Foresight Workshops

Most education systems are designed around today’s realities rather than tomorrow’s possibilities.

As technology, climate change, demographic shifts, and changing patterns of work continue to transform society, preparing young people requires building their capacity to navigate uncertainty, imagine alternatives, and make informed decisions in a rapidly changing world.

Foresight Workshops create space for learners, educators, and decision-makers to imagine multiple futures, challenge existing assumptions, to collectively design learning experiences that prepare young people for an uncertain world. 

Approach

Rooted in the 3 Horizons Framework and backed by UNESCO’s Futures Thinking approach, Foresight Workshops examine the  systems shaping education and work and identify emerging trends that shape the future. 

Participants explore multiple possible futures. They explore assumptions about education and careers that no longer serve young people. They look at trends that are reshaping learning, work, technology, and society. They explore the impact of climate change, technology, mental health, demographic shifts, and more. They question the kind of futures we want to create and therefore the actions they want to begin taking. With this, through the foresight workshops, collectively define a preferred future that is more equitable, inclusive, and responsive to the aspirations of young people.

Impact

Our Foresight workshops have been piloted  in Odisha and Jharkhand, along with learners, educators, and district officials. For educators, this meant examining the relevance of their role and what they teach, and for learners, it raised questions about the skills they actually need, both for today and for the future.

Educators and learners also expressed anxiety about the growing dominance of technology and what it means for career opportunities ahead. However, the pilot workshops helped create space for possibilities with participants imagining alternate scenarios and futures giving them hope and confidence towards the futures they desire.  

Building on these pilots, we are expanding Foresight workshops across other states to strengthen futures thinking within public education systems.

Quest Alliance, through its work of almost two decades in India’s education ecosystem, has discerned that Foresight Workshops can play a pivotal role in building futures-ready education systems across public schools in India.