Within the framework of the 100th anniversary of IBM in Spain, several initiatives developed alongside social organizations, local communities, and volunteers are exploring new ways of social innovation to connect talent, skills, and opportunities.
In a context shaped by technological transformation, shifts in the labor market, and growing social inequalities, projects such as IBM 100 Community Impact for Youth and Tu Desarrollo Suma focus on active listening, cross-sector collaboration, and corporate volunteering as tools to boost youth employability, skills development, and social cohesion.
From insight to action in youth employment
Youth access to employment remains one of the major social challenges of our time. Not due to a lack of talent, but because of the existing gap between young people’s capabilities, real labor market opportunities, and the support needed to connect both worlds.
In addition, in a constantly evolving labor market—where technology and artificial intelligence are redefining required skills—it is increasingly important to create spaces where people can develop technical, digital, and human competencies.
In this context, corporate volunteering is consolidating as an increasingly relevant lever to foster youth employability and generate real opportunities for professional and social development.
At Volies, we work precisely at this intersection between people, companies, and territory, where collaboration becomes impact.
In this line, we take part in initiatives such as IBM 100 Community Impact for Youth and in the development of our own projects like Tu Desarrollo Suma, where corporate volunteering becomes a practical tool for skills development and connection with social realities.
Listening before acting: the value of collective insight in youth employment
IBM 100 Community Impact for Youth was created with a clear goal: to understand, through active listening, the real barriers young people face in accessing employment.
In collaboration with Fundación Fad Juventud, and through Collaborative Circles, a social innovation methodology designed and facilitated by Volies, young people participate in the first phase through dialogue spaces in several Spanish cities alongside corporate clients, non-profit organizations working with IBM, and key local stakeholders such as universities and public administrations. These spaces generate insights and key learnings.
Early program reports highlight findings such as:
- Lack of practical employability skills remains one of the main barriers
- Emotional factors—frustration, anxiety, or fear—deeply influence the process
- A mismatch exists between education and labor market needs
- Networks and mentoring remain decisive factors
Beyond the data, what matters most is the approach: listening to design better.
It also involves creating spaces where companies, social organizations, public administration, and communities can collaborate under a shared mission.
From diagnosis to action: the role of companies in employability
One key message consistently emerges: solutions cannot come from a single actor. Youth employment requires:
- Public-private collaboration
- Strong involvement from the business ecosystem
- Methodologies that connect theory and practice
After this first phase of dialogue and data collection, the project concludes with a final workshop in Madrid to translate insights into potential action plans.
This is where companies play a decisive role, not only as job creators, but as active agents in talent development.
Tu Desarrollo Suma: when volunteering becomes real learning
Another project developed together with IBM and Human Way is Tu Desarrollo Suma: a collaborative social innovation experience where volunteers, social organizations, and local communities work together to strengthen skills development and generate social impact at territorial level.
The project connects:
- Corporate volunteering
- Skills development
- Real-world social impact
- Active listening and collective participation
Currently, Tu Desarrollo Suma is being implemented through two complementary pathways, each adapted to different realities and needs, but sharing a common goal: generating learning, inclusion, and social transformation opportunities through collaboration.
About the project
Community pathway: Villaverde
The first pathway is being developed in the district of Villaverde Bajo (Madrid), together with Asociación Educación Cultura y Solidaridad, the local community, and other social and cultural entities in the territory.
The process is structured in several phases aimed at connecting volunteers with the local reality and transforming collective listening into concrete actions.
1. Community walk
The first phase consisted of a community tour through the neighborhood of San Cristóbal (Villaverde), where volunteers gained first-hand knowledge of the territory’s history, organizations, social projects, community spaces, local businesses, and cultural dynamics.
Beyond a simple visit, the tour created a real connection with the territory and helped understand existing challenges and opportunities through direct experience.
2. World Café
Following this initial approach, a World Café methodology session was held—a safe, inclusive, and participatory space where local youth, social organizations, residents, employability stakeholders, and IBM volunteers shared experiences, concerns, and proposals.
The conversations focused especially on:
- Youth employability
- Digital divide
- Improvement of community spaces
Through dialogue and collective intelligence, ideas for potential micro-social projects began to emerge.
3. Implementation of actions
Work teams are currently driving concrete initiatives together with residents, organizations, and community stakeholders.
The actions are particularly focused on:
- Employability
- Skills development
- Digital competencies
- Reducing the digital divide
This process shows how listening, participation, and collaboration can translate into real solutions built from the territory itself.
Pathway in correctional centers
The second pathway is being implemented in three correctional facilities in Madrid, where volunteers support participants through workshops focused on personal and skills development.
The goal is to create spaces for learning, trust, and support that foster inclusion and capacity building.
The main workshop areas are:
- Employability
- Digital skills
- Wellbeing and sport
These sessions have been very well received. One of the participating centers highlights high attendance and continuity—particularly significant in contexts where sustained participation is usually a challenge.
Beyond the content, the real value lies in the relationships built between volunteers and participants, creating spaces where listening, support, and mutual learning play a central role.
Both pathways share a common vision: corporate volunteering is not just a one-off action, but a tool capable of connecting people, developing skills, and generating social transformation through collaboration.
The challenge: building solutions through collaboration
Although IBM 100 Community Impact for Youth and Tu Desarrollo Suma start from different approaches, both share the same vision: creating spaces where listening, collaboration, and active participation transform social challenges into real opportunities.
In the case of IBM 100 Community Impact for Youth, the focus is on better understanding barriers to youth employability through active listening and multi-stakeholder dialogue. The project highlights the importance of bringing together young people, companies, social organizations, public administration, and other key actors to identify real needs and generate collective learning that informs more context-relevant solutions.
Meanwhile, Tu Desarrollo Suma translates this collaborative approach into action through corporate volunteering experiences linked to skills development and social impact in local territories.
The project combines volunteering and skills development, generating a dual impact: social impact in communities and participants, and professional development for volunteers, who strengthen skills such as listening, empathy, communication, leadership, and teamwork through real experiences.
Both initiatives reflect a growing understanding: major social challenges cannot be addressed from a single perspective.
Youth employability, the digital divide, and skills development require long-term alliances and spaces where companies, social organizations, public administrations, communities, and volunteers can collaborate under a shared mission.
When volunteering:
- develops real skills
- connects with concrete social challenges
- generates mutual learning
- and is embedded in collaborative processes
it stops being a one-off action and becomes a lever for talent development, social cohesion, and shared social innovation.
The challenge now is not only to understand the problems, but to turn that knowledge into sustainable, measurable actions that generate real opportunities for people and territories.
At Volies, we believe this is the path forward: listening, connecting, and co-creating to build collective impact through people and partnerships.
