In support of our goals of reimagining, reconfiguring, redesigning and reinforcing STI for Society, we have developed four primary tracks of work across which we:
Advocate within the field for related goals and approaches
Implement approaches within our programming, and create new targeted programming where necessary
Help partners and our constituencies understand and operationalize these approaches through guidance and content development, capacity building, and advisory services.
TIME TRAVEL GUILD
Expanded Possibilities
We work to enlarge a sense of possibilities, imagination, and set more audacious goals, especially by youth. THrough imaginaries - past and future - and articulating desired futures, expectations and demand can be shifted.
Futures thinking also offers important capacities in anticipation & foresight And by examining the past, present and future for signals of change, trends and alternative models, we engage in a process of discovery and can increase our understanding of how change happens.
PROJECT HIGHLIGHT: Youth Civic Futures
Engaging youth in futures thinking and speculative design as part of community planning and development through futures exercises and conversations, real world observation and mapping, speculative design, and use of extended reality as a form of tactical urbanism. Learn more about our Rhinebeck Youth Voices project and the highlight of the project by Teach the Future.
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Timeline of Desired Futures and Pasts: An interactive timeline that plots less well known ideas and models from the past, outlier and signals in the present and future possibilities, as well as youth speculative history and futures. Contact us to learn more. [Under development]
Extended Reality Hacks Girls and youth hackathons to design the built environment and community through extended reality and Minecraft. These were precursors to the Civic Futures project.
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Gender and STEM Futures Thinking Workshop and consultation on Futures Thinking and Desired Futures on Gender Equality and STEM with the ITU, WIPO and UN Women.
Horizon Scanning for Youth Age appropriate resources that assist youth with scanning for outliers, signals and trends through diverse sources. [Under development]
Intergenerational Equity Toolkit Understanding and how to integrate intergeneratioal thinking and action into organizational work. [Under development]
HOLISTIC ACTION LEAGUE
Whole of Society Approaches
We work to introduce guiding frameworks and frames of reference that position sti to better serve ALL of society. this means aligning goals and efforts with Human Rights frameworks, whole of society and Human Centered approaches and also helps to build STIS identity at the individual level.
We help build practical skills and approaches in Systems Thinking and tobuild or strengthen Ecosystem Development, bringing together different stakeholders across disciplines to learn, collaborate and work towards collective action.
Framework Highlight: Breaking Down Silos between gender and Tech
PROJECT HIGHLIGHT: The Global Girls Collaborative engages with girl-serving STEM organizations around the world and builds off the learning, collaboration and collective action model of the National Girls Collaborative Project, as well as the expertise of Futuristas in integration of global to local perspectives, thinking modes, and innovative programming pedagogies. Learn more.
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Space for Women Futuristas Participates in and has helped to build the global Space for Women Network which, under the auspices of the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), brings together experts and practitioners across space, stem and gender equality disciplines to bring more girls and women into the space sector and to ensure that the benefits of space applications reach girls and women around the world. Futuristas has been a driver of the adoption of Gendered Innovations within this agenda.
Equals Participation in the Equals Gender and Technology Coalition in the skills working group. Contributed to the report, I’d Blush if I Could, on digital skills and the implications of AI for gender equality.
Ethical, Public Interest and Community and Civic (EPICC) STI We are starting to build an ecosystem dedicated to strengthening efforts to integrate issues of ethics, public interest and civic/community level engagement to youth STI programming. We aim to identify the theoretical frameworks for this work, map opportunities to innovate or scale, define common goals, metrics and share. [Under development]
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Futuristas Brief: Breaking Down Silos in Gender and Technology. A snapshot of a framework for increasing understanding and bridging and transforming efforts.
Futuristas Brief: Correcting Asymmetries in Gender, STI and Society. A snapshot of requisite focus areas and levers for achieving more equitable STI.
AI and Gender Consultation, research and drafting contributions including a framework and recommendations on gender transformative approaches. This led to the adoption of a gender goal within the UNESCO AI Ethics Framework.
Futuristas Presentation: Gendered Innovations :: Issues for the Space Sector Examples and issues for the space sector to consider in advancing gender transformative practices, R&D and space applications.
Futuristas Brief: A Framework for a Technology Lifecycle Approach Organizational considerations when integrating gender into its structure, policies, practices, engagements as well as its products and services.
DESIGN STUDIO
Innovation & Emergence
We build, adapt and apply innovation and design methodologies for learning and programming efforts. We also help build these skills in our partners and through our work directly with youth and women.
We develop methods, tools and programming where there are important needs and corresponding gaps in practice. And we keep an eye on emerging topics and opportunities and develop resources and programming in response.
PROJECT HIGHLIGHT: Model Mars is a project of Futuristas that brings together many of our goals and approaches. It invites youth (13-18) from around the world to simulate living in a future society on Mars and work together to solve a story based, inter-disciplinary (STI and humanities) problem that introduces and puts to test youth futures, systems and design thinking skills. Teams engage in speculative design for our Museum of the Future, help build a planetary wide Mars Commons, and then translate their insights, learning and new approaches to solving for the UN Sustainable Development Goals on Earth in the here and now. Learn More.
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In addition to projects we are developing under other tracks (e.g. Civic Futures), we are also building out projects that address emerging and promising STI and society issues through applied learning:
Biomimicry for Youth In order to promote more sustainable design practices, and improve the connections between youth and nature, we piloted the Biomimicry Youth Design Challenge for late elementary school children and participate as a judge for the design challenge.
INTELLIGENCE EXCHANGE
Learning and Connections
Futuristas develops, provides or supports:
Thought Leadership: Strategic directions and questions being asked
Intelligence: Developments in the field, on the horizon, and youth insights.
Tactical Practices: Getting into the ”know-how” of implementation, especially how to start and what to do when stuck.
Learning and Resources: Access to key resources and learning opportunities
Networking: Regular exchange and collaboration
Convenings: Small to large scale meet-ups (virtual and face-to-face)
Public Awareness: Enlarging the public imaginary, awareness, and understanding
We are currently developing Briefs, Analysis, and a Resource Collection, with more to come in the near future.
ADVISORY SERVICES
Futuristas provides services to partners in a number of forms including:
Co-creating: Methodologies, Frameworks, Tools and Programmes
Customized Services on Operationalization: build your capacity and get strategic advice on implementing frameworks and tools
Thought leadership, advisory boards and speaking engagements: We have participated in a number of Advisory Boards, and held or participated in many events and panels including at the New York Academy of Science, the Association of Science and Technology Centers and Museums and the European network of Science Centers and Museums annual conferences and consultations, NCGP, If/Then, and many United Nations events.
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