“There is not a more accurate test of the progress of civilization than the progress of the power of co-operation”, stated John Stuart Mill some centuries ago.
Precisely with the purpose of cooperating and contributing to the progress of our department, a group of professionals has united to create a think tank we have named “Atarraya, red de estudios e investigaciones para el desarrollo sostenible de Córdoba y la realización integral de sus habitantes” (Atarraya, research network to promote sustainable development in Cordoba and the comprehensive fulfillment of its inhabitants).
We, its founders, are professionals from various backgrounds who have been fortunate to have had access to quality education which changed our destiny, and who dream of a prosperous future for all Cordovans. Aware of this privilege and motivated by duties of reciprocity and solidarity with the region that has given us so much, we want to work for the sustainable development of Córdoba and the growth of its human capital.
Along the path to realizing this idea, it has been fascinating to find brilliant professionals in many prominent places in Cordoba concerned about the state of Córdoba and interested in contributing towards significant change. We are aware of the reality of our department and the challenges it faces in social and economic matters, especially regarding poverty, inequality, and sustainable development.
We are aware of the importance of independent think tanks and research centers as spaces to generate awareness and relevant knowledge, reliable and objective information, as well as high-quality discussions, which can enable essential consensus concerning the roadmap for the sustainable development of a society.
“Atarraya” was born on June 18th of this year, which happens to be the 69th anniversary of the creation of Córdoba. The values that will define and characterize it as a think tank are credibility, independence, cooperation, and sustainability. Our ambition and commitment are that it grows, consolidates, and endures together with our department, as a witness alongside it and encourages its sustainable growth, generation after generation.
The name of the Foundation, “Atarraya” (the Spanish term for a round cast net used in artisanal fishing), not only exalts one of our identity symbols, but also expresses what it aims to be: an authentic cooperation network that is woven and extends through the collaboration of individuals, businessmen, and academics whose higher purpose is to contribute – through study, research and knowledge of the regional reality – to achieve consensus regarding the roadmap that Córdoba must follow to accelerate its path to sustainable development. “Atarraya” is an invitation to collective leadership, cooperation, solidarity, and the exercise of civic duty with discipline and perseverance, as all great causes require. It is the commitment of a group of Cordovan professionals convinced that Cordoba and the people of Cordoba deserve a better future.