with light

Welcome bloomers, ​
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Here is your summary of the newsletter this week:
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🌱Interview with Brazilian data scientist
🌱Global fellowship for refugees
🌱Micro-grant for creativity pioneers
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with love & light,
​Jasmine
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fresh soil

You've had so many fascinating career experiences! If all 45,000 of us reading your interview could have witnessed one in particular, which would you pick?

I believe most of my career now is based on an experience back in 2017, where I joined my first Geo4Good at the Google Campus in California. At that time, the event was still small, around 100 people, and I had the chance to contribute by presenting a fantastic project that still maps land use and land cover, now in more countries than at that time, over even longer time series. The project’s name is MapBiomas.
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That event, which primarily featured civil society and researchers at the time, opened my eyes to the myriad of practical and concrete problems that can be addressed when efficient data processing is implemented. On the second day of the event, I heard about projects clearing mines in former war zones by employing local people to repopulate areas that had endured unimaginable horrors, I saw global efforts to reintegrate and redistribute investments that were supposed but in reality, were not reaching the ultimate goal of increasing resilience in food systems and also a project ensuring cultural resilience for indigenous populations by simply recording how language changes from one place to another.

I was witnessing a community of analysts and data scientists, whether focused on geospatial analysis or not, committed to applying cutting-edge technology to understand, describe, and address mitigation strategies for the impacts of climate change, social pressures, information asymmetries, and other global socio-environmental challenges and threats.
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Since then, this community has become my eyes, ears, and heart for understanding the most pressing needs, potential partnerships, technologies, and methods to be applied. Nowadays, with a much larger number of participants, this community has expanded to include governments and private companies with all sorts of backgrounds to continue discussing and strengthening scientific and technological development efforts for a better world.

How has your relationship to social impact changed over time?

I've observed and analyzed social impact through different perspectives for many years. I've volunteered as a teacher in a social project to increase the competitiveness of low-income students when accessing top universities. I've worked directly in the field learning from traditional communities making a living out of sustainable extractivism of natural resources. I've experienced the challenges of implementing public policies for small and big-scale producers. I’ve undergone the challenging journey of moving and adapting to a new country and culture which made me think how difficult this can be for those forced to do that, a reality that will only get more common as some places will be unsuitable for living due to climate change. I've also actively promoted inclusivity within the tech industry in a few communities such as the Rladies and the Women+ in Geospatial.
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Those are very different layers and experiences that led to my current idea of social impact. I can't say that my relationship with social impact has fundamentally changed over the years. Instead, I realized how immensely vast is the scope of social impacts, and how it permeates our lives in countless ways.
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Today, my focus is on analyzing how social and environmental components can be better represented in commodity flows, at the same time being concerned that these analyses are too often conducted by individuals far removed from what they analyze, which just highlights the urgency of promoting more diverse teams.

You’re currently leading the Trase Spatial Intelligence team – walk us through what it means exactly to be working on spatial intelligence.

Let me break it down a bit to make it less technical and more comprehensive. Working on Spatial Intelligence for commodity supply chains means we're diving into geospatial data to analyze and describe environmental and social impacts linked to global agricultural commodity flows. In other words, how those impacts caused by the production of agricultural commodities continue to exist and are transported from where they are produced to where they are consumed, often in different countries or even continents.
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Trase Spatial intelligence goes beyond only describing observed aspects of those impacts, such as biodiversity loss due to the conversion of natural forests, or potential CO2 emissions coming from drained peat for the expansion of oil palm plantations. It describes how actors such as countries of import or companies exporting or importing those commodities are related to those impacts. We do that by applying methods that can point to direct connections between social environmental impacts and actors in this supply chain. Sometimes, when direct connections are not possible due to the lack of clarity or transparency on how supply chains are organized we can still evaluate how they are exposed to those events for different years and regions where they source their products. It is an investigative work through space and time.

One thing I love about geospatial analysis is how it visually represents and communicates ongoing dynamics to more than just spatial data scientists. It is probably one of the most democratic data when presented creatively. In our group chat with over 35 people from different teams, backgrounds, and organizations, we're constantly sharing about how other projects and data products are creating maps that help us understand agricultural commodity supply chains and the negative and positive consequences of their models - often engaging in long debates to understand the ups and downs of different datasets and how and when it can be applied to support us understanding this complex dynamic.

If the joy of being able to observe the world from thousands of km away wasn’t enough, the topic is pure innovation. Datasets, methods, and equipment are evolving extremely fast. We know more than ever about the surface of this world. Questions such as how much forest remains globally, where agriculture is expanding most rapidly, or even who owns the land, are now better answered through the usage of geospatial data and can help us create more tangible strategies for a better world.
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​And more specifically, could you walk us through project(s) at Trase you’ve worked on with the team that you’re especially proud of and would like to highlight for us? What’s the story behind this project?

Absolutely! Since 2020 I've been involved in developing an app in Brazil along with colleagues from different organizations. It all started with an insightful observation and excitement to deliver a better solution. When Trase released the international trade flows for Brazillian beef in 2019, Erasmus, Trase’s lead scientist for the beef supply chain in Brazil, wasn’t satisfied to see only 20% of the whole production and even less of the total impact represented in the Trase platform. The need to bring transparency to the domestic beef supply chain, a top driver of tropical deforestation, was more important than ever. In the same year, I move from Brazil to Sweden to start as a data scientist at the Stockholm Environment Institute and Trase. I was already part of other projects working with similar datasets and it didn’t take much more than a couple of minutes to understand what Erasmus was talking about and how I could use my experience related to the development of data solutions to support him on this idea. In September 2021 we released the beta version of this app.

The do Pasto ao Prato (Portuguese for From Pasture to Plate) app is now in its stable version and already used by more than 3 thousand people. Distributed both in Android and iOS, it has as its central mission to raise transparency and empower society about the impacts associated with the meat supply chain in Brazil. It does that by informing consumers about the levels of deforestation, burned areas, and forced labor in the municipalities supplying animals to different slaughterhouses, also showing the fines paid by those facilities for non-compliance with sanitary or animal welfare regulations. At the same time that the app informs consumers it also collects information linking slaughterhouses and retailers, increasing transparency in the sector and enabling companies, researchers, and civil society to propose solutions to increase the sustainability in the sector..

From a technological standpoint, the app features a very rational use of technology and data governance. Everything is implemented with a long-term purpose, minimizing inefficiencies and the need for data flow reviews. Moreover, this efficiency ensures that our team can focus on what matters: empowering companies, civil society organizations, researchers, and other stakeholders in this supply chain about impacts and their propagation all over Brazil.

Rapid fire questions! Your favorite….
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💭Account to follow:
​Veritasium​
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​🎤 Podcast:
​Freakonomics​
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​📚 Book:
​Empowered, by Marty Cagan​

water your soul

Inspiring newsletters, documentaries, social media, and much more; we find media to brighten and enlighten your spirit.

🎥 Career journey from corporate life, to a South Korean island.

community garden

Find a network of extraordinary social & environmental impact leaders to nourish your career growth in The Bloom's community:
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​🌻Lizette: Hi! I am looking for a copy writer/ editor to work in an very inspiring research piece focused on women rights organizations - led by Indigenous and Afro-descendant women. If interested please let me know!

🌵Nadja: Does anyone have any recommendations for online sustainability courses? I’m in the communications social impact space but looking to specialise more in sustainability methods/strategies. Any tips & links appreciated :)

🐝Emily: Hey Everyone, I am hoping to chat with bloomers who are connected to NPOs and NGOs serving human trafficking survivors in Mexico and/or Latin America as one of my clients has a Spanish intervention curriculum that I would love to see reach more survivors who need it.
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☀️Margherita: I am growing increasingly interested in the areas of gender economics, feminist economics and economic justice. I would love to explore these topics more and learn about what it looks like to apply the principles in the activism, advocacy and policy realm. Is any bloomer involved in this segment of social justice work who would like to have an informal chat with me about it? Happy to give support back in exchange!

Connect directly with the leaders & offerings in our social impact community platform, and read through all the wonderful opportunities for reciprocity from job application support, to book club partners 🐝

branch out

Curated collection of Global South/Global North resources, programs, events – because there are many opportunities to branch out, beyond a traditional 9 – 5 jobs.

💸Fellowships & Funds

​Young legal professionals in Caribbean fellowship: The CARICOM fellowship offers an opportunity for you to understand and apply the mechanisms of protection of the inter-American system of human rights.

​Harvard fellowship for digital thriving USA: Are you a researcher, educator, podcaster, artist, or practitioner driven by a passion for empowering youth and society to thrive in our digital world? The Center for Digital Thriving is offering funded fellowships.
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​Young African storytellers with disabilities, competition: The “We Can Work” Narrative competition is a platform for young individuals with disabilities to express themselves creatively. Whether you're a writer, audio producer, videographer, visual artist, or photographer, this competition welcomes all forms of storytelling.
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​Indo-Pacific Leadership Lab: An opportunity for rising leaders from diverse sectors in the Indo-Pacific region. The program aims to deepen leadership practices and increase impact, focusing on community-centered and action-oriented leadership that addresses complex social issues.

​Refugee fellows global program: Designed to empower and bolster the advocacy efforts of refugee leaders worldwide. Tailored to optimize impact and growth, this year-long fellowship promises robust support for the advocacy goals pursued by fellows, equipping them with the tools, resources, and access needed to amplify the voices of refugees and drive tangible change in the advocacy landscape.

​Micro-grant for creativity pioneers, Moleskin Foundation: Supports NGOs involved in creative skills development with unrestricted funding with a EUR 5,000 grant to organizations to help sustain their essential functions and programs, as well as mentoring and learning opportunities, peer-to-peer exchange, and networking.

pollination partner

Our newsletter this week is supported with love by ImaginePod, powerhouse coaching and training community led by social impact industry experts at the intersection of fundraising, tech, and storytelling 💚

Earlier this year, the ImaginePod team gave bloomers free coaching in fundraising strategy, mindset, and action planning to readers of The Bloom who raised their hands earlier this year. Coming out of that absolutely fantastic experience, ImaginePod has just created the ImaginePod Fundraising Incubator, which is also free!

In the free 4-week fundraising incubator, you’ll learn how to:

💸 Create a Silent Auction with a Buy-It-Now option to bring in money quickly from your network in the short term
💸 Design an evergreen Donation or Sponsorship page that is your trusty partner throughout the year when you’re building relationships
💸 Reach out to your network and list effectively
💸 Set up Event Ticketing and Membership Tiers as other revenue sources in the longer term

When you start, you get a free coaching session to kick off this amazing experience to a successful start. You are guaranteed to leave on fire with inspiration and grounded in strong decisions 🔥

grow new roots

Hand-picked job opportunities and employers we love around the world, selected from a diverse team of social impact leaders behind the scenes at The Bloom who are excited for you to grow new roots in your career. ​
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LATIN AMERICA + CARIBBEAN
​Central America director – Corus​
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🇲🇽
​Consultoría para coordinación y elaboración del análisis de personas afromexicanas para el proyecto – SURGES​
Grants associate – Open Society Foundations ​
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​EUROPE​
🇬🇧
​Project manager: Israel & Gaza casualty recording – Airwars ​
​Gender equality & social inclusion advisor – IIED
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​ASIA + OCEANIA
🇮🇳
​Safe abortion & reproductive justice coordinator – YP Foundation​
​Adolescent girls leadership coordinator – YP Foundation
Queer & trans rights officer – YP Foundation ​
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​AFRICA + MENA ​
​Political regime intern, Sub-Saharan region – Human Rights Foundation​
​Program coordinator (Francophone Africa) – IMPACT ​
​Regional program coordinator for Africa & Middle East – Global Girl Project
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🇿🇦
Gender, race & power program manager – Open Society Foundations
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​GLOBAL REMOTE
​Grants operations associate – Mama Cash
Data visualization specialist – Data Friendly Space
​Consultancy to review data-driven facilitator guide – The Equal Measures 2030​
​Evaluator – Gender, Racial, and Ethnic Justice International

For more hand-curated job openings, check out the job board of our careers platform!

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