ABOUT
Teach the Future is a global non-profit movement that promotes ‘futures literacy’ as a life skill for students and educators.
In a rapidly evolving world it is essential to learn how to deal with uncertain and ever-changing futures. Let’s prepare our next generations with these skills in the classroom!
Our aspiration is that every student is prepared to navigate an uncertain world and has the agency to imagine and create their preferred future.
Our mission is to teach futures-thinking skills to students and educators around the world and to inspire them to influence their futures.
Why is teaching the future important?
We know that hope for the future is a primary predictor of success, but schools offer few practical tools to help students make sense of change or to explore their role in shaping the future.
We believe that young people of any age can learn to think critically and creatively about the future and develop the agency to influence it.
The Teach the Future community is dedicated to bringing futures thinking to schools, educators, and students around the world. By teaching the future you can equip young people to face uncertainty and help them envision and create their preferred future.
Teach the Future supports the 2030 Agenda for sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular SDG 4: “to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.”
The Teach the Future curriculum (in various formats) is taught in schools (or after school hours) around the world.
What impact do we want to achieve?
By getting futures thinking into classrooms today, we want to achieve long-term outcomes for generations to come:
Stimulate futures consciousness
Activate different ways of thinking (critically and creatively)
Teach the ability to navigate and influence change in the face of uncertainty and complexity
Engage in better decision-making
Create more active citizens
Spark more empathy, particularly for future generations, in solving societal issues
How did it all start?
Teach the Future was founded by American professor Peter Bishop. Peter led the University of Houston Master's in Foresight program for 30 years and wrote Teaching About the Future with his colleague, Andy Hines. Upon his retirement in 2013 he initiated Teach the Future because he felt that futures thinking should not only be taught at universities but made accessible from an early age on. In the past years Peter’s mission for Teach the Future has spread out over the world and is still spreading….
Meet the team
Peter Bishop
Founder
Peter Bishop is founder and Executive Director of Teach the Future. He led the University of Houston Master's in Foresight program for 30 years and co-wrote the text book Teaching About the Future.
Erica Bol
Deputy Director
Erica Bol is our ever enthusiastic conscious futures consultant who helps educators and young people envision more sustainable futures.
Willem Overbosch
Business Explorer
Willem is Business Development explorer for Teach the Future. He has over 20 years of experience in entrepreneurship founding and building businesses. He’s also an author and keynote speaker on sustainability, futures thinking and technology.
Janine Nel
Core team member & South Africa Hub Director
Janine Nel is the the Director of the South African Hub for Teach the Future. She is a communication strategist and a research associate in the Institute for Futures Research at University of Stellenbosch.
Lourdes Rodriguez
Network coordinator
Lourdes Rodríguez is the Network Coordinator for Teach the Future. She is a senior trends researcher and analyst based in Madrid, Spain. She is teaching about trends, signals of change and futures thinking.
Els Dragt
Communications
Els helps out Teach the Future in sharing our message with the outside world. She has a background in Communication Studies and Trend Research.
Lisa Giuliani
Director of Volunteers and Internships
Lisa Giuliani is Director of Internship and Volunteer Opportunities for Teach the future. Seasoned in building partnerships and always on the look out for potential collaborators.
Rosa Alegria
Core team member & Brasil Hub Director
Rosa is the CEO of Teach the Future Brasil and Coordinator of South American hubs for Teach the Future. She conducts workshops and seminars on foresight throughout Brasil.
Alethia Baena Montero
Core team member & Mexico Hub Director
Alethia Baena Montero is the Director of the Teach the Future Mexico. She is conducting workshops for teachers and students and on teaching the future.