All of us deal with the future every day and constantly make choices toward a future that doesn’t exist yet. That’s why it’s important to work on your future skills. The National Futures Course is a free course that teaches futures thinking. The aim is to show you how you can influence your future and our collective future. Take a look at the course modules below to find out what you’re going to learn from the experts.
Welcome! The first module of the National Futures Course takes you through the basics of futures thinking. What is it? What is it good for? And why is it important? Initiator Rudy van Belkom, director of the Netherlands Study Centre for Technology Trends (STT), explains why this course is relevant for everyone.
Everyone thinks about the future, but how does it work exactly? In module 2, Tessa Cramer (professor ‘Designing the Future’ at Fontys University of Applied Sciences) takes you into the world of futures thinking and gives you the first tools to learn to think like a futures thinker.
An important lesson for future thinkers to remember is that there isn’t a single future. There are multiple futures in the making. In module 3, Erna Ovaa (Programme Leader of Strategic Explorations at Rijkswaterstaat) takes you through this philosophy and teaches you how to keep track of things in a world full of uncertainty.
Your view on life influences the future. Module 4 is about the importance of different perspectives and how they help shape your future. Future anthropologist Roanne van Voorst explains.
The connection between the future and the present. All the elements from the previous modules combined form futures literacy: challenging assumptions, imagining different futures, and considering different perspectives. UNESCO Chair on Futures Literacy Loes Damhof explains how you can apply this in your daily life.
Having the capacity to imagine the future requires creativity! It’s an essential skill to spot “unexpected” future scenarios and come up with creative solutions to the challenges that pop up. Speculative designer Koert van Mensvoort (founder of Next Nature) tells us all about the power of imagination!
So, what kind of future do we want, and how do we get there? Professor of socio-economic transitions Derk Loorbach takes us into the world of transitions and explains why change (on a large scale) is so difficult but also so vital.
Thinking about the future is all about people. In module 8, Rabia Kodapanakkal (Data Researcher at the Netherlands Court of Audit) takes you into the world of attitudes and social norms. She shows that change is largely a matter of our attitude towards the subject.
Getting started with the future. In the final module, trend watcher Farid Tabarki explains how you can actually apply all these new skills in your life. In this module, you will learn how to deal with change.
This course provides you with tools to get started with futures thinking. We show you how you can influence your future and explain why this influence is also important for our collective future.
