Foresight Immersion Curriculum
June 18-August 8, 2012
Foresight Immersion offers seven weeks of intensive training that is designed to provide the following benefits:
- Gain a firm grounding in the values, issues, and application of sustainability from industry, government and academic experts;
- Develop career-relevant expertise;
- Learn a method for envisioning more effective solutions to multifaceted challenges;
- Accelerate leadership capacity and professional aptitude by growing skills, confidence, and knowledge.
To accomplish these goals, the program has three distinct parts. For the first two weeks of the program, the whole group meets with a broad range of industry experts. This deep dive into urban sustainability provides a comprehensive overview of the waste, water, energy, transportation, building and food sectors.
Participants will then spend one week being introduced to practical tools and skills that prepare them for undertaking their project work and solving challenges related to sustainability.
For the remaining weeks, participants work on real world projects. All projects relate to the need to revolutionize how to address interwoven social, environmental, and economic challenges.
Meetings with Leaders
The first two weeks of Immersion provide a unique opportunity to meet local leaders who develop and run sustainability initiatives across a range of areas from local food production to social entrepreneurship to policymaking. Meetings with over twenty various organizations and experts from industry, government and nonprofit sectors allow participants to have frank conversations, discuss challenges and reflect on differing leadership styles.
Skills Development
One week of skills development will ready participants for their projects and introduce them to practical tools that are essential to professional development and practice of sustainability. These tools are used to conceptualize complex, real-world sustainability challenges and include user-centered design, systems thinking, community based social marketing, and visual thinking. Leadership skills such as effective communications, strategic vision, public speaking, non-adversarial negotiation and problem solving will be taught through a mix of lectures and hands-on assignments.
Real World Projects
After two weeks of a comprehensive overview of urban sustainability and a week of skills development, participants spend the remaining weeks applying their knowledge and skills to work on projects for outside clients. Participants will conduct research, frame the issue, devise solutions, and (ideally) begin implementation.
Projects range across diverse sectors and allow participants to explore practical examples of sustainability initiatives and innovation. Past projects have been related to business, product design, graphic design, buildings, or civic innovation.
Public Presentation
Foresight Immersion officially concludes with a public presentation of their projects at August Green Drinks, which is a monthly event that attracts 80-100 people.