Movement Building Towards Ecosystem Leadership and COP 30

As the Future Emerges, the Ecosystem Leadership Program LATAM Seeds the Soil and the Social Field

by Mariana Suniata A Miranda

As the world builds momentum toward COP 30, the Ecosystem Leadership Program LATAM continues sowing the seeds of transformation in movement-building and Latin America’s social field. Since its inception in 2023, the program has engaged over 300 participants in a journey of personal transformation and collective impact.

What began as an initiative to cultivate leadership and systemic change has evolved into a powerful movement, highlighting the interconnectedness of regional struggles, environmental and social causes, and systemic impact. When the program started, COP 30 had not yet been confirmed in Brazil. As the future takes shape and we approach the program’s first complete cycle in April 2025, the alignment between global regeneration efforts and grassroots leadership in Latin America is increasingly evident.

This moment calls for strengthening bridges between countries, communities, and movements that share a common purpose: regenerating ecosystems and transforming how we collaborate, lead, and drive systemic change for a just and sustainable future.

Latin America: United in Diversity

“There is no limit to what we can collectively create once we align our intention, attention, and agency on the scale of the whole,” stated Otto Scharmer in his opening speech for the second cohort of the Ecosystem Leadership Program (ELP LATAM) in San Esteban, Chile, in March 2024.

The confluence of Indigenous civilizations, European colonization, African heritage, and global migration shapes Latin America. This diverse history has woven a unique identity, which the ELP embraces as a foundation for fostering collective impact.

The program integrates Otto Scharmer’s Theory U, a personal and systemic transformation framework. Leaders can navigate today’s disruptions with vision, clarity, and purpose by cultivating deep awareness and presence. The program blends multicultural perspectives, awareness-based systems change, and Indigenous traditions, enhancing relationships and socio-environmental development.

This article explores the ELP’s movement-building efforts, identity and mission, and the social impact generated through multi-regional prototypes.

The Ecosystem Leadership Program: A Platform for Transformation

The ELP is an innovative regional platform that fosters learning, exchange, and systemic evolution. It provides a space for personal and collective transformation and creates concrete initiatives that enable profound change.

By bringing together leaders, change-makers, government representatives, business leaders, and influencers from across Latin America and the Caribbean, the ELP creates a unique environment for ecosystem activation and transformation.

The program cultivates leadership in three key areas:

• Systems Thinking — Understanding societal, environmental, and economic complexities.
• Collaborative and Participatory Leadership — Fostering cooperation, inclusion, and co-creation.
• Action Confidence — Developing the ability to act with clarity and purpose from emerging realities.

“We are a platform for awareness-based systems transformation, organized to build bridges between potential ecosystem leaders.” — Laura Pastorini.

From Movement to Action: Bringing Ecosystem Leadership to Life

For transformation to become reality, change must happen in daily practice, turning movement into action.

The ELP Movement began in 2023 in Colonia, Uruguay, enriching the program with Latin America’s cultural depth, ancestral wisdom, and local experiences. Grounded in Action Research, a concept by Kurt Lewin — who stated that “a system cannot be understood unless it is transformed” — the ELP emphasizes active engagement and collective commitment.

Through experience, we have learned that embracing uncertainty and stepping beyond comfort zones is key to impactful leadership. Instead of acting without reflection, we focus on our land, people, and shared struggles, planting three core seeds of intention:

• Deepening spiritual connections
• Healing societal fragmentation
• Strengthening authentic connections and actions across Latin America

These themes drive our mission of personal and social transformation, capacity building, and activating relationships. Combined with social innovation, Indigenous cosmovision, and awareness-based methodologies, the ELP Movement addresses today’s challenges.

Inspired by achievements in social entrepreneurship, the ELP integrates Theory U, social arts, and Indigenous teachings to bridge social, environmental, and spiritual divisions. Through deep listening, long-term relationships, and slow, intentional engagement, we co-create a movement that is part of an enormous planetary transformation.

As Margaret Wheatley suggests, leadership today requires spaces for dialogue and collective action. The ELP sees ecosystem leadership as acknowledging interconnected challenges and fostering collaboration across Latin America and beyond. This holistic and experiential approach concedes that today’s social, environmental, and economic crises require new leadership paradigms to promote systemic change for humanity and nature.

The ELP embodies a movement of change and profound, personal, and collective transformation by integrating awareness-based practices, social technologies, and Indigenous wisdom.

Four Cases That Showcase the ELP Movement and Its Journey and Impact

1. Amazonia and Instituto Witoto: A Transformative Experience with 4D Mapping

One of the key methodologies for systems change applied in the ELP Chile was 4D Mapping. This approach integrates contemplative practices, embodiment, Theory U, and organizational constellations to facilitate social transformation.

Developed by Otto Scharmer and Arawana Hayashi as part of Social Presencing Theater, this innovative methodology invites a system to see and sense itself. By making visible the current reality within social systems — organizations, governments, or communities — 4D Mapping helps uncover blind spots, areas of stagnation, and leverage points for transformation.

In Chile, we applied this methodology to the case of Instituto Witoto, an initiative rooted in the Amazon that focuses on Indigenous knowledge, environmental preservation, and community empowerment. Participants stepped into the roles of key stakeholders, sensing both the present reality and the system’s potential future — embodied awareness allowed for more profound insights beyond intellectual analysis, revealing new pathways for action.

Through this process, the group co-created solutions that amplified Instituto Witoto’s visibility, ultimately leading to a successful application for an international fund. This funding victory at the end of 2024 marked a significant milestone, securing resources for expanding the initiative’s impact in the Amazon and strengthening the bridges between Indigenous wisdom and global environmental action.

“As we move toward COP 30, this experience exemplifies how awareness-based practices like 4D Mapping can catalyze systemic change, support local solutions, and contribute to a global movement for ecological and social regeneration.”, Mariana Suniata A Miranda.

2. Trauma and Healing Initiative

The Trauma and Healing Initiative acknowledges the profound impact of individual and collective trauma on society and seeks approaches to transform them into healing and regeneration processes. Through trauma-informed practices, emotional intelligence, and deep listening methodologies, this initiative fosters spaces for connection, resilience, and social inclusion. Integrating healing methodologies and social technologies empowers leaders to act with greater awareness and empathy in building a sustainable future. More than 50 people from all over LATAM are engaged in these workshops.

3. Multi-Actors Dialogue to Think the Future of Our Countries

The Multi-Actors Dialogue on the Future of Our Countries — Emerge Chile, Emerge Uruguay, and Emerge Brazil — brings together government leaders, businesses, academics, traditional communities, and social movements to rethink sustainable development and social regeneration strategies. This collaborative process builds collective intelligence, where diverse perspectives converge to design systemic solutions. The approach focuses on inclusive policymaking, social innovation, and community engagement, fostering action networks beyond isolated interests to strengthen the common good.

4. Theory U Inside Academic Approaches

The application of Theory U in academia explores how universities can integrate experiential learning, social innovation, and systemic transformation methodologies. Inspired by Otto Scharmer’s work, this model promotes education that is more connected to real-world challenges, emphasizing presence, co-creation, and networked action. Scholars and students learn to navigate complexity through deep listening, rapid prototyping, and cross-sector collaboration, preparing future leaders to operate effectively in evolving systems. The network embraces more than 20 universities across Latin America.

Connecting to COP 30

As COP 30 approaches, the ELP Movement is critical in shaping Latin America’s role in global social action. By integrating awareness-based leadership, social innovation, and Indigenous wisdom, we contribute to a sustainable future that goes beyond policy discussions and into grassroots transformation. The movement’s alignment with COP 30 reflects a commitment to planetary regeneration, ensuring that Latin America’s diverse voices, ecosystems, and leadership models are central to the international conversation on climate justice and systemic change.

See more at: [LINK to English Report and YouTube Program Page]