, communities must be empowered to lead.
“Give communities the tools and let them lead,” said Sásil Sánchez Chan of Rising Voices/Sol y Luna, a WKKF grantee. “They know the best way forward.”
Give communities the tools and let them lead. They know the best way forward.
Children’s participation in community life was also front and center in the conversations. “Children are a part of everything that we do in our society, and yet they don’t usually get a voice in decision-making,” said Tania Ramírez of the Red por los Derechos de la Infancia en México during a panel in which she reminded the audience of Mexico’s ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1990. “We must advocate for them to be seated at every table.”
Sembrando Alianzas planted many seeds, but perhaps the most important was this reminder: when communities come together with trust and shared purpose, they build not just for themselves but for future generations.
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