FUTURES LITERACY

Futures Literacy is the skill that allows people to better understand the role of the future in what they see and do.

What is Futures Literacy (FL) ?

According to UNESCO (adapted) :

Futures Literacy is the competency that allows people to better understand the role of the future in what they see and do. In our complex world, the global challenges we face require more inclusive and agile approaches to policy design and decision-making. Rooted in the discipline of anticipation, Futures Literacy can improve our capacity to shape policies and systems that withstand shocks and create long-term resilience. Futures Literacy helps people understand why and how we use the future to prepare, plan, and interact with the complexity and novelty of our societies.

How it helps

Through a structured approach, organizations and individuals learn about how the origins of what they imagine and can empower them to diversify their actions.

Using the Future to Rethink the Present

Through exploring different types of futures — probable, preferable, and reframed — participants are encourage to escape the dominant narratives about the future and embrace new possibilities for action. By integrating a long-term perspective, people learn to use the future to see the present anew.

Fostering Diverse Futures

Through a participatory action-learning process, people can sense and make sense of various narratives of the future and explore different ways of knowing through a collective intelligence knowledge creation process. This process creates an appreciation for change – leading to a higher degree of comfort with uncertainty and difference.

Agency and Empowerment

Futures Literacy workshops are participatory processes designed to include voices from all walks of life. With alternative perspectives, people innovate and diversify their choices. Futures Literacy empowers people to be more creative, open, experimental and innovative.