YOUR SCHOOL NEEDS A FUTURES ADVISORY COUNCIL

We help schools navigate the rapidly changing landscape of education and prepare for future challenges by setting up and running FACs with members of the school community.

IS YOUR SCHOOL COMUNITY STRUGGLING TO KEEP "ONE FOOT IN THE FUTURE?"

Educators need to be constantly scanning the horizon of the future, peering out over the edge of the present, and continually asking questions about what is happening, what it means, and how to best respond. Join other schools around the world who are forming Futures Advisory Councils to help answer some of today's most pressing questions and prepare for future trends.

FUTURES ADVISORY COUNCIL

What is a FAC and why does my school need one?

A FAC is a diverse group of students, faculty, parents, leaders and others from your school community who meet regularly to learn about, think about, and play in the future.

At BQI, we help schools streamline the process for creating and sustaining a working FAC by overseeing the planning and outreach, identifying members, providing structure for team meetings, assisting with onboarding, and running an online community of FAC members globally.

The goals and expectations of a Futures Advisory Council include:

Staying abreast of current and future trends that impact education, schools, and learning
Helping build capacity throughout the school community to think about possible futures
Creating new stories, narratives, and artifacts of education to widen people’s apertures for what’s possible
Engaging in ongoing conversations about planning, mission, and vision
Informing decisions made at every level of the school organization
Undertaking a systematic, public exploration of alternative futures
Pushing each other and the school community to “imagine harder”
Sharing understandings through exhibition and storytelling

We'd love to work with your school community. Contact us to learn more.

HOW IS YOUR SCHOOL COMMUNITY ADDRESSING FUTURE TRENDS?

Some of the tools, concepts, and trends that FACs are exploring include:

Design Fiction to imagine and explore hypothetical future scenarios and artifacts
The impact of ChatGPT and other language models on research, writing and learning
Regenerative Design to create sustainable systems that have a positive impact on the environment
Greater emphasis and focus on diversity, equity inclusion, and mental health
AI Image generation tools like Midjourney and DALL-E for creating high-quality images from text prompts
The impact on education and learning using AI for composing music, creating video, and writing code

"Imagination Infrastructures" for fostering imagination, creativity, and innovation
The rise of micro-credentials, digital badges, alternative certifications, and other forms of recognition
The gamification learning such as points, badges, and leaderboards to increase studen engagement
Student-led learning initiatives where students take the lead in their own learning with support from teachers
The integration of wearable technology to monitor health, facilitate classroom interactions, and more
Esports programs and competitive gaming to develop skills such as teamwork, strategy, and critical thinking

CONTACT BQI TO LEARN MORE

HOW BQI HELPS SCHOOLS ESTABLISH AND RUN A FAC

Let our team help your Futures Advisory Council streamline the process for creating and sustaining a successful team and program.

Planning & Outreach

BQI will oversee the initial planning and outreach to form the FAC. This includes identifying volunteers from your school, students and parents, as well as interested members of the community to make up the futures team.

Onboarding Sessions

The BQI team will run a series of live, virtual onboarding sessions to set norms and expectations of team members around participating in monthly meetings, reading, curating, and sharing resources, and contributing to the global FAC community.

Team Meetings

BQI will provide a structure for monthly FAC team meetings and projects. Members will discuss individual pathways for learning, explore curricular adjustments, and learn from the future as it emerges.

Coaching and Networking Sessions

BQI will host a coaching session with your council early on after onboarding to help make sure it gets off to a productive start and to build capacity for the work ahead .

Extended Support through an Annual Subscription

Also, through an annual subscription, we provide extended support to help school FACs focus their work throughout the year.

Curated Materials

A monthly package of curated readings, question prompts, futures design activities and more that FACs can use to focus their work throughout the year

Networking Sessions

A monthly, 90-minute virtual networking session where members from FACs around the world can share ideas, ask questions, get feedback, and connect

Collaborative Activities

BQI will share a monthly, collaborative activity for the committee to explore, learn about, and design - the results of which will be shared in the community

INTERESTED IN STARTING A FUTURES ADVISORY COUNCIL AT YOUR SCHOOL?

We'd love to chat with you about the potential to bring the future into your school community today!

Just click the button below to signal your interest and we'll get back to you in short order.

Let's grow our community of educational leaders and other participants to imagine and design a future that works for the kids we support!