Social Commitment to Keep Projects Going

Mexico’s potential for the installation of ever more energy infrastructure is highlighted by two successful long-term electricity auctions, with a total of 41 projects assigned and the natural gas pipeline project Los Ramones already finished. The need to manage the project properly and efficiently, from a social and environmental point of view, is highlighted as more projects enter the pipeline.
Conecta Cultura, a Mexico City-based company launched in 2010, offers cultural management organization and social innovation for infrastructure developers. Conecta Cultura’s goal is to ensure that citizens can take the lead in creating a positive transformation for their environments through social innovation and cultural development.

An example of Conecta Cultura’s close connection to communities is the Safety and Risks Involved in Gas Pipelines for Community Promoters workshop that took place in Ciudad Cuauhtémoc, Chihuahua, in January 2016, which was funded by TransCanada as part of the company’s communityrelationship activities with the Raramuris communities.

During the event, nine Conecta Cultura promoters from the San Elías, Gasisuchi and Rochivo localities took part in the workshop conducted by TransCanada’s personnel, facilitated by visual presentations and didactic tools, to teach and educate attendees about construction and safety processes that are used on gas pipeline projects, as well as the riskcontrol measures that must be implemented due to the presence of these kinds of projects. By creating, organizing and providing follow-up for the workshop, Conecta Cultura did not only expect to educate the population on safety and risks, but to help promoters better understand the project and allow communities to make better-informed decisions according to their cultural and social traditions.

This workshop was only one of several activities organized by Conecta Cultura and funded by TransCanada that took place between July 2015 and January 2016. With the creation and training of promoters, Conecta Cultura is looking to create a bigger impact on communities as these promoters can then replicate and disseminate their knowledge in other communities that could not be included in the direct workshop. The workshop activities do not only target information directly related to natural gas pipeline projects, but are selected by the promoters according to the needs and interests of their communities, including gender equity, domestic violence and even film and photography