This year, Arrabal-AID celebrates 34 years of supporting people experiencing vulnerability in Málaga and Chiclana de la Frontera. Founded in 1992, the organization was built on a clear conviction: employment is an essential part of any social inclusion process. Since then, it has expanded and diversified its work, offering services in employment, training, entrepreneurship, inclusion, participation and social innovation, and international mobility. Its activities have also grown to include areas such as childhood, housing, and technology training.
An organization of this size periodically reaches a point when it needs to reflect on its direction. With its previous strategic cycle coming to an end, Arrabal-AID was entering a new phase and needed to define a shared vision for the years ahead. To support this process, it decided to partner with Tandem Social.
The “What” Was Clear, but the “How” Still Needed to Be Defined
Arrabal-AID knew it wanted a new strategic plan. What it was looking for was the right way to develop it: with an external perspective, through a process that genuinely involved the entire organization, and with tools to measure and evaluate progress. It did not need a finished document to simply put into practice, but rather a roadmap it could take ownership of and implement.
Until then, Tandem Social had not worked with Arrabal-AID. The initial meetings provided an opportunity to understand the organization’s reality and each team’s way of working. An approach based on personalization, adaptability, and co-creation was essential to building trust throughout the process.
Co-Creation at the Heart of Our Approach
A strategic plan is not simply a deliverable, but a shared process. We supported the organization throughout its strategic reflection: analyzing its current situation, helping it envision the future it wanted to build, and translating that vision into challenges, objectives, and a measurable roadmap to guide key decisions.
We did so by working closely with the organization, visiting its offices in Málaga and Chiclana to meet the team and gain a deeper understanding of its local context. We participated in the members’ general assembly and held two in-person working sessions with the steering group to better understand the organization from within.
A Starting Point, Not a Final Destination
The project is currently in the implementation phase. Following the presentation of the plan, we continue to work with the steering group to ensure it becomes a clear, practical, and shared framework that the organization can follow and continue to develop over the coming years.
For Tandem Social, Arrabal-AID’s strategic plan reflects the essence of our approach to supporting organizations: listening, building solutions together, and standing alongside them when they face decisions that will shape their future.
