Coastal Resilience Talks: The Social Determinants of Community Engagement in Scientific and Policy Projects by Pancho Argüelles

The Decade Collaborative Centre for Coastal Resilience, in collaboration with its Partner Alliance Network (PAN) — composed of the CMCC Foundation and Deltares — is proud to launch a new monthly webinar series.

Starting this fall, every month on Tuesday at 14:00 CET, a selected speaker will present a topic chosen together with PAN members. Each session will follow an interactive dialogue format, where the speaker’s perspective will be discussed and enriched by a PAN moderator. This innovative structure is designed to highlight the most relevant insights across the network, leveraging science, data, and innovation to tackle climate challenges and support sustainable coastal development.

The series opens with a special event featuring a long-standing friend of the PAN, Pancho Argüelles Paz y Puente, Senior Director at The Praxis Project, who will explore a theme that, while different from the usual coastal focus, is essential for fostering sustainable collaboration:

The Social Determinants of Community Engagement in Scientific and Policy Projects

Speaker: Pancho Argüelles Paz y Puente, Senior Director, The Praxis Project

Moderator: Giovanni Coppini, CMCC

Abstract
In this webinar, participants will engage in dialogue to share their experiences with community engagement, identify barriers and effective practices for respectful community participation in scientific and policy projects, and explore a framework that incorporates the social determinants of community engagement. The discussion will also consider the roles of power, privilege, and socio-historical context.

About the Speaker
Pancho Argüelles Paz y Puente, born in Mexico City, has worked for human rights across the Americas for four decades. He co-founded Fe y Justicia Worker Center, led the Living Hope Wheelchair Association, and now serves as Senior Director at The Praxis Project. He holds degrees from UNAM and UH–Clear Lake.