2-day masterclass

Responsible Futuring in 2 daYS

Learn in 2 days how to navigate, connect and innovate towards desired futures. The Responsible Futuring 2-day Masterclass by DesignLab Academy is a collaborative learning experience that transforms you into a responsible innovator.

During this Masterclass you will work together with people from diverse backgrounds - such as scientists alongside artists, entrepreneurs alongside civil servants and managers alongside students - to explore what the future holds for today's challenges. We combine practical and creative exercises with reflective activities to provide a complete and in-depth learning experience. Each edition focuses on a different theme. We alternate issues within the themes of climate & sustainability, innovation & healthcare, and the digital society.

The Masterclass sheds light on scientific and technological developments in relation to social challenges. Collaboration between the academic world, business, government and citizens is essential to create desirable and sustainable futures. Discover how to look at social issues differently, enrich your perspective, and learn to think and act as a speculative designer to develop inspiring alternative futures. After this Masterclass you can call yourself a Responsible Futurist and apply the approach within your own organisation.

Here's what you will learn:

For whom?

The target audience for this workshop is very diverse, for example professionals from businesses and government organisations, entrepreneurs, students, citizens, artists, innovators, change makers, policymakers, futurists and leaders. Participants in this Masterclass are looking to deepen their work practice, see futures thinking as a suitable innovative approach for developing new strategies and want to learn how they can take an active role themselves as a 'change agent'. To create a truly transdisciplinary learning experience for each edition, we encourage diverse groups to participate.

Programme

Day 1 | 09:30-20:00

  • Onboarding

    Reflect on personal learning goals and get acquainted with the content of the masterclass, teachers and other participants.

  • Phase 1: Connect & Relate

    Learn to gain insight into your own perspective regarding the theme and social challenge. Learn about the importance of developing empathy for other perspectives. Get acquainted with creative techniques for collaboration with people from diverse backgrounds, world views and perspectives.

  • Lunch and inspiration tour around DesignLab

    As an ecosystem for transdisciplinary collaboration, we aim to collectively shape the future in which we want to live.

  • Phase 2: Understand & Frame

    Learn how to structure and position different perspectives in relation to a societal challenge. Learn how to identify potential tensions and opportunities, and use them to sketch out frameworks for possible future scenarios.

  • Reflection & Learning

    Reflect on day 1. Share and discuss insights and potential applications to your own work practice.

  • Informal Dinner

Day 2 | 09:00-17:00

  • Warming up and recap of day 1

    Reflect on learning objectives and set goals for day 2.

  • Phase 3: Imagine & Ideate

    Get acquainted with various design methods and gain practical experience with design techniques to make possible futures tangible and vivid. Experience the impact of prototyping techniques and make the ethical and societal implications of your ideas concrete.

  • Lunch & Inspiration
  • Phase 4 | Reflect & Reframe

    Learn from the future to make informed decisions today. Learn techniques to critically and reflectively contemplate the future from the perspective of various stakeholders. Get acquainted with backcasting techniques and how to translate this into innovation roadmaps and strategies that guide towards desired futures.

  • Reflect & learn

    Reflect on the Masterclass. Share and discuss insights and potential applications in your own work practice.

  • Community building

    How do we continue learning from each other and inspiring one another?

Contact us

Want to delve deeper into the theory of Responsible Futuring, better map stakeholder perspectives, and apply futures research strategically in your own company? Contact us now.