Ollin founder transitions to global role at People Powered

The future of democracy depends on local and national leaders sharing their knowledge and collaborating globally. As a demonstration of that cross-pollination at work, the Mexican NGO Ollin and the global organization People Powered announced today that Greta Ríos, Ollin founder and executive director, is transitioning to a new role at People Powered as community building director. 

Greta Ríos, right

Ollin, which Greta founded in 2011, originally focused on inclusion of youth in the governance of Mexico. Today the organization has grown to take on a broader mission: working toward a country with strong institutions, citizens and democracy. It has activated thousands of young people to participate in their communities and democracy; supported innovative, large-scale participatory budgeting (PB) programs in several Mexican cities; and coordinated research and monitoring to hold government accountable.

Established in 2020, People Powered is a global hub for participatory democracy. Its mission is to expand people’s power to make government decisions, by supporting organizations and governments committed to building participatory democracy around the world. It brings together over 70 national and local organizations, along with dozens of researchers and practitioners, to generate the knowledge, resources and support that governments need to launch and improve participatory programs. 

Ollin joined People Powered as a member in 2020, and Greta later became co-chair of the Global PB Practitioner Board convened by People Powered. 

Greta starts her role at People Powered part time on November 28, transitioning to full time at the beginning of March 2023. She will remain part of Ollin, serving as president of its board, to continue supporting the organization. Ollin will announce new organizational leadership in early 2023.

In its 11-year history, Ollin has achieved significant developments, positioning itself as one of the most influential NGOs working for strengthening democracy in Mexico. Ollin has a strong capacity for innovation and bringing new perspectives on social change. At this moment, they are using PB as a tool to make people fall in love with the idea of democracy, while also highlighting the importance of transparency and participation in public resources allocation. Ollin is confident that PB will spread throughout Mexico in the next few years and that it will play an important role in that process.

“People Powered has grown rapidly in our first two years, convening a powerful community of organizations to support innovative models of democracy. Greta has already stepped up as a leader of this global community, with over a decade of executive experience,” says Josh Lerner, executive director of People Powered. “This bottom-up expertise is what drives our work at People Powered, and it’s what our democracy needs. I’m thrilled that Greta will now direct our work to build stronger global support for participatory democracy, to expand people’s power to make the government decisions that affect their lives.”

Greta was selected as an Ashoka fellow and is also a Vital Voices VVLead participant. She was awarded the UBS Visionaries prize for social entrepreneurship in 2019 and is a professor at Tec de Monterrey, where she teaches courses on social movements and social project management. She is also part of the BMW Foundation Responsible Leaders Network. Read more about Greta’s extensive experience in her bio. We also posed a few questions to her below, about her transition and new role.

What are a few of your accomplishments at Ollin about which you are most proud?

There are so many, but ok, I’ll choose three. The first one is the team at Ollin. It's a very cool combination of people who are really committed to the cause and walk the extra mile in very creative ways. That is what has allowed the organization to reach the level of maturity needed for me to step away and take the job with People Powered.

Second, one of our greatest achievements together was in 2019, when we sued the Mexico City Congress and won. We actually forced the congress to stop violating citizens’ civil and political rights. Congress had been approving changes to laws that suspended the political rights for all the citizens in Mexico City. But when we sued and won, it was a moment when the system sort of told us, ‘We have your back, and everything you’ve been fighting for is worth it. The voice of reason is with you.’ It was very motivating.

Third was our transition from a youth-inclusion organization to one focused on assuring a commitment to the rule of law. We had created an image and attracted followers as an organization dedicated to youth engagement, so switching from one mission to another was not easy. Some people didn't like the change. But we made that leap of faith and it was the right decision. I am proud of foreseeing that we needed to change and then guiding the team through the transition. It was really hard, but we came out of it a more focused and stronger organization.

After growing a successful organization for over a decade, what attracts you to this new position on the People Powered team?

The decision was hard, and the reasons are complex.

First and foremost, I think that collectively, at the world level, we're going through some very dark times. It feels like we're back in the Cold War; it’s a big challenge for humanity, for democracy. Investing in democracy is not only a good idea, it is an urgent matter. By working with People Powered, and by helping to strengthen the members of our community worldwide, I think I can make a real difference.

Secondly, when I thought about my professional growth, I had two options: I could either grow Ollin by making it international or move to an organization focused on a similar mission that already has an international audience. And that’s People Powered.

And finally, it's going to be a nice change. I've been a founder for 11 years now. And sometimes it's a very lonely place. All the responsibility lies with you. It will be good to take a rest from that for a little bit and contribute to a bigger project. Plus, it will be fun. My professional life has always been guided by the question, “Am I going to have fun?” Because I cannot do a job full time if I'm not having fun.

At People Powered you will help expand the collective power of organizations and advocates working on participatory democracy. What are some of the learnings you’ve gained as executive director of Ollin that you think will most help you succeed in this mission?

One of the most important lessons is that organizations have limited resources, and that includes time. People Powered needs to be very clear about the requirements and benefits of membership. What are the necessary time investments and how will that translate into benefits? There are a lot of differences among the members, like language and structural maturity. We have a lot of organizations that are just starting in participatory democracy, and others that have been active for years. We need to make sure there is capacity transfer among and between them. The key to keeping members motivated is to be sure they are aware of how they are benefiting from collaboration with People Powered.

What are the trends and opportunities related to participatory democracy that excite you the most? 

One of the most exciting opportunities is the relationship between representative and participatory democracy. Democracy is evolving. We used to see democracy as synonymous with elections. That is, fortunately, coming to an end. But that also means we need citizens willing to invest their time in discussing these matters with their families and friends. 

It’s exciting but also challenging, because we need to get it right. We need an environment in which people with different opinions can remain friends and develop a shared vision, even if they don't agree on everything. Participatory democracy plays a very big role, by demonstrating that we can actually change the world through dialogue. But that also means that democracy will break your heart. In other words, even when you think your ideas are amazing, you sometimes don’t get to win. And that's okay. That doesn't mean you're not part of the community or you're not worthy. People just didn't feel that your idea was the right idea today. And that means you need to either work a little bit more on your idea or try to better understand other people's way of thinking. It opens a world of possibilities for everyone.

What are your hopes for the future of Ollin and People Powered?

For Ollin, I want everything. It’s my baby. I really want it to thrive and grow as an organization and be the reference point for democracy in Mexico. There's a lot of room for growth as it spreads participatory democracy around the country. I'm sure that the team is mature enough to bring Ollin into new spheres of influence and new challenges. I will be happy to accompany this process, but not from the steering wheel anymore. And I think that my new position with People Powered will be positive for Ollin, because I will be bringing a different vision, a more international perspective to its work.

For People Powered, it also has a lot of room to grow. It’s still a very young organization. It has just celebrated its second anniversary. One of the things that People Powered could do and is not doing enough, from my perspective, is collaborate with local governments. It has been doing a very good job collaborating with civil society organizations but there are also a lot of governments, especially at the local level, that could really benefit from a closer relationship with People Powered. Democracy starts at the very local level, and we could help local governments play a stronger role in creating more participatory processes and demonstrating more accountability. This sets them up to better defend themselves and show that even when democracy is not perfect, it is still the best system we have.

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To learn more about Ollin, contact Rebeca Gil at rebeca@ollinac.org. To inquire about collaboration opportunities at People Powered, reach Greta at greta@peoplepowered.org