In April 2024, Stanford's d.school hosted “The Futures Happening,” a transformative two-day gathering that brought together democracy makers, movers, and multipliers.
The d.school has served as a hub of creativity and imagination for over 20 years, helping people spark bold ideas for positive change, even when facing uncertainty. This legacy of innovation provided the perfect foundation for reimagining democratic participation.
An event focused on growing our civic imagination.
"We can't build a future we haven't first imagined. Nowhere is this more important than imagining the types of civic societies we want to be a part of." —Lisa Kay Solomon, d.school Futurist-in-Residence
The Futures Happening brought people together to reimagine democracy’s future through community-centered collaboration. While one gathering can't solve all democratic challenges, taking time to envision positive possibilities helps us move beyond reactive despair toward active engagement. The event energized participants with actionable ideas, practical tools, and an expanded network of democracy futurists committed to bringing these visions to life.
Participants explored and expanded their capacity for civic imagination and creative agency in a variety of ways: through strategic conversations focused on positive futures; by celebrating bright spots emerging in the field; with hands-on experiences; and through artistic expressions, including spoken word and visualizations. The gathering emphasized building futurist capabilities through applied learning, fostering the curiosity and exploration needed to imagine expansive futures. This integrated, experiential approach demonstrated how design can spark grounded hope and practical possibilities even in complex circumstances.
Creating an immersive experience.
Working with Kreatives, a global design strategy firm, we transformed the d.school's spaces into dynamic environments for connection and inspiration. The atrium became a vibrant Civic Innovation Gallery, showcasing nearly thirty nonpartisan organizations building stronger, participatory civic futures. Interactive displays featured designed posters, artwork, and hands-on exhibits that sparked ongoing conversations about democratic possibilities. Each poster was designed with a provocative future forward question such as “What if professional sports valued civics as much as winning?” and “How can art launch movements of hope, possibility, and positive change?” We coupled each of these questions by showcasing existing initiatives that are moving the needle on these innovative pathways in tangible ways in order to foster relationships between initiatives and also address the natural response of “that could never happen because.”
Fostering active participation and joy.
Throughout our time together, we broke traditional conference formats by emphasizing celebration, connection, and renewal from unexpected and diverse sources of joy and inspiration. We opened our time together with a surprise video message from Sesame Street’s Elmo, representing America’s most diverse civic neighborhood that’s been paving better futures through applied imagination and community building for over fifty years. This playful opening set the tone for breaking down barriers and thinking differently about civic engagement.
California’s Cabinet Secretary for civic engagement, Josh Fryday, delivered a compelling address that bridged institutional leadership with grassroots innovation. Interactive panels showcased the fresh perspectives of next-generation civic leaders and student activists, while community-led sessions demonstrated practical applications through innovative approaches to participatory budgeting.
One of the gathering's most powerful elements emerged from unexpected pairings. Conversations between professional and student athletes revealed new perspectives on community leadership and civic responsibility, challenging traditional notions of who shapes democratic discourse.
The evening program transformed civic imagination through a carefully curated blend of arts and activism. Celebrated photographer Kristopher “Squint” Sandifer, known for capturing intimate moments of cultural change, shared visual narratives that expanded participants’ vision of possible futures. Civic movement builder Eric Liu offered insights into building collective momentum, while Stanford students collaborated with Amplifier’s social movement art lab to demonstrate how visual arts can catalyze social change.
Working to build lasting impact.
The power of the connections and possibilities we fostered continue to have change across communities. We hoped that each participant would walk away with what we called “3, 2, 1”: 3 new positive stories they could share with their communities, 2 new relationships they would continue, and 1 new initiative they might consider starting.
The momentum continues to build toward establishing a National Bureau for Youth Civic Engagement, while K-12 schools across regions are adapting the Futures Happening model to their local contexts. Librarians are launching “civic health” initiatives, and educators are discovering fresh approaches to civic education and character development, moving beyond traditional civics instruction to create immersive, participatory learning experiences.
As Sanda Balaban, founder of YVote, observed: “This was so much more than a single gathering. This was a civic springboard.”
The Futures Happening Playbook: Your guide to civic innovation.
Word spread of The Futures Happening and more leaders outside of the gathering started asking, “How might we bring a Futures Happening approach to our organization?”
As a result, we created The Futures Happening Playbook to empower everyone to become civic futurists. This practical guide helps you shape better futures through creative possibility and collective action.
The Playbook's approach shifts focus from reacting to current challenges toward envisioning and building preferred futures. It provides tools and frameworks that transform community members from passive observers into active shapers of democratic life.
As we say in the Playbook: “A Futures Happening approach invites exploration into alternative futures by shifting the frame from reacting to ‘what is’ to envisioning ‘what could be.’”
Organized around five design principles, The Playbook encourages all of us to see ourselves as active builders of our community’s future rather than passive recipients of decisions made by others. At a high level they are:
- Lead with Creative Imagination. How can we spark more expansive imagination and vivid exploration of the futures we want (even if the path ahead is unclear)?
- Promote Multiple Perspectives. How can we foster more authentic curiosity, empathetic learning, and active listening to diverse voices?
Elevate Bright Spots. How can we identify and amplify our community’s unique strengths, assets, and successes to inspire more impactful and resonant civic gatherings? - Make it Experiential. How can we inspire feeling and holistic experiences filled with generative opportunities to engage, connect, and co-create?
- Hone the Production. What resources and support are required to execute the experience in congruent and consistent ways?
We invite you to take a look.
Share it with others.
Report back what resonates.
Want More?
Visit the Futures Happening website
Credits
Lisa Kay Solomon
There are dozens of civic futurists that inspired, co-created, and contributed to making The Futures Playbook a reality. Scott Doorley, Jeffrey Rogers, Ruth Wylie, Nancy Murphy, Nils Gilman, Suzette Brooks Masters, Karthick Ramakrishnan, Edgar Ibarra Gutierrez, Jake Dunagan Ilana Lipsett, Eric Liu, Susie Chang, Anne Gomez Rubin, Molina Speaks, Shamichael Hallman Civics Unplugged Sanda Balaban Citizen Film, The Team, Sesame Workshop, Laura McBain, sam seidel, Kwaku Aning, Adene Sacks, Monique DeVane, Tim Fish, David Martinez, Karina R. Kloos, Civics Unplugged, Debilyn Molineaux, Diana Smith, Chris Loos, Ahmed Best, Liz Gerber, Caroline Klibanoff, Listen First Project, Kristin J. Hansen, and so many others.
And, thank you, my brilliant partner Franzi Sessler, and your tireless Kreatives team, who always elevate our biggest visions into something even greater. And you do it with joy and love.