This is an opportunity to work with an Ashoka Fellow
Ashoka Fellows are leading social entrepreneurs that have been taken through a rigorous selection process, testing the quality of their ideas and character, to become part of the Ashoka Fellowship and Network. Ashoka Fellows take on the challenges of building innovative system change ideas to make and spread social impact in a world wrought with challenges. They refuse to let the ‘impossible’ stand in their way to creating a better world.
This is an unpaid, volunteer opportunity
About The Affiliated Organization
The textile industry reaches into every layer of society - local and global communities, consumers and producers, artisans, businesses, designers. It shapes dreams and generates enormous profit, while also sustaining modern slavery and one of the most polluting industries on earth. This is why Hecho por Nosotros exists. For over 16 years, Adriana Marina - PhD in Economics, Ashoka Fellow, and founder of HxN and the social enterprise animaná - has been building another vision of what the creative economy can become: one where indigenous knowledge is protected instead of extracted, where artisans are recognized as innovators rather than beneficiaries, and where technology strengthens communities instead of replacing them. What we are building is something bigger than any one institution - something far more potent and meaningful than an NGO with consultative status at the United Nations and the World Trade Organization. It is a living platform for shared knowledge and lived experience, a fellowship, and an ever-evolving ecosystem of people moving toward the same horizon. Over the past 16 years, more than 8500 artisans, 20 K producers of natural fibers, 50 Medium firms, 80 organizations, alongside universities and governments across Latin America, have joined us in building value chains that are fair, traceable, and regenerative. The creative economy - fashion, media, cinema, design, storytelling, cultural heritage - remains one of the most powerful yet neglected tools we have for confronting inequality, cultural erasure, and environmental collapse at the same time. Despite its reach, it continues to receive only a fraction of the investment and structural attention it deserves. That is the space where we operate. And the urgency is growing.
We are standing at a turning point. The meeting of Artificial Intelligence and Ancestral Intelligence is not a technological trend or a speculative experiment. It is a civilizational decision: whose knowledge survives, who owns the tools shaping the future, and whether communities will shape the economy themselves or remain trapped serving it from its margins. For 16 years, we have been building the methodology, institutional relationships, and trust needed to make another path possible. What we cannot do alone is move at the speed this moment demands. This is a call to help shape that future. The global creative economy touches every society on earth. Redirecting it toward justice, regeneration, and indigenous sovereignty may become one of the defining transformations of our time. The Ashoka network is uniquely positioned to accelerate this shift - not by launching another isolated programme, but by connecting people already moving in the same direction and giving that convergence force, visibility, and permanence. We are looking for Fellows who want to build this together: to co-create learning structures, forge alliances, and create gatherings capable of transforming fragmented initiatives into shared momentum. The work is already unfolding across Latin America, Africa, and Asia. The foundations exist - Universidad HxN, our permanent UN presence, the animaná ethical commerce platform. What determines whether this grows now is people: leaders willing to bring their experience, networks, imagination, and commitment into a common project. There are three immediate ways to become part of this work: Co-create the learning architecture Help shape a new learning space for systems change across fashion, media, storytelling, culture, and emerging technologies. Build the knowledge commons Turn fragmented experiences, methodologies, and practices into shared infrastructure for a growing global movement. Forge the alliances that scale Connect institutions, communities, and territories capable of transforming the creative economy beyond borders and sectors. Not as experts. Not as contractors. But as co-builders of a future no single institution or industry can create. A future made by us.
For more information, please visit https://www.hechoxnosotros.org/es
Job Description
Hecho por Nosotros (HxN) is seeking volunteer Academic Researchers, Writers, and Editors to support a growing portfolio of research, publications, and knowledge-generation initiatives focused on sustainability, circular economy, creative economies, indigenous knowledge, social innovation, and regenerative development.
Education
The goal of this project is to strengthen the quality, accessibility, and impact of the research and knowledge products produced by HxN and its partners. These publications contribute to international advocacy efforts, policy discussions, educational initiatives, and collaborations with universities, governments, civil society organizations, and multilateral institutions. Volunteers will support activities such as reviewing and editing academic papers, research reports, and policy briefs; conducting literature reviews; verifying references and citations; providing feedback on research methodologies and argumentation; assisting in the preparation of publications for academic journals and international forums; and collaborating with multidisciplinary teams to transform research findings into accessible and impactful knowledge products. The work of volunteers will be essential in ensuring the academic rigor, credibility, and effectiveness of the organization's research and publications. Their contributions will help generate evidence-based solutions, strengthen international dialogue on sustainability and creative economies, and support initiatives that promote social inclusion, cultural preservation, ethical value chains, and regenerative development across different regions of the world. Volunteer logistics:
- Commitment: 10–15 hours per week.
- Initial duration: 6 months (with the possibility of extension).
- Remote / Virtual opportunity.
Certification: After completing the initial 6-month volunteer period, participants may request a certificate acknowledging their collaboration with Hecho por Nosotros (HxN) and animaná, including the area in which they contributed and the tasks and responsibilities carried out during their experience with the organization. This role will contribute to strengthening the visual identity and communication strategies of projects focused on sustainability, cultural preservation, ethical value chains, and regenerative social impact initiatives.
Volunteer Logistics
Estimated hours required per week: 10-30 hs
The estimated duration of the project is: 6-12 months
This position is Virtual (Remote)
Language Requirements
English
Desired Skills And Experience
- Master's degree, PhD, PhD candidate, graduate student, or equivalent experience in: Economics International Relations Sociology Political Science Sustainable Development Environmental Studies Public Policy Social Sciences Or related fields
- Experience in academic research, scientific writing, publication, peer review, or editorial processes.
- Strong analytical and critical thinking skills.
- Familiarity with academic citation systems (APA, Chicago, Harvard, etc.).
- Excellent written communication skills.
- Professional proficiency in English is required. Spanish is an asset.
- Volunteer logistics:
- Commitment: 10–15 hours per week.
- Initial duration: 6 months (with the possibility of extension).
- Remote / Virtual opportunity. Certification:
- After completing the initial 6-month volunteer period, participants may request a certificate acknowledging their collaboration with Hecho por Nosotros (HxN) and animaná, including the area in which they contributed and the tasks and responsibilities carried out during their experience with the organization. This role will contribute to strengthening the visual identity and communication strategies of projects focused on sustainability, cultural preservation, ethical value chains, and regenerative social impact initiatives