Your Connections Count : IMPACT as Part of Your Social Network

“Social networks are these intricate things of beauty, and they’re so elaborate and so complex and so ubiquitous that one has to ask what purpose they serve,” declares Nicholas Christakis in his TED talk from 2010. According to Christakis, our networks serve us in many ways from affecting our body size to our level of happiness. Perhaps someone in your social network introduced you to IMPACT after they had graduated from the Core. Maybe you then invited your mother, or sister, or friend to experience it as well.


We are often reminded that personal connections are the most common reasons individuals first engage with IMPACT Chicago. (It’s true - please, keep telling your friends!) But now, we are seeing even more clearly how your personal and professional relationships can influence the organization as it moves forward and seeks to empower even more women and girls.

The message is simple - your connections count! Certainly they are important to you, but they are also important to IMPACT in ways you may have never realized. IMPACT graduate connections have helped us find places to host programs, have invited us to teach self-defense workshops, and have assisted us in printing posters and fliers.

We need the power of your social networks to continue our work! Will you help spread the word about IMPACT to your connections? Everyone has something to contribute! Consider these questions:

• Do you have a favorite local restaurant or café that would partner with us to post fliers or sponsor coupons?
• Are you a member of a gym that might host a workshop?
• Does your workplace or place of worship have a space in which we could host a program?
• Do you volunteer with an organization whose members/staff could benefit from our self-defense training?

Please consider sharing the work of IMPACT within your realms of influence. If you like, we can even coach you so that the conversations you have with your contacts can be most effective! If you are open to linking IMPACT with one of your connections, please email Katie Kramer for more information. As Christakis noted “Social networks are these intricate things of beauty…” Let’s join our networks and make something even more beautiful.

Katie Kramer, IMPACT Chicago Grad and Board Member