SIDS FUTURES FORUM | The Futures Forum

OUR MISSION

EXPLORING IMAGINARIES …

The imaginary (or social imaginary) is the collectively imagined form of social life and social order reflected in the design and fulfillment of nation-specific scientific and/or technological projects

“… CHARTING THE COURSE TOWARDS RESILIENT PROSPERITY…”

WHAT?

The SIDS (Small Island Developing States) SMART Futures Festival is proposed as a three -day free public event focused on engaging civil society and youth in particular. The event will be conducted on the margins of the UN CONFERENCE ON SMALL ISLAND DEVELOPING STATES, which is being held MAY 27-29 in Antigua and Barbuda.

The SIDS SMART Futures Festival will explore the future -2030 and beyond- across central themes uniting big ocean small states, such as ‘The Blue Economy and Climate Change’, Economic Resilience and Human Security.

WHY?

In a world teetering on the brink of breakthrough or breakdown, with unparalleled challenges and opportunities, the time is ripe for transformation – a paradigm shift. This urgency gave birth to the UN Summit of the Future and the SIDS SMART Futures Festival 2023.

The SIDS SMART Futures Festival is a 3-day celebration shining a spotlight on Futures We See Emerging, The Futures We Want, where we imagine the world we want, and the Future We Are Seeding, where we explore the seeds of hope that demonstrate our power to cocreate a world that leaves no one behind.

The SIDS Futures Festival will enable the engagement of broad civil society, and the popularization of themes relevant to critical global agendas such as: UN OCEAN DECADE, COP 28+; and help to bring into focus the upcoming UN SUMMIT OF THE FUTURE and the themes enshrined in the DRAFT PACT FOR THE FUTURE and the DECLARATION ON FUTURE GENERATIONS.

HOW?

Through interactive workshops, storytelling, games, speakers, panel discussions, artistic presentations, and films, participants will be encouraged to co-create and share stories and narratives of the futures we want; and enable the messages of the SIDS CONFERENCE 2024 to be memorable and impactful.

The use of live polls or surveys to gather audience opinions, relative to issues pertaining to the UN SIDS Conference and the SUMMIT OF THE FUTURE will engage audiences and provide information that informs civil society engagement in ongoing and follow-up processes.

WHAT ARE FUTURES?

Futures connect with foresight. Most of us probably practice foresight either consciously, or unconsciously. Actual foresight methodology, however, is a rigorous process of mining data for signals on a specific issue.

Foresighters (some of whom call themselves futurists) organize data into trends, analyze data to determine drivers of change, scan the environment for countertrends and wildcards and create scenarios or stories that enable understanding of the threat or the aspiration.

Futures may be plausible, possible, or preferable.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

Islanders and Cousins and Friends of Islanders from all corners of the globe.
NGOs, Academics, Artists, Technical Professionals, Students, Elders, Youth, Actionists, Activists … All people interested in ensuring the thriving sustainability of islands.

CALL FOR PROPOSALS

Various Presentation Options are available based on your content.

Panel Session: Presenters propose a moderator and two or more panelists to discuss a topic aligned with a Theme. These sessions are 30 minutes and should be conducted like television style shows.
Workshop Sessions: One-hour sessions that dig into a particular topic and are designed to be interactive and full of practical take-aways you can implement in your work as an advocate for the future. Workshop Session slots are extremely limited.
Bright Sparks: Presentations (TED Style) running for 18 minutes highlighting new and emerging ideas, followed by audience Q&A for 10 minutes.
Performance Art: Storytelling, Forward Theater and Experimental art forms running from 10 minutes to 30 minutes about the future you want, followed by audience Q&A.
Speed Learning Sessions: Speed learning allows attendees to explore multiple topics while engaging with presenters in a small group format (no more than 8). Presenters offer a 15-minute presentation three times in succession as attendees move about the platform.
Snapshot Posters: Visual posters that highlight an impactful practice of your organization and includes a tutorial/presentation video of up to 10 minutes. For example, a stakeholder consultation strategy, a method of promoting waste recycling in communities, etc.). Presenters will create a poster using a Canva design template that can be published by SIDS Futures Fest in Online Exhibit Gallery and will include a QR code that links to the video.

All Presenters will be required to join the SMART ISLANDS COLLABORATORY.

PROPOSED STRANDS … follow the SDGs

Economic Resilient Futures (Energy, Water, Tourism, Food)
Wellbeing Futures (Health, Education, Governance)
Climate Futures
Blue Economy & Ocean Futures
Technology Futures

WHO CAN PRESENT?

Presenters are sought from all corners of the globe.

Presenters can be NGOs, Academics, Artists, Technical Professionals, Students, Activists etc.

Presenters must prepare work that directly reflects on the theme WHAT SIDS WANT!

Presenters should focus their contributions on addressing How We Share the Future? How We Shape The Future? And take account of our time horizon of 2030 to 2050.

All workshops, presentations, stories must be futures focused and/or futures present.

TIMELINE FOR SUBMISSIONS OF INTEREST

Call for Presentations Open

April 18

Call for Presentations Close

May 10

Presenters Notified on a First Come First Served basis

May 1-14

GET INVOLVED

JOIN OUR COMMUNITY HERE & ATTEND OUR OFFICE OPEN HOUSE.

OUR HOPES

Translating the value and importance of international summits and processes to communities at the local and national level, has always been a challenge.

The SIDS Futures Festival is designed to share current state of knowledge of work being undertaken, as well as to support deepening of collaborations between actionists and advocates in small island developing states and building a trans-regional community of practice.