Each month I host an informal gathering of people who want to grow their futures muscles! It is a way of meeting others interested in exploring ideas, and being curious. I like it to the idea of ‘future flossing’, where people intentionally dig into the dark corners of the brain to seek out plaque that might be building up or cementing ideas in place. ‘What if Wednesdays’ challenge us to remain open, to explore weak signals and to connect dots.
In the first half of the year I collated a resource called Intergenerational Ambition: A Wayfinding Tool for the Future. This led me to a deep dive into intergenerational fairness and future generations. You can read more about this later in the post. Once the resource was completed it was time to take action so my next step is asking civil society of Aotearoa New Zealand to ask some specific questions of our politicians.
Over the last six months I have been collating Intergenerational Ambition: A Wayfinding Tool for the Future. This resource explores the Aotearoa context for intergenerational fairness and future generations. We are the people who must create the way forward. This resource shares some of the why and how.
The Possibility Wheel helps groups explore issues more deeply by examining underlying assumptions, which I think is one of the most important parts of futuring. The tool encourages users to identify the key question, surrounding assumptions, and theories of action, thus encouraging a more comprehensive analysis of an issue. It’s value lies in its ability to help people move beyond initial assumptions and consider unintended consequences, ultimately leading to more thoughtful decision-making. I tested this approach with school leaders, using the topical issue of school lunches in New Zealand as an example.
I have been trying to articulate my world view of futures and how that impacts what I say and do in my futures work. I don’t see the future as being something that comes next, but rather a whole way of being, a constant movement and a futures fluent approach to taking action. I have called my emerging explanation Unbounded Futures, a model which weaves pasts, presents and futures.
Teaching is dead in its current format. It’s not doable. It requires people who can juggle so many balls in the air that most of them fall to the ground. It’s even too hard to focus on a few critical balls. So why do we persist with this used future? What’s the story of educational inertia? Why aren’t teachers falling in love with teaching? Are learners really at the centre?
This year I have been working with a number of diverse groups that want some futures literacy support. They are very aware of the complex challenges of today’s world but don’t know what to do about these challenges!
In these times of unprecedented change we oscillate between making sense of the here and now and considering new possibilities for change. For those of us in Christchurch, Ōtautahi we have experienced nearly a decade of these oscillations, with earthquakes, fires, the mosque terror attack and now a pandemic. We have moved from crises that are localised to those that impact us on the global stage. There is no ‘new normal’.
Technological change continues to accelerate. Automation is an increasing threat to employment. In times of such exponential acceleration it is important for us to consider and amplify what makes us uniquely human. Rather than trying to compete with technology, let’s explore ways in which technology can enhance humanity. What does it mean to be human? What are the implications for organisations trying to understand these complex times?