Institute For The Future

Equitable Futures Week Has No Boundaries

 

On Monday April 1st we kicked off Equitable Futures Week, a globally distributed social re-imagining designed to help us imagine what a more equitable future could look like. Inequity—an unfair and unjust distribution of resources and opportunities—is increasingly being recognized as an urgent future that needs to be addressed today by a wide range of businesses, governments, and foundations around the globe.

Countless organizations (including the incredible Equitable Futures Week nodes) are diligently working to build a more equitable future, and can easily describe the barriers to a fair and just society. Yet we all struggle to tell the story of a truly equitable society. Where are the books and movies in popular media that paint a picture of an alternative, more equitable future? How do we illustrate the systems of equity as clearly as we describe systems of inequity? How can we describe what it feels like to walk around in an equitable world? How will we be different? How will our families, cities, and economies be different?

Our ability to develop a more equitable future requires that we be able to tell these stories.

Throughout Equitable Futures Week communities around the world are coming together to tell a participatory futures story on a global scale. Follow along with #EquitableFutures on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Download our free Equitable Futures Toolkit, register your node, and help us develop a more equitable future.

Equity has no boundaries: from large corporations to grassroots peacebuilders

People are already participating from countries around the world. From Sudan to Mexico, Iran to Colombia, and Argentina to the US. Imaginations are already being sparked in Spanish, Arabic, and English.

There are no boundaries to the kinds of organizations or individuals who care about building a more equitable future either. A Fortune 500 company is participating in Equitable Futures Week; as are grassroots peacebuilders, artists collectives, design firms, and a college campus. Together these diverse voices help us build a collective and inclusive picture of what a more equitable future could look like.

Still interested in participating? Check out what some of our nodes are doing below for inspiration!

In 5 minutes Zebras Unite Engages Their Network with an Evocative Prompt:

Zebras Unite is building a more equitable future by calling for ethical and inclusive alternatives to startup and venture capital culture. Zebras Unite is participating in Equitable Futures Week by engaging their global network via social media to help inform what 2030 would look like if they are successful in their mission. They are adapting the Draw Out Consequences tool from the Equitable Futures Toolkit for an online activity.

Sometimes a simple tweet is all it takes, “What does 2030 look if Zebras Unite succeeds in making VC funding + business culture more ethical, inclusive, and accessible? What new start-ups will exist? How might income inequality or cities change? Share your ideas below! #EquitableFutures @IFTF  http://www.iftf.org/equitablefuturesweek2019/”

Throughout the Week the Sudanese Equitable Futures Network Brings Activists to the Future

The Sudanese Equitable Futures Network is a digital grassroots community that is actively engaged in current civil society protests that have been happening since December. Their mission is to change the national government. Gada Kadoda, the network organizer, is using Facebook to ask people to develop headlines from 2030 that explore what an equitable Sudan could look like. Later in the week, she will include a follow up post asking people to explore what actions they are willing to take today to move Sudan towards that equitable future.

Highlights from Sudanese Equitable Futures Network Headlines from the Future:

“Nuba Mountains Opens for Tourists.”

“Largest Innovation Hub in Africa launches in Al-Fashir.”

“Each village/community has Primary Healthcare Center”

“Sudanese Farmers Forum for Indigenous Knowledge is leading the world on promoting local knowledge on agriculture”

Translation:  The best is coming ? A country that we share equally houses, electricity, and water.

Accenture Labs Hosts a Happy Hour and Plays the Equitable Futures Card Game

Accenture Labs takes on applied research and development projects so that their clients across different industries can leverage innovations to improve their business across the world. Bill Lesieur—who leads Accenture Lab’s Shaping the Future program—organized a brainstorming session and happy hour with his colleagues using the Equitable Futures card game and then turned the best ideas into Headlines from the Future.

Highlights from Equitable Futures Network Headlines from the Future:

“Facebook increases life expectancy. Users not told how.”

“Last company converted: The EU required all companies involved in food production, distribution and retail: Required to become benefit corporations by 2030”

“Accenture partners with Netflix to make political crimes extinct”

 

Estratek Holds a Series of Workshops Throughout the Week

Estratek is a group of entrepreneurs in Colombia who “launch, discover, and accelerate startups in corporate environments.” This week Estratek is hosting a series of workshops exploring equitable futures with clients and friends. Their first workshop was with leaders of Corona Organization, one of the oldest businesses in Colombia, to develop ideas on how to achieve a positive impact on the lives of others. Some of their commitments to action that came out of the workshop include developing home gardens, the reduction of plastic consumption, and promoting social innovation. The organizers who led the Estratek node say even small actions can make a difference!

 

Atlanta’s Speculative Futures Program
Organizes a Public Meet-Up

ATL Speculative Futures is hosting an Equitable Futures Workshop where they will use the Equitable Futures Toolkit. Held on Saturday, April 6th at the SunTrust Accelerator Studio in Atlanta, GA, join if you are in the neighborhood, or consider organizing your own meet up.

https://www.meetup.com/ATL-Speculative-Futures/events/260040330/