Teach the Future's Global Youth Director, Lisa Giuliani, was recently invited to Stanford University for a luncheon conversation about the work of Teach the Future and the impact of our annual World Futures Day - Young Voices event.
The discussion took place at The Levinthal-Ng House, also referred to as the "Ng House;" is a hub for anticipatory futures thinking at Stanford. It hosts lectures, seminars, workshops, and informal gatherings focused on futures studies and developing foresight capabilities. Lisa was joined by professors Riel Miller and Michael Shanks to explore ways to further amplify the global conversation on developing futures literacy, especially amongst youth.
Topics covered included:
- Origins of Teach the Future and the gaps we aim to address in equipping youth to navigate uncertainty
- Growth of World Futures Day from a small gathering to 400+ future-focused sessions across 80+ countries in just three years
- Youth perspectives and optimism captured in World Futures Day conversations
- Need for futures literacy frameworks suitable for students rather than policy makers
- Importance of diverse voices and empowering the historically marginalized
-Anticipation
- The power of speculation, imagination and “what if” questions
- Nurturing intergenerational partnerships
- Further research directions
Lisa highlighted the tremendous momentum World Futures Day has gained as the need for futures thinking skills intensifies amidst accelerating change. She also reinforced that imagination, creativity and an ethical orientation focused on consciousness evolution underpin Teach the Future's mission to spread futures literacy.
The group acknowledged more spaces are needed both in formal education and informal learning contexts to help youth to develop futures orientation. There is also an urgent need for capacity building resources to equip teachers, especially in regions lacking access and exposure to anticipatory methodologies.
Exciting times ahead as we strengthen the Teach the Future network and offer more futures literacy development opportunities!
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March 1, 2024
Description: March 1st is World Future Day. Together with partners from around the world we will be hosting 24 sessions (one for each hour of the entire day) on Zoom to inspire young people and imagine possible futures together.