The Roy Amara Fund for Participatory Foresight has become a primary forum to extend the Institute’s social impact. IFTF’s forecasting methodology provides a powerful but under-utilized tool for community-based organizations and youth to address our society’s most pressing social challenges. The Fund allows us to translate our forecasting research into concrete actions to address these future social challenges.

Both active pilot projects under the Amara Fund are part of the Rowe Initiative, which specifically attempts to help organizations expand their ability to promote positive futures for young people. A team of staff has created two Youth Futures Pilots, one at the East Palo Alto Charter School in partnership with Collective Roots, and the other at the Hoopa Reservation Elementary School, that provide teachers with a curriculum focused on health, the environment and community forecasting.

In East Palo Alto, the program translates our forecasting theory and methods into a youth-friendly tool to promote healthy futures for youth. The project was proposed, designed, and managed by Vivian Distler and Miriam Lueck, under the direction of Jackie Copeland-Carson.  The project emerged out of Collective Roots’ Executive Director Wolfram Alderson’s interest in formalizing and enhancing garden-based learning curriculum, and building experience and capacity with digital storytelling.  This project completed a pilot trimester with Eron Sandler, garden instructor, and is now looking towards revising the materials with lessons learned and continuing the collaboration with Collective Roots.

The Hoopa curriculum applie a variety of indigenous Native American concepts to engage youth in creating healthy personal and community futures, led by Tessa Finlev and Sarah Nilmeyer, a teacher at Hoopa Elementary School.  After a pilot semester this project is focusing on the complex topic of futures thinking through analyzing the Hoopa tribe’s relationship to their natural environment.
After evaluating and refining these pilots, IFTF and community partners will publicly share the curricula to promote broader use of forecasting in youth education and development.