Futures Literacy for Civil Society
What tools can we use to critically reflect on the future within civil society?
What tools can we use to critically reflect on the future within civil society?
Futures Probes addressed this question in tandem with its project partner SUPERRR Lab. In three learning modules, 15 participants from 12 civil society organisations strengthened their imaginative muscle and their futures literacy.
More info
More info
- 15 participantsA total of 15 participants took part in the Futures Literacy for Civil Society pilot programme.
- 12 organisationsParticipants came from 12 civil society organisations, including Wikimedia, BIWOC* Rising, HateAid and netzforma*.
- 1 partnerThe project was initiated, designed and implemented jointly by Futures Probes and SUPERRR Lab.
- 3 modulesThe learning programme was structured in 3 workshops: one of them online and the other two offline.
How can we foster critical thinking about futures within civil society?
Futures literacy describes the skills needed to imagine a plurality of futures, to anticipate different future developments and to critically examine existing future narratives. It is important for civil society organisations, as their desirable futures rarely align with the ‘most common’ futures in society.
In our pilot programme Futures Literacy for Civil Society, we embarked on a learning journey to leave the here and now and its backdrop of complex crises, and engaged with distant futures. We followed the questions: What future narratives do we have? And what does ‘desirable’ truly mean to us?
We did all this together with participants from 12 civil society organisations: D64, BIWOC* Rising, HateAid, Wikimedia, Deutsche Aidshilfe, netzforma*, Das NETTZ, Hafiza Merkezi Berlin, Romnja Feminist Library, Neue deutsche Medienmacher*innen and Radikale Töchter.
Futures literacy describes the skills needed to imagine a plurality of futures, to anticipate different future developments and to critically examine existing future narratives. It is important for civil society organisations, as their desirable futures rarely align with the ‘most common’ futures in society.
In our pilot programme Futures Literacy for Civil Society, we embarked on a learning journey to leave the here and now and its backdrop of complex crises, and engaged with distant futures. We followed the questions: What future narratives do we have? And what does ‘desirable’ truly mean to us?
We did all this together with participants from 12 civil society organisations: D64, BIWOC* Rising, HateAid, Wikimedia, Deutsche Aidshilfe, netzforma*, Das NETTZ, Hafiza Merkezi Berlin, Romnja Feminist Library, Neue deutsche Medienmacher*innen and Radikale Töchter.
The modules
1
Kickoff call
In a first digital kick-off call, the participants got to know each other and started to familiarise themselves with the digital tools we planned to use and with the learning journey.
2
M1: Introduction
In addition to various short inputs on futures literacy and the decolonisation of futures, the participants were able to try out initial tools such as the Futures Cone and the Futures Wheel.
3
M2: Anticipation
The participants learnt to anticipate what future developments and consequences there could be and how to build scenarios. They also analysed and critically examined existing future scenarios.
4
M3: Imagining
The participants embarked on a journey into the future and imagined desirable futures, uncovered their own hidden assumptions and finally developed possible courses of action through backcasting.
Main Outcomes
- Futures literacyParticipants trained the “imagination muscle” and learned to anticipate and critically examine futures.
- Methodological skillsParticipants tested various futures methods and learned about their possible applications.
- OptimismAt the end of the learning journey, many of the participants reflected that they were now much more optimistic about their own future.
- CommunityExercises that stimulated the senses and emotions led to intensive dialogues between the participants and a feeling of cohesion that went beyond the workshops.
Tools & Methods
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Futures ConeA model showcasing the plurality of futures that can also be used to cluster and contextualise them. -
Futures WheelA method for visually mapping future consequences of a particular change or development. -
2x2 Scenario MethodA simple scenario method combining 2 different influencing factors to create a total of 4 distinct scenarios. -
Futuring JourneyA guided mental journey into a desirable future using all senses, going beyond seeing and hearing. -
Futures Literacy LabA structured process in which assumptions about the future are first critically scrutinised and then used to develop new futures. -
Future(s) personaA tool to better understand stakeholders that might emerge as part of a particular future.
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Narrative StorytellingA creative method to communicate imagined futures in an accessible and engaging way.
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BackcastingA method used to strategise backward from a particular desirable future, instead of projecting forward.
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