I2I’s Heart-2-Heart on Context Mapping, top Paris Olympics Takeaways, and Second Anniversary Giveaway!
Welcome to August’s rendition of I2I’s Heart-2-Heart (H2H) — our monthly newsletter where we share what’s on our mind, in our hearts, and up our sleeves.
This month, we're existing in the context of all in which we live, keeping the Olympic flame ablaze, and giving away free stuff to celebrate H2H’s 2nd anniversary!
On Our Minds
The data does not lie — but it doesn’t tell the whole truth…
In late July, Gallup research predicted that the US viewing audience for the 2024 Paris Olympics would be the smallest compared to any prior Olympics it has measured.
Then last week, as the Paris Games drew to a close, the final data showed an 82% increase in viewership compared to the Tokyo Games; making the 2024 the most-streamed Olympics of all time.
Cue a very happy peacock.
So... what happened?! A combination of streaming platforms, viral memes, influencers/celebrity engagement, organic content creation, and the enduring appeal of unifying live events during an otherwise fragmented era. Gallup’s data ended up being far off, but it wasn’t their methodology that got it wrong. The context has completely changed.
It turns out, data does not fall out of coconut trees. Like people, data exists “in the context of which you live and what came before you.” #khive #bratsummer
Collecting quantitative and qualitative data to measure outcomes of social initiatives is a huge part of our job… but it is not the most important part. Measuring social impact requires understanding, synthesizing, and making sense of the context in which data are interpreted. Very demure, very mindful.
Some of our favorite approaches to systematically understand context include:
Ripple effect mapping: engaging participants in appreciative inquiry and visual mapping of intended and unintended consequences (ripples)
Rich picture exercise: a method of bringing people together in co-creation of diagrams to come to a shared understanding of a situation and facilitate open discussions
Journey mapping: co-creating a timeline or journey map to show how individuals or a group experience something
Ecosystem actor mapping: a tool to assess the power dynamics of the system by unpacking who is influencing and impacted by the work (positively or negatively)
While medical research might benefit from a double blind experiment, social impact requires the opposite: zooming out and bringing together multiple perspectives to see the whole picture.
…or else you might miss the real winner of the 2024 Olympics.
In Our Hearts
The 2024 Summer Olympic Games might be over, but we are doing our part to keep the eternal Olympic flame alive in our hearts by illuminating (pun intended) 4 takeaways from the recent XXXIII Olympiad. 🔥
Women Dominate the Podium for Team USA: Of the 126 total medals won by team USA, women were responsible for 67! According to NPR, US women have won so many medals in Paris that if they were their own nation, they would place third in the overall medal count. WOO! You go, Glen Coco!
Simone Biles & the meaning of resilience. ICYMI… Simone Biles officially became the most decorated gymnast in history, bagging 3 more golds and another silver in Paris. While this is a massive triumph in itself, it is even more impressive coming off the heels of the 2021 Olympics where Biles suddenly withdrew from most events to prioritize her mental health. We love Adam Grant’s take on Biles' achievement: “resilience if not about how quickly you bounce back – it‘s about how fully you recover.” …yep, that’s gonna live rent free in our noggins for a while.
Imane Khelif & regulation of the female body. Algerian boxer, Imane Khelif, rose to glory in Paris, clinching gold in women’s boxing. However, throughout competition she was bullied and harassed about her appearance. As much as we are inspired by Khelif for withstanding attacks (in and outside the ring), we are also reminded to stay vigilant in the fight against the regulation of women’s bodies. You better believe we’re tuned into NPR’s new podcast, Embedded, as it tackles the history, science, and ethics of sex testing in elite women’s sports.
Julien Alfred and Saint Lucia’s first ever Olympic medal. Sprinter Julien Alfred took home the gold in the women’s 100m sprint, becoming the fastest woman alive! We get goosebumps thinking what it must have been like to hear the National Anthem of Saint Lucia blaring over the speakers. From humble beginnings & big dreams to Olympic gold, Alfred reminds us all that if your dreams don't scare you, you’re doing something wrong!
Up Our Sleeves
The twos aren’t so terrible! Happy second birthday to I2I’s H2H! 🥳
This month we are celebrating TWO years since we launched this monthly newsletter. Thank you to all of our avid readers, occasional skimmers, and even you reluctant scrollers (hey, a click’s a click) for being a part of I2I’s monthly stream of consciousness.
Celebration and giving back is a huge part of our culture! So email us back with your favorite H2H topic in the past 24 months, and we’ll enter you into a raffle for this tasty Copper Cow Coffee - Vietnamese Pour Over Sampler (because the real MVP of this newsletter is COFFEE ☕ & we love to support other women-owned businesses).
One winner will be randomly selected next week! May the odds be ever in your (latte) flavor.
Curious about bringing more team reflection to your workplace? Slide into our DMs, we’d love to connect you with Jason!
Onward and upward, y’all!
You know, heart-2-hearts are supposed to be a 2-way street…
So comment below, what’s on your mind, in your heart, and up your sleeve? Hopefully a lil’ bit of good trouble. 😉
Subscribe to the newsletter here!
Until next time,
Intention 2 Impact
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