Impact Trust • Working glossary

Futures literacy

The capacity to use the future, understanding that it is not fixed and assumptions shape what we prepare for.

Details

Our Take
Not about predicting correctly but about noticing how your assumptions about the future constrain what you see and do in the present. Building this capacity means developing the ability to hold multiple possible futures simultaneously -- the antidote to the extended present. 'Futures thinking' is slightly more accessible for first encounters. Core to youth resilience programming.
Examples of Use
UNESCO, SOIF, CIFS, foresight community
Synonyms/Variants
Futures thinking; Foresight capacity; Anticipatory competence
Typical everyday wording
Learning to think about the future as something you can shape, not just predict