The Future of Belonging Project is helping to build a Community Innovation Network to ensure we are designing the future we want to see in our region. To do this, we need your help to examine what might be on the horizon.
What is The Future Includes... Scan Club?!?
We are so glad you asked this question!
The Futures Includes... is what we call a Scan Club! A Scan Club is a group of people (everyday people, students, experts and partners) that come together to explore the future. We do this by using futures thinking and strategic foresight.
Wait, is this some kind of science fiction thing? Sorta, but we prefer to call it strategic foresight. Strategic Foresight is an intentional way to look at potential futures to help inform decision-making in the present. It involves identifying emerging trends, anticipating unexpected events, and imaginative strategies to navigate the communities we want to design!
How does it work?
Over a six-week period, participants of The Future Includes... Scan Club will use a combination of imagination, intuition, creativity, and observation of events in the world to find signals of the future in the present. We'll do this using something called 'Horizon Scanning'. Horizon Scanning involves detecting early signs of change that may have important future impacts on our communities, economies, health, the environment, and how we work and play. Participants will then meet weekly online for an hour and a half to dive into conversations around these signals they found on the horizon and how they might affect the Future of Belonging in our community.
Please note: Before attending your first session, please watch the Scan Club tutorial and introduction here (https://youtu.be/OtL8VZ3dAJI).
During the first meeting, we will discuss and agree on how to maintain a safe environment for discussion. We encourage participants to attend as many sessions as possible.
The Future Includes... Scan Club?!? will occur over 6 weeks on the following Fridays:
- May 24th, 2024, 10 am - 11:30 am EDT
- May 31st, 2024, 10 am - 11:30 am EDT
- June 7th, 2024, 10 am - 11:30 am EDT
- June 14th, 2024, 10 am - 11:30 am EDT
- June 21st, 2024, 10 am - 11:30 am EDT
- June 28th, 2024, 10 am - 11:30 am EDT
Join us on July 8th 2024 at Barrie Public Library, for an engaging community event focused on exploring the Future of Belonging through the lens of emerging trends.
Monday, July 8th, 2024, 10:30 am - 2:30 pm EDT
Barrie Public Library (Downtown) - 60 Worsley Street Barrie, ON L4M 1L6
At this event, attendees will delve into the fascinating signals gathered by our Scan Club and learn about the trend development process combining research and intuition. Through this hands-on, collaborative experience, participants will learn how to cluster related signals to build and form trends. Together, we'll describe these trends, analyze their implications, and extrapolate their potential impact. Whether you're curious about societal shifts or innovative approaches to fostering belonging, this event will provide a unique opportunity to contribute to and understand the trends shaping our future. Don’t miss the chance to be part of this insightful exploration—join us and discover what belonging and the world might look like in the coming decades!
For more information, please reach out to socialinnovation@georgiancollege.ca
