Written by Cintia Nunes; Impact Philosophy
Dream Impact turned 3! We are still in awe for the amount of support we get from our partners, the community, friends and loved ones – we really are a blessed team.
From a space for social impact on the first year, to a closely-knitted community on the second year, now we are committing to grow the social impact ecosystem in Hong Kong, we see that this is a role we must play, to continue to reach out to different stakeholder groups that play an equally important role in the society to be a part of this ecosystem. We will be creating an impact ecosystem map starting from 2021 to better understand each other’s’ strengths and continue to make meaningful connections to widen and deepen our impact.
Particularly at a time of polarization and distrust, there cannot be a better time to recognize the need for building trust, break walls and build bridges, so that anybody, projects and organizations can do good and grow for the better, collectively together.
Our Impact Philosophy
“What change do you want to see? What impact do you want to make?”
At Dream Impact this has been a question that has been in our mind for the past year, we took it seriously and after months of reflection and articulation we have derived on our very own Impact Philosophy and how we would lead the organization and community growth going forward. Before the HOW, do allow me to walk through our thinking process and first off, we question how does change happen and where does impact happen?
Impact, whether positive or negative comes from actions and decisions, which are usually driven by intentions and motivations that are guided by our own consciousness, mindset and awareness. The core of any changes is rooted with consciousness that comes from each of us, from within, influenced by our beliefs and understanding of how the external world works.
Impact too, has its ripple effect beyond our own circle of control as we live in a world of interconnectivity, where our actions are in an interconnected web of cause and effect that stretch out far and wide to people, things and places that we may or may not have intended. We believe that empathy is the form of intelligence that enables us to see these interconnections and to understand the impact we make between people, the society and the planet.
‘Dream Impact Turns 3!’ event on the 13 November 2020 (Left: Dorothy Lam, Right: Cintia Nunes)
We interpret interconnectivity with a framework that stacks the five elements of ‘身, 心, 靈, 社, 地’ – ‘body, mind, spirit, society, planet’ on top of each other:
- 身心靈 (body, mind, spirit) : intrinsically we believe that it starts from ourselves, from within, from looking after and understanding our body, mind and spiritual states and the connections between the three. Losing any, one would struggle to stay sane, let alone making ‘positive impact’.
- In a world that is never short of uncertainties and with changes happening at an accelerated speed due to ‘technological progress’, would staying healthy, sane and content become the biggest challenge for us?
- In a world that is never short of uncertainties and with changes happening at an accelerated speed due to ‘technological progress’, would staying healthy, sane and content become the biggest challenge for us?
- 社 (society): then from human to human, we are connected to the community, to the society and to the economy. What makes humans unique is our social learning and intelligence i.e., our empathy. We were not designed to isolate or exclude, forming communities and the ability to drive collective efforts is what makes us powerful.
- In a world with opposing opinions and polarized sides, staying hopeful and building trust takes courage, what does it take to mend trust, or to be specific – takes away the fear to trust each other?
- In a world with opposing opinions and polarized sides, staying hopeful and building trust takes courage, what does it take to mend trust, or to be specific – takes away the fear to trust each other?
- 地 (planet): and finally, to the world. Our very own planet that we live and feed on.
- In a world with finite resources, what is good sustainable growth?
For better interpretation, we have further elaborated on WHAT about ‘身, 心, 靈, 社, 地’, ‘the body, mind, spirit, society and planet’ we’d wish for, thus the impact we want to make:
- 身 (body): physical wellness, health, wholesome
- 心 (mind): emotional and relational wellness, mental strength, resilience
- 靈 (spirit): healing, regenerative, consciousness, intentional, purpose-driven
- 社 (society): building relationships/trust, inclusive, human to human, empowerment
- 地 (planet): circular, sustainable, low carbon, off-grid, conservation, biodiversity
From Philosophy to Practice
As an intermediary in the social impact scene, Dream Impact’s strategic core pillars of work are 1) Space & Community, 2) Ecosystem Building, 3) Impact Capital. Our Impact Philosophy on ‘身, 心, 靈, 社, 地’ (body, mind, spirit, society and planet) will influence the work we do:
- Dream Impact staff, their wellbeing and development.
- e.g., we are committed to have 2 retreats in a year for our team so that we can connect with nature. Starting from within applies to our organization too.
- Projects that foster interconnectivity.
- e.g., collaborations with cross-sectors and communities.
- Events that’d be hosted by and for our community that nurtures interconnectivity.
- e.g., mindfulness workshops, 2nd hand clothes swaps, plastics waste training
- Organizations that’d be invited to the Dream Impact community.
- i.e., we will be revising our partners’ selection criteria.
- Investment projects and ventures we’d be supporting.
- i.e., we will revise our due diligence process for potential investees and social startups.
From thinking about impact to applying it in business, we have applied the ‘身, 心, 靈, 社, 地’ (body, mind, spirit, society and planet) dimensions to basic human needs – ‘教育, 衣, 食, 住, 行, 工作’ (education, consumption, living, mobility, work). To illustrate the relationship, we have placed existing business ideas and sectors into the mapping according to a rough estimate of how we think they fit :
And if we are to apply this to a few partners from the Dream Impact community:
Imagine mapping all partner organisations (we currently have 80+), we’d form an interconnected web of collective impact this community creates together that weaves into the Dream Impact Philosophy.
Individual Dreams, Collective Impact – this is coded in our DNA, we live and breathe it. From philosophy to practice, this forms our Dream World.
So, What is Yours?
What change do you want to see? What impact do you want to make?
You don’t need to run or work for an impact organization to think about these questions.
What do you think about Our Impact Philosophy? We share because we want to get you involved. Feel free to reach out for a chat, discuss collaborations or partnerships: cintia.nunes@dreamimpacthk.com