A panel exploration of the (a) nature of, (b) need for and (c) pathways (strategies) towards the creation of a societal capacity for strategic foresight.
Canada is the case we will consider, but much that is explored will be applicable to other jurisdictions. Today, a few jurisdictions have a government or private (corporate or think tank) foresight capacity; none have a societal capacity that is open to all citizens to both contribute to and use as they see fit. The thesis of this session is that such a societal capacity is a condition for sustained societal success in the 21st Century.
Who should attend: Thought leaders with a passion for the success of their whole society/economy and not just their own enterprise. Persons who are willing to think and strategize about the creation of the conditions of success for the societal ecology within which they live. Persons who know that if ideas are not embodied in institutions, not much happens.
What you'll learn: 1.The nature of a societal capacity for strategic foresight. 2. The case for the creation of a societal capacity for strategic foresight. 3.Pathways that lead to the creation of a societal capacity for strategic foresight and what steps are being taken in Canada.
How this new knowledge can be applied: Canadians can figure out how they can participate in and contribute to the creation of a societal capacity for strategic foresight. Others can use what they learn to develop strategies for the creation of a societal capacity for strategic foresight in their own country.
Ruben Nelson, executive director of Foresight Canada. He is Canada's most widely-experienced teacher and practitioner of the next generation of strategic foresight. Lac Des arcs, AB, Canada
Axel Meisen, chair, Foresight, Alberta Innovates Technology Futures, Past President Memorial University, Chair UNESCO Canada. Edmonton, Canada
Peter Padbury, director, Forward Scanning, Policy Research Secretariat, Ottawa, Canada
Suzanne Stein, Associate Professor, Foresight, OCAD University, Toronto, Canada