GABY ARENAS DE MENESES

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Gaby Arenas de Meneses

TAAP Foundation

Bogota,
Colombia

Gaby is a refugee from Venezuela; she has lived in Colombia for eight years. She is passionate about promoting peaceful coexistence, well-being, and social entrepreneurship through the visual arts and innovation in education. Most of her works focus on the support of the integration of refugees around the world.

Gaby is a Social Communicator who graduated from the Universidad Católica Andrés Bello with a specialization in Journalism and a Master’s degree in Communication for Development, specializing in violence analysis, peacebuilding, and Human Rights in Latin America. Rotary Peace Fellow, with a degree in Peace Studies at Chulalongkorn University.

She leads the Art Team at RoundGlass, developing art programs for holistic well-being.

She is the Founder of the TAAP Foundation, an organization created to promote peaceful coexistence and sustainable development in communities that have impacted more than 4.5 million people in 14 countries.

She was the developer and first executive director of Aid Live Foundation, an organization created to support Venezuelan refugees in Colombia.

Gaby is a Rotary Peace Fellow, Opportunity Collaboration Fellow, CAFAM Atlántico Woman, Ashoka Fellow, Perennial Fellow, winner of the Ideas Contest in the Social Entrepreneurship category, and finalist in the Social Entrepreneur of the Year award from the Schwab Foundation and Venezuela Sin Limites Foundation. In addition, the She Is Foundation recognizes her as Social Woman of the Year 2022.

Social entrepreneur, researcher, and professor of communication. She has been part of diverse projects and has been a coordinator and speaker in forums and meetings worldwide on refugee integration, peacebuilding, and social and educational innovation issues.

Since 2008, she has conducted research in communities linked with the analysis of violence, peacebuilding, and the use of communication and art for social development.
Co-founder of the Weaving Lab, Catalyst 2030, and Colombia Cuida Colombia.

What does inner wellbeing mean to you?

For me, inner well-being is living in peace, recognizing our lights and shadows but being able to heal and improve every day.
It is living positively, connecting with those around you and the environment.
It is living creatively, smiling, and working for yourself and others.

How would you define wellbeing in one word?

For me, it is the same as personal well-being but for everyone. I do not believe the world’s well-being is possible if people suffer or feel harm. If we cultivate the emotional, cognitive, social, and planetary dimensions of well-being, we can be more aware and have a world of well-being.

Are there any rituals or practices you use to enhance your wellbeing?

I meditate, practice yoga, dance, and hug my family everyday.

Why is it important that we prioritize individual, organizational and societal wellbeing?

All of them.

Do you have any favourite books, podcasts, or articles that you believe support, promote, or educate on wellbeing and related themes?

I have many resources including: