Our final Meetup for the year was an insight filled journey in to the past, present and future of collaboration – creating scenarios for futures in a field of hope.

A big thanks to Neil Houghton for his great work in framing the discussion and designing a process to give us a taster of strategic foresight and scenario creation, and fellow panelists Bridgette Engeler Newbury and Tim Longhurst for an entertaining and possibility provoking conversation.

Here’s to better futures. 🙂

[<a href=”//storify.com/DoingSomeGood/collaboratory-melbourne-meetup-futures-in-a-field” target=”_blank”>View the story “Collaboratory Melbourne Meetup: Enabling Pathways to Better Futures – Futures Studies and Strategic Foresight” on Storify</a>]<br /> <h1>Collaboratory Melbourne Meetup: Enabling Pathways to Better Futures – Futures Studies and Strategic Foresight</h1> <h2>The key to building better futures is right in front of us. Rather than looking solely at our past we should be studying possible futures – not to predict what will happen, but to help us shape it. At our final meetup for 2012 we’ll explore the fascinating world of of futures & strategic foresight.</h2> <p>Storified by <a href=”http://storify.com/DoingSomeGood”>Doing Something Good</a>· Thu, Dec 13 2012 19:29:26</p> <div>Collaboratory Melbourne</div> <div>December Collaboratory Meetup – Enabling Pathways to Better Futures: Futures, Foresight and Scenarios | Doing Something Good"We look at the present through a rear-view mirror. We march backwards into the future." – Marshall McLuhan The key to building better fu…</div> <div>Time Unhinged & the Agency of the Future http://bit.ly/YCHgYl exploring this with @njhoughton @incognitosum @timlonghust at #CollabMelb TueDoing Something Good</div> <div>[0/4] A scaffold for a context scenario for #CollabMelb … Touch-points, Rendezvous, Revealing, Rehearsing …Neil Houghton</div> <div>[1/4] Touch-points within my / (y)our fields of inspiration, desperation & aspiration … #CollabMelbNeil Houghton</div> <div>[2/4] Rendezvous with the weight-of-past, the push-of-present & the pull-of-future: me / you co-creating a field of hope … #CollabMelbNeil Houghton</div> <div>[3/4] Revealing what I / We need to retain, release & re-learn? … #CollabMelbNeil Houghton</div> <div>[4/4] Rehearsing within a field of hope: individual / collective agency & pathways … transitions & new beginnings … #CollabMelbNeil Houghton</div> <div>Futures in a Field of HopeThe core idea I want to outline here is the value in shifting from a conversation of futures of ‘X’ to an experience of futures in ‘X’. A…</div> <div>What’s the one myth you’d like to dispel about futures and foresight?#collabmelb #futrs @njhoughton @DavidAHood @TimLonghurst @incognitosumJulian Waters-Lynch</div> <div>@jwaterslynch @DavidAHood @TimLonghurst @incognitosum … the myth of the unreality of the future …Neil Houghton</div> <div>That there can be only one (future) RT @jwaterslynch: What’s the one myth you’d like to dispel about futures and foresight?#collabmelbDavid Hood</div> <div>@njhoughton @jwaterslynch @DavidAHood @TimLonghurst the myth that there is only ‘the future’incognito sum</div> <div>A big futures myth is they’re being created exclusively by ‘others’ #CollabMelb #futrs @jwaterslynch @njhoughton @DavidAHood @incognitosumTim Longhurst</div> <div>Is the future really already here and unevenly distributed and/or should we stretch our imagination a little further? #CollabMelb #futrsJulian Waters-Lynch</div> <div>RT @DavidAHood Getting #foresightcurious with @jwaterslynch @incognitosum @TimLonghurst and @njhoughton at #CollabMelb http://twitpic.com/bixjfqJohn Baxter</div> <div>Futures are something that we choose, and that we create together. @TimLonghurst #CollabMelbDoing Something Good</div> <div>What alternative futures might we like to explore? @njhoughton #CollabMelbDavid Hood</div> <div>Why be futurist? To be a good ancestor! #collabMelbGenevieve Roberts</div> <div>Another Strategy Tool: STEEPLE Analysis – Sagacious ThinkSWOT is a tool familiar to a lot of people, but another tool, equally valuable is the STEEPLE Analysis. They both become more powerful if…</div> <div>HOPE Helping Other Possibilities Emerge #CollabMelbGenevieve Roberts</div> <div>futures in a field of hope 0Collaboratory Melbourne</div> <div>Look for points of leverage in the system! @timlonghurst #collabmelbGenevieve Roberts</div> <div>Why are we here discussing futures together at #CollabMelb? Exploring generative potential and our individual contributions. #hope #actionPhilippa Devine</div> <div>Catalytic action/Leverage is the key to making an impact – one person can help 8 people in GetUp influence 300,000 members #collabmelbColin Farrelly</div> <div>Field of HOPE is intersection of weight of Past push of Present and Pull of Future #CollabMelbGenevieve Roberts</div> <div>@adamjorlen #futures in a field of #hope … pic that spaked your curiosity (inspired William Bridges) – blog post soon http://yfrog.com/h38wreajNeil Houghton</div> <div>Exploring futures in a field of hope. Eddie Obeng TED Talk Smart failure for a fast-changing world http://bit.ly/SuavaS #CollabMelbDavid Hood</div> <div>Eddie Obeng: Smart failure for a fast-changing worldtedtalksdirector</div> <div>RT @EcoWellsprings: What catalytic action can you take in your sphere of influence? @njhoughton #collabmelbAdam Jorlen</div> <div>futures in a field of hopeCollaboratory Melbourne</div> <div>Exploring the past, present and future of collaboration at #collabmelb http://twitpic.com/bixx3b … http://tmi.me/Bv4YkDavid Hood</div> <div>Collaboratory Melbourne</div> <div>Collaboratory Melbourne</div> <div>Collaboratory Melbourne</div> <div>Collaboratory Melbourne</div> <div>Collaboratory Melbourne</div> <div>Scenarios are practical images of possibilities Thru words, dance, poetry, pictures, movement #CollabMelbGenevieve Roberts</div> <div>Looking as the future (foresight) vs looking at the future (strategy). #CollabMelb http://twitpic.com/biy6djDavid Hood</div> <div>A discussion of the Past, Present & Future can condition the group to a point where Scenarios can be developed. We did this at #collabmelbColin Farrelly</div> <div>Trapped in time, Entrained by time, Where are u drawn to? Past, Present, Future!? #CollabMelbGenevieve Roberts</div> <div>RT @EcoWellsprings: Hope, Agency, Pathways! How do we give people agency to build better futures #CollabMelbDoing Something Good</div> <div>Inspiring session at #CollabMelb – Potential to reevaluate post grad study plans as an outcome!Adam Axon</div> <div>This RT @vivmcw: A simple way to influence the future is to change the story/language we use in the present #collabmelbMiriam Doull</div> <div>Thanks everyone for an awesome discussion tonight! Future looks hopeful. @DavidAHood @njhoughton @TimLonghurst @incognitosum #CollabMelbJulian Waters-Lynch</div> <div>Feeling great about the future of futures thinking @ #collabmelbAlicia</div> <div>Ten Foresight Monographs | Strategic Foresight; what, why and howThe Australian Foresight Institute Monograph Series was published from 2003 to 2006. In addition to the soft cover edition shown here the…</div> <div>Scenarios – Organisation for Economic Co-operation and DevelopmentDownload article (.pdf) | By Philip van Notten | Published in Think Scenarios, Rethink Education, 2006 Philip van Notten makes a classifi…</div> <div></div> <div>Master of Strategic Foresight at Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, AustraliaMaster of Strategic Foresight at Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia</div>