Session 6. 1. B.

In the context of transdisciplinary research in Latin America, community members often expect to be recognized as citizens with valuable capabilities and knowledge, co-creating a common understanding of social-ecological systems and strategies to safeguard resources. Communication has played a major role in recovering historical memory and driving social changes in Latin America, particularly within social mobilization, such as decolonization and environmental justice movements. For many Latin American actors, such as local communities, grassroots organizations, and leaders from non-profit organizations, the term ‘communication’ is understood as something shaped and transformed by lived experiences, cultural narratives, traditions, and power dynamics. The Network for Participatory Research in Latin America (Red de Investigación Participativa en América Latina - RIPAL) is developing a repository of transdisciplinary research tools and cases for the region that are publicly accessible online. The objective of this work is to compare and analyze these tools and cases, to answer questions about the factors affecting the communication between researchers and non-researchers, the forms and channels of communication (e.g., oral, visual, written, or performative), and how inclusive different worldviews are in these communications. These tools are applicable in pedagogical, practical, and research contexts. They facilitate the use of qualitative and quantitative data and promote consensus. They are collaborative, useful for stakeholder mapping, applicable in in-person or virtual workshops, foster trust, and are suitable for all ages and diverse contexts. Within this work we aim to offer a common ground to facilitate discussions on the challenges and opportunities in advancing communication within transdisciplinary research on Latin American common-pool resources.

In the Ecuadorian Andes, community-based irrigation systems managed by peasant and indigenous communities are under threat due to the increasing migration of young people to cities and abroad and the lack of economic opportunities in rural areas for young professionals. This research aims to examine how young people contribute to transforming community water management for agroecological production in hydrosocial territories of the Ecuadorian Andes. It first analyzes the inclusion of young people in community irrigation organizations. Then, it evaluates the role of international cooperation in supporting the implementation of agroecological practices as socioeconomic opportunities for young people. Finally, it explores avenues for strengthening youth leadership in community management of irrigation water and agroecological innovations. More broadly, we aim to break with the stereotypes often associated with young people as being lazy or apolitical. Another common imaginary is to portrait a massive return of young entrepreneurs to rural areas and place all the responsibility for a sustainable future on their shoulders. On the contrary, this research aims to show the more complex realities and challenges faced by the actual rural youth. This research analyzes these transformations in three hydrosocial territories of the Ecuadorian Andes: the indigenous communities of Cangahua (province of Pichincha) and Quisapincha (province of Tungurahua), and the peasant community of Yunguilla (Metropolitan District of Quito, DMQ). This project offers a transdisciplinary approach by enhancing collaborative research between academia and the community, by involving young people from rural areas into the production of research results through creative products such as multilingual videos in Kichwa and Spanish. The main result of this project is expected to be the strengthening of youth leadership in community organizations that manage irrigation water systems and agroecological practices in community territories.

The International Summer of Science (ISS) is an interdisciplinary research program that, over the past three years, has supported more than 60 women students from 12 Indigenous communities across Mexico (https://www.eaamo.org/projects/rednacecyt-2024-summer-of-science-program). A collaboration between the ACM Conference on Equity and Access in Algorithms, Mechanisms, and Optimization (EAAMO) and various state research councils in Mexico, the ISS is designed to empower Indigenous women scholars to address critical issues in their communities by bridging traditional knowledge systems with techniques from computer science, algorithms, A.I and STEM more broadly.

In alignment with the 2025 IASC theme of “Regenerating the Commons,” this paper explores the ISS as a transformative initiative that equips Indigenous women to become advocates for the sustainable management of shared resources. The program’s projects span natural, cultural, and digital commons, addressing challenges such as water resource management, biodiversity conservation, and the preservation of indigenous culture and language. Participants receive mentorship, access to academic networks, and opportunities to present their work at international conferences, positioning them to influence both local and global policy.

This paper presents case studies from the ISS, showcasing the tangible impact of its projects on revitalizing the commons. It examines how the program fosters collaboration between researchers and Indigenous participants, demonstrating the value of integrating diverse knowledge systems to tackle pressing environmental, social, and technological issues.

By supporting Indigenous students and amplifying their voices, the ISS exemplifies how grassroots initiatives can regenerate the commons through equitable and inclusive approaches. This paper argues that empowering underrepresented groups is essential to developing sustainable solutions for shared resources, addressing the ongoing challenges of enclosure, and advancing the principles of commons worldwide.

The comunas initiative at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito in Ecuador has spent two years training and working with young people from rural communes to expand research opportunities, as well as spaces at urban universities, to explore issues of interest in national politics from the experiences and perceptions of rural communes. In 2023-2024, we began by examining the socio-economic and political forces that facilitate the reproduction of the commune institution today. In 2024-2025, we have studied the shifting dynamics of indebtedness and its impacts on natural resource management within rural communes. This research has informed and drawn from exchanges with similar transdisciplinary initiatives at the Universidad Nacional de Chimborazo and the agroecology NGO Aliados. In this paper, we examine these experiences reflexively, highlighting the particular knowledge-producing relationships that transdisciplinary research enables in the communes and of the commons.