Posted: 30th June 2021

Introducing Futures Thinking and Foresight: A Workshop with Wendy L Schultz

We are surrounded by ideas about the future – in advertising, politics, the arts, and many other parts of our lives, we are often promised or asked to imagine plural and multiple futures. Our ability to understand the ways in which we perceive these futures, and to open ourselves to new ways of thinking about future possibilities, is central to futures literacy.

Wendy Schultz, Director of Infinite Futures, specialises in exploring the multiple possible futures that may emerge from change in the present. As a futurist, Wendy works to map out how arising trends might create different futures, taking a critical view on the potential impacts that changes in diverse spheres may have. Her work includes analysis of changes in the past and how they affect the present, ‘horizon scanning’ to identify newly occurring developments, and seeking to understand the implications and impacts of the changes happening around us. By doing so, Wendy strives to identify the opportunities we have to generate different, better futures, and how we can act to create the changes we hope to see.

In a dynamic and interactive workshop, Wendy guided our partners through a series of activities designed to activate and strengthen our abilities to identify changes, critique their possible impacts, and explore alternative futures that might develop from the trends we perceive today. We were asked to create scenarios and engage in thought experiments, as part of telling a story about how things may be different, and considering the multiple and cascading potential effects of change in the now. Using miro.com as an interactive whiteboard allowed us to visualise and collaborate throughout our processes, from identifying the key events in our personal experiences of historical change to envisioning our preferred futures. The emphasis throughout was on recognising the subjectivity and contextuality of what we perceived and imagined, while working together to identify the things that we value, those which we want to carry forward, and how we might act to build the futures we wish for.