by Suzanne Whitby | Jun 7, 2022 | Faciliating Futures
One of my favourite questions in place-based futures work is simple, but deceptive. I ask, “Whose futures are visible in this space, and whose are missing?” This is a question that I usually ask in the present, often on a participatory walk, and sometimes in a room,...
by Suzanne Whitby | Jun 1, 2022 | Notebook, To export
I consider myself an optimist. I may even have been called a bit of a “Pollyanna” and after knowing each other for a year or so, a colleague sent me a copy of the film “Pay It Forward” with a note saying “Saw this and was reminded of...
by Suzanne Whitby | May 7, 2022 | Faciliating Futures
In futures work, hope is often misunderstood. (It’s certainly understood in other contexts, too, but I’ll try to stay on topic!) In futures, it’s sometimes treated as optimism, which is a belief that things will turn out well if we just think positively enough. That...
by Suzanne Whitby | Apr 7, 2022 | Faciliating Futures
A lot of modern infrastructure quietly assumes constant uptime. The internet. Our power systems. Our payment systems. Our GPS-powered navigation tools. When any of them stutter, even if only momentarily, things start to unravel quickly. I’ve observed that this...
by Suzanne Whitby | Mar 7, 2022 | Faciliating Futures
Good facilitation in futures work isn’t about adding polish. It changes what becomes possible. It shapes who feels able to contribute, how uncertainty is experienced, and whether imagination expands or contracts under pressure. It affects whether futures are...
