Council of the Future: a Citizen Assembly Workshop for local Futures Planning
This article explores the meaning of present and future times while introducing a strategic foresight tool for understanding, imagining, and acting towards a desirable future within communities.
What if designing our future could start right now? The current state of our world calls on us to radically rethink our way of being in the world, imagining it, and shaping it with our actions. To embrace what is yet to come, we must liberate our imagination and craft a future we haven’t yet envisioned.
“The cracks in the system are leaving space for the new to emerge, providing us with some rays of light and encouraging us to find our way through the hope of reinventing the world we want to live in. To get rid of the old and welcome the new, we need to liberate our imagination to craft something we have not yet imagined possible.”
Cartography of Inner Worlds, 2024
Inspired by this perspective and The Three Tomorrows of Postnormal Times methodology, let us explore the meaning of futures through three connected phases.
1. Extended Present
The present is dynamic and influenced by current trends and emerging issues, shaping the Extended Present, which covers the next 5 to 10 years. This phase is defined by foreseeable trends and technological developments which can be predicted but require a nuanced understanding beyond simple extrapolations.
2. Familiar Future(s)
Following the Extended Present is the Familiar Future(s), spanning 10 to 20 years, characterised by images and imaginings from popular culture and technological projections. This future feels familiar due to its depiction in media and science fiction, which influences real-world developments like urban design and technological innovations.
3. Unthought Future(s)
Beyond the Familiar Future(s) lies the Unthought Future(s), a horizon of pure possibility extending over 20 years. This future is not unthinkable. However, it represents a realm where conventional thought struggles to grasp the full implications. It requires collaborative creativity and ethical imagination to explore its divergent perspectives, as traditional models fail to provide adequate insights. The Unthought Future(s) challenges us to confront uncommon opportunities and unanticipated developments head-on.
A strategic Foresight tool birthing Unthought Future(s)
Encouraged to see well beyond our current times and tap into the Unthought Future(s)’ potential, I developed the ‘Council of the Future’ methodology. A tool helping citizens to make sense of the current world and its impacts on the extended present, imagine our desired reality in 2060 and act now in our communities to shape the future.
This strategic foresight tool can empower any citizen, business leader, and policymaker to imagine the future so that future generations can thrive and life flourishes. Designed as a citizen assembly role-play, the workshop draws on intergenerational and collective intelligence principles.
STEP 1
To start, the participants chose one specific, relatable, and open question as the workshop challenge.
Example
Local authority: ‘How can we eradicate the use of fossil fuels in our city?’
Regional NGO: ‘How can we achieve responsible fishing in the region?’
Farming cooperative: ‘How can we reconcile decent incomes and sustainable food in our region?’
Private company: ‘How can we achieve gender parity?’
STEP 2
Then, the participants follow a 3-phase process, exploring the challenge they chose in depth.
1. Exploration Phase (Extended Present)
Participants identify the main risks associated with today’s issues, focusing on the main challenge chosen for the activity.
‘What are the risks and why should we act accordingly?’
2. Imagination Phase (Familiar and Unthought Future(s))
Participants adopt the perspective of their great-grandchildren, imagining an ideal world for future generations to thrive in by 2060. They transport themselves 30+ years ahead.
‘What kind of world do we want our great-grandchildren to inherit?’
3. Planning Phase (from Extended Present to Unthought Future(s))
Participants develop a strategy with key recommendations to bridge the gap between current challenges and the desired future by 2060.
How can we meet the challenges of today to achieve the world we want to see in 2060?’
The activity facilitates collective intelligence, transforming the issues of our time into opportunities for collective reinvention. In a spirit of intergenerational justice, the workshop is an opportunity for us to sketch out the world of tomorrow.
If you would like to access the full methodology and download the ‘Council of the Future’ booklet, visit https://www.futurs-lejeu.fr/en/the-council-of-the-future-a-citizen-assembly-workshop-for-sustainability/
The invitation is for you to start shaping the future right now, bringing together your local community together to co-design a future worth standing for.
Niels de Fraguier is an entrepreneur, author and strategic foresight ideator committed to empowering individuals and restoring Earth systems. He supports companies, institutions, and not-for-profit organisations to build future-fit approaches to embrace change as an opportunity enabler. He has authored Cartography of Inner Worlds and co-authored The Regenerative Enterprise.
To learn more, visit empoweringpotential.org.
