Program Elements for Imagining 2080: A Forum on Canada’s Futures
Opening and Closing Keynote Presentations
Keynote speakers will be announced soon.
Canada in 2080: Hopeful futures
In 2080, how will technology and climate change shape our daily lives? What might our relationship be with one another? When thinking about our futures, dominant narratives focus on dystopian possibilities. To help us imagine hopeful futures for Canada in 2080, a series of speakers from across Canada will share their visions for 2080. These highly engaging and deeply aspirational visions for Canada will touch on a variety of key themes, inviting forum delegates to imagine a range of aspirational futures for 2080.
Future of Canada Project Symposium
McMaster projects that have been funded by the Future of Canada Project will have an opportunity to share their research and receive feedback and discussion from others.
Field Trips to the Future
Delegates will be invited to participate in one of the field trips to places in and around Hamilton. Each field trip will explore a specific topic related to the future and will include a visit to 1-2 locations. At each location visited, participants will learn about changes happening in the present that may impact the future. Topics may include the future of land and stewardship, future of community, future of health and well-being, and others.
Party like it’s 2079
This reception will bring all delegates together after a day of learning to share and discuss what they heard. The party will likely include music and participatory stations so that participants can share what they learned throughout the day.
Ideas Forum
Academics, researchers and others have an opportunity to share research and projects with the Forum community.
Workshop: Building stories and narratives of 2080
Building on Day 2’s exploration of a variety of hopeful futures of 2080, delegates will have an opportunity to co-create new narratives of 2080. This session will engage delegates in a facilitated scenario development exercise where they will build aspirational stories about 2080 in a group. Building on ideas shared on Day 1 & 2, the purpose of this session is to provide an opportunity for delegates to articulate their hopes for 2080.
Open Space
Delegates will have a chance on Day 3 to sign up to lead activities to align to the overall topic and theme of the Forum.
Workshop – Action Planning
Delegates will have a chance to share what they learned during the morning sessions and discuss how they might translate their experience into action.
Workshop – Artifacts from the Future
Throughout the Forum, delegates will create and discuss aspirational visions of 2080. During this session, delegates will have an opportunity to take these conversations further, creating tangible objects that might exist in these futures. The purpose of this session is to explore, experiment, and interrogate our preferred future of 2080, to make it real and build shared understanding.
Workshop – Open Discussion & Reflection
Delegates will have a chance to connect with other delegates to reflect on what they have learned throughout the Forum.