Description
Book SynopsisThe real world is full of challenges and the sheer weight of problems facing us can stifle the genius of our collective human creativity at exactly the time when we desperately need imaginative and innovative solutions. Responding to this, Practicing Futures: A Civic Imagination Action Handbook harnesses our connections to popular culture and taps the boundless potential of human imagination to break free of assumptions that might otherwise trap us in repetitive cycles of alienation. Utopias and dystopias have long been used to pose questions, provoke discussions, and inspire next steps and are helpful because they encourage long view perspectives. Building on the work of the Civic Imagination Project at the University of Southern California, the Handbook is a practical guide for community leaders, educators, creative professionals, and change-makers who want to encourage creative, participatory, and playful approaches to thinking about the future. This book shares examples
Trade Review
“From the global pandemic to climate change, looming crises urge us to pause and take an opportunity to imagine and then create a better world. But how do we take that first step of imagining a world that truly breaks free into a possible future? With advice both practical and inspirational, Practicing Futures shows us how.” —Elyse Eidman-Aadahl, Executive Director of the National Writing Project
“Motivating communities to imagine a just future is a powerful act of building solidarity. And yet, it is hard work to create intentional spaces for collaborative play and visioning, to bring people together to engage in deep listening and ideation on the path to shaping a better world. In Practicing Futures: A Civic Imagination Action Handbook, authors Sangita Shresthova and Gabriel Peters-Lazaro beautifully bring to life the hard work involved in inspiring collective civic imagination, taking us along on journeys of dreaming and discovery, letting us in on the ‘why’ and ‘how to’ details of fueling social change through the radical process of finding creative communion with our fellow humans.” —Caty Borum Chattoo, Executive Director of the Center for Media & Social Impact; Author of Story Movements: How Documentaries Empower People and Inspire Social Change, and Co-author of A Comedian and an Activist Walk Into a Bar: The Serious Role of Comedy in Social Justice
Table of Contents
List of Figures – Foreword: The Work of Imagining Communities by Henry Jenkins – Overview – About Practicing Futures – Section Two: Practice Chronicles – Fantasy Can Help Us Breathe—Muslim Youth Group, Los Angeles – Bringing Imagination to Activism—Freedom School, Los Angeles – Mind Blown! Grown Ups Freaking Out—Digital Media and Learning Conference, Boston – Em/power Love: Building Empathy and Solidarity with Each Other—Salzburg Global Seminar – Turning the Chairs to Face the Table—Bowling Green, Kentucky – Future of Faith?—Fayetteville, Arkansas – Pakistan, from the Heart: Civic Imagination in Context of Violent Extremism – Imagination in the Classroom—New Media for Social Change – Of Two Faced Bunnies in the Woods—Brussels, Belgium – Section Three: The Practice Guidebook – General Notes About Facilitation – Workshop: Origin Stories—Imagining Ourselves as Civic Agents – Workshop: Infinite Hope—Imagining a Better World – Workshop: Step into the Looking Glass—Imagining Our Social Connections with a Larger Community – Workshop: Monuments from the Future—Bringing Imaginative Dimensions to Our Real World Spaces and Places – Workshop: Remixing Stories—Forging Solidarity with Others with Different Experiences Than Our Own – Workshop: Creating an Action Plan—Imagining the Process of Change – Stories from the Field – Final Thoughts – Recommended Readings – Author Biographies – Index.
