another option!

an example is the annual cooking event "Arroces del Mundo" in the San Francisco neighbourhood of Bilbao in which immigrants from many countries prepare their own national rice dishes to share. It is a focus that brings people together.

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?hl=en&sa=X&biw=1843&bih=861&t...

a forum/unit/quorum/class with attendees

In this context of social capital (and community development), one of these options might work just fine.

Governing Marine Protected Areas Governing Marine ... - UNEP
www.unep.org/.../governing-mpas-final-technical-report-web-...
by PJS Jones - 2011 - Cited by 4 - Related articles
community development and MPA management, establishing rules and .... and **participatory incentives** are also being used to increase local awareness, ...

Does profit belong in the social investment landscape?
www.csi.edu.au/.../CSI Issues Paper No. 3 -...
opportunities in the areas of microfinance, community development finance, and clean energy. And ..... acting as an enabler to create **participatory incentives**.

Stability and Change in County Economic Development Organizations
http://edq.sagepub.com/content/early/2011/12/16/089124241143...
by J Park - 2011 - Related articles
16 Dec 2011 – community development over the past decade? Which com- .... **participatory incentives**, and self-management incentives, the organizations can ...

EMORY LAW JOURNAL
http://heinonlinebackup.com/hol-cgi-bin/get_pdf.cgi?handle=h...
by DW Case - 2001 - Cited by 31 - Related articles
of **participatory incentives** among the key stakeholders might achieve ...... Because community development patterns have a great impact on environmental ...

Social Capital and Aboriginal Communities: A critical assessment
www.naho.ca/jah/english/jah05_03/V5_I3_Assessment_03.pdf
potential of **social capital** as a notion for research and practice among Aboriginal communities. .... material amenities needed for community development but also creates the community-held assets that ...... selective **incentives to participate**.

Community Economic Development Movements in Rural Ghana
www.wlu.edu/documents/shepherd/academics/cap_10_Gorman.pdf
Community development programs have become a popular and effective approach ... history, paying special attention to **social capital**, an informal institution that largely ..... **incentives to participate** and benefit from the CED movement. This is ...

83 RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN'S - AJOL
www.ajol.info/index.php/gab/article/view/23314/19955
by OF Deji - 2007 - Related articles
associations in community development projects and the selected group behaviors ... promotion of individual and collective **incentives to participate** in development process in the ... According to Putnam's theory of **social capital** (Hall, 1999 ...

DRAE
instancias
acción y efecto de instar

instar
3. intr. Apretar o urgir la pronta ejecución de algo.
www.rae.es

I hope this helps!
Cheers from the Mariana Islands :-)

Tampoco el programa crea instancias de participación más permanente. = Nor does the program create (more permanent) participatory incentives/incentives to participate (that are of a more permanent nature)

I'm reading "instancia" to mean "authority" or "establishment", and not just measures (3rd meaning of the word).

For the first occurrence of 'instancias' - 'no cuenta con instituciones o instancias más formales' - I'd use entities/bodies as per the RAE definition of 'instancia' - the district does not have (more) official institutions or entities/bodies within which...

For 'instancias de participación' I'd use Erik's suggestion.