Towards different futures

Example of the duration of the exercise: 30 minutes to 2 hours

Supplies: Future Capabilities Indicator questionnaire form. The questionnaire is based on a form developed through cooperation between the University of Turku and the Lahti Diaconia Institute.

Goal: Map the future-related thoughts of the participants in the coaching and their future capabilities.

Implementation

At the start of coaching, it is a good idea to map out what young people think about the future and what kind of future capabilities they possess. The Future Capabilities Indicator questionnaire allows young people participating in coaching to examine their relationship with the future from many different perspectives.

The form can be filled in together, but the participants can also complete it as a homework assignment before the first meeting.

Reflection

The responses to the survey should be discussed either with the entire group or in short meetings. This discussion phase is a good opportunity to engage young people in sharing their own observations about the future.

Based on the survey, it is also possible to outline, together with the group, what kinds of issues will be focused on during the coaching. The survey should also be used as a basis for specifying the participants’ personal goals for the coaching.

The exercise is successful when, during it, young people can recognise and verbalise at least some of their current feelings and thoughts about the future.

If necessary, you can return to the survey and its results later during the coaching.

Example of the duration of the exercise: 15–30 minutes

Supplies: Pre-planned claims about the everyday life of the future.

Goal: Awaken the participants’ imagination, thinking and interest in different possible futures and future phenomena.

Implementation

In this exercise, the coach presents various statements related to the everyday life of the future, on which young people can express their opinions by voting. For example, they may be asked to vote whether the statement is desirable or undesirable, or unlikely or likely.

The exercise can be carried out in many different ways. The coach can, for example, distribute two notes of different colours to the participants, which they will raise to vote for their own view. If the exercise takes place outdoors or in a large classroom, participants can vote by moving around the designated space (e.g., on opposite walls) according to their views on the matter.

It is also a good idea to include statements that are clearly distinguished from the present to activate the participants’ imagination. The aim is to realise together the different ways in which the future can develop. The selected statements should also evoke emotions to create a discussion about them.

Suitable statements can be planned, for example, by becoming familiar with megatrends or other foresight materials and by considering how the phenomena presented in them could be visible in ordinary, everyday life.

Examples

Claim 1: In the future, the majority of music will be produced by artificial intelligence.
Claim 2: Future technology will make it possible to read thoughts.
Claim 3: As medicine develops, the effects of ageing can be remedied almost completely, allowing people to get close to immortality.
Claim 4: In the future, people will not do paid work, but artificial intelligence and robots will handle most of the work.
Claim 5: Humankind will inhabit other planets.

You can come up with more statements yourself. The participants can be asked to briefly explain why they voted in a certain way or what they think of the statement in general.

However, at this warm-up stage, comments should be kept voluntary. If the statements provoke active discussion, you should not necessarily rush to the next statement. Instead, you can give space and time to the discussion and exchange of opinions at their discretion.

Example of the duration of the exercise: 1–2 hours

Supplies: Save and print Meteorite hunt game board, rules and cards.

Goal: Prompt participants to reflect on various futures and related phenomena, and encourage them to discuss what a desirable future might look like.

Implementation

The Meteorite Hunt game can be used in the exercise either as it is or by adapting it. This is a fairly simple traditional board game in which young people, as teams, can travel in time to the future on a quest for an invaluable meteorite.

At the same time, they will reflect on the future from different perspectives: What kinds of changes can be encountered in the future? What can a good future look like? How can everyone contribute to a good future?

The game can be played as a warm-up exercise for futures thinking. The cards included in the game contain numerous future-related statements and small assignments that can also be used outside the game. Additionally, the coach can utilise the game to develop gamified exercises tailored to their own coaching needs.

Example of the duration of the exercise: 30 minutes to 3 hours

Supplies: The technology to be tested. There are several good options available online, free of charge.

Goal: Prompt participants to reflect on different futures and related phenomena through various technologies and encourage them to discuss what a desirable future could look like.

Implementation

One way to engage young people in reflecting on different possible futures is to test various technology applications with them, as their development may have a significant impact on the future.

For example, the coach can ask participants to find an AI application online that interests them and try it out in practice. Good applications for this include AI-based chats and various image generators, but almost any application that attracts young people’s interest is suitable.

In addition to artificial intelligence, other types of technology, such as VR games, can also be tested in coaching as far as possible. Regardless of the target, the debriefing discussion that follows is the most important part of this exercise.

Reflection

After testing, the participants discuss their observations. Good helper questions for this include:

• What kind of thoughts do the tested technology applications evoke?
• What kind of role could technology and its use have desirably in terms of education? For example, in society or in personal life?
• In what direction do young people hope that technology and its use will not develop in the future?