What Does This Make Possible?
In Future~Present, participants imagine looking back from fifteen to thirty years in the future to see how they achieved their goals. This "backcasting" rather than forecasting helps us identify opportunities to shape the future by building on small, early wins in the present. Future~Present enacts LS Principle #9, Engage in Seriously Playful Curiosity.
Structural Elements — Min Specs
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Structuring Invitation
"It is fifteen to thirty years from now. Our group has worked hard together and made amazing things happen. (Describe a few specific achievements.) Our younger generation has grown up in this fabulous world and doesn't even know about the problems we faced. We've all gathered around a campfire—elders who remember the old days and youth who are curious about the past. Let's learn what made this bright future possible."
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Space and Materials
Space for groups of four to five to sit or stand [breakouts of four to five]. Optional—interview question handouts.
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Participation Distribution
Roles include host [tech host], elders, and youths. Minimum group size is four. Everyone is invited and has an equal opportunity to contribute.
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Group Configuration
Small groups, whole group
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Steps and Time Allocation
- Intro: Share the structuring invitation. Display the interview questions. (4 min.)
- Campfire Storytelling: Participants form groups of four to five [breakouts]. Two play elders and the others play youths. The youths interview the elders using the four interview questions. The youths lean forward, make eye contact, and use nonverbal cues to show active listening, while the elders listen to each other and improvise, building on each other's responses with "yes, and…" (10 min.)
- Collect Story Highlights: Everyone returns to plenary to reflect on what the elders said made them successful and what changes, support systems, or patterns helped them. Record ideas and highlights [use Chatterfall]. (10 min.)
Tips & Pitfalls
- Encourage participants to play seriously with the questions and answers.
- Participants may have difficulty understanding the relationship between the roles. A brief demonstration before forming groups helps.
- Sharing specific goals the group has accomplished can help everyone imagine what the future will be like.
Riffs & Variations
- After the campfire storytelling, let the youths ask their own follow-up questions — what does the next generation still want to know?
- Use the four interview questions as a starting point for an Appreciative Interviews round.
- In longer sessions, have elders and youths swap roles for a second round.
Practical Applications
- Summarize wins to imagine in the future at the end of a strategic planning session.
- Identify what the group needs to experience at the start of a new initiative.
- Help a group that is stuck in a rut.
Online & Hybrid Facilitation
This structure works online with no major adjustments.
Combine with Other Structures
Sources & License
Developed by Keith McCandless and Fisher Qua. Dig deeper by exploring the deep ecology and guest turning initiatives of Joanna Macy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joanna_Macy
Based on the work of Keith McCandless and Nancy White, The Liberating Structures Fieldbook (2026), CC BY-SA 4.0.
