A Love Letter to March✨ World Futures Day, Women Who Futures, Future Days
I swear it's worth getting to the bottom of this long newsletter🥹
Hi👋 If you're new here, *welcome*. I'm Lydia and I work with foresight strategy, currently freelancing with public and private sectors from my homes in Brazil and Portugal. Find out about my work here and get in touch so we can (e-)meet!
𝕋𝕆𝕄𝕆ℝℝ𝕆𝕎 (March 1): WORLD FUTURES DAY: Join my panel! [español]
Celebraré el Día Mundial de Futuros con las increíbles 🇲🇽 Fabiola Mármol y Deyra Charles, quienes traen perspectivas de la educación y del emprendimiento.
World Futures Day is an annual 24-hour conversation around the world initiated by the Millennium Project in 2014 after Humanity+ launched the Future Day celebration 12 years ago. They organize a 24-hour online worldwide conversation during this day where grown-ups discuss the future. The Millennium Project, a global foresight participatory think tank, will host this conversation for everyone on the future in collaboration with the Association of Professional Futurists (APF), Humanity+, and the World Futures Studies Federation (WFSF).
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𝕄𝔸ℝℂℍ 𝟙𝟝: WOMEN WHO FUTURE: Join my talk+workshop!
I am honored to be doing a talk+quick workshop on “How to Future in a Present-Stuck System” at Women Who Futures’ inaugural event!
🌍 🌎 🌏 Join me and other incredible 36 women—academics, designers, storytellers, journalists, chefs... for workshops, conversations, panels, experiences, in thought-provoking discussions about the future(s) and networking with amazing women around the world. The sessions will cover a wide range of topics, from indigenous futures, futures of food systems, animal welfare, peace and security, feminism, narrative creation, education, science fiction stories, positive signals of change, intersectionality, and identity nuances, to explore how language influences our images of the future, and much more.
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𝕄𝔸ℝℂℍ 𝟙𝟠: FUTURES FRIENDS LISBOA
I will be co-hosting the next Lisbon meet-up of Futures Friends with the dearest Sarah Owen. This is a dinner-style meet-up, and space is limited. Only a few spots left!
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𝕄𝔸ℝℂℍ 𝟚𝟙-𝟚𝟛: FUTURE DAYS FESTIVAL
The incredible actionable futures festival I am co-founding is happening in 3 weeks💥 You can check out all the info on the website & social media, but here are some names who will be present & guiding this unique experience:
Câmara Municipal de Lisboa, Monika Bielskyte (Protopia Futures), Cecilia Tham (Futurity Systems), Nicklas Larsen (Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies), Leila (11-year-old workshop moderator), Graça Fonseca (Ex-Minister of Culture in Portugal), Erica Bol (European Union Policy Lab), Tanja Schlinder (Futures2All), Gustavo Nogueira (Temporality Lab), Catarina Batista & Ole Anton Werner (CERN IdeaSquare), Phoenix Perry (University of the Arts London), Pau Garcia (Domestic Data Streamers), Eva Xavier (Youth activist), Henrique Nascimento (Transformative Times), Paula Cardoso (Afrolink), School of International Futures, With Company, Ageas Group Portugal, Istituto Europeo di Design, Sónar +D.
THIS IS MY GOLD.
These past ten years I have spent building my knowledge, career, and approach to foresight have been filled with multi-talented women who have supported and inspired me in many ways. When I think about what makes me the professional and person I am today, it is absolutely because of the people who have been a part of my life, guiding me, showing me possibilities, lending me a hand, giving me valuable advice, believing in me and challenging me to do better and evolve.
My network is my gold💰 But my network of women is a multi-faceted diamond💎 filled with growing wisdom that serves as the foundation for me to flourish and, as a consequence, enhance the collective lives of I am a part of.
This is a love letter to the women who, like me, survive - and thrive - in a sexist world that constantly tries to silence, diminish and exploit us. We make each other stronger, despite all the daily attempts of being taken down. I gladly share my gold and my diamond with you, because by sharing, it only grows. Unlike the extractivist mindset of many men (and unfortunately some women too), we do not use and take away people's gold. We nurture, enrich and promote our gold.
As most of you know, Future Resources was born out of this exact need. The foresight industry is filled with brilliant, diverse, global women, and still, nearly all of the established leadership positions at foresight consultancies/departments are headed by white European/US men. It's no surprise that many women choose (or are forced to choose?) an independent path as consultants, speakers, etc. I personally have had enough of this, and I cannot stand one more white privileged Global North man being condescending towards me because I'm a Latina woman.
👉THESE ARE FUTURES WOMEN - whether you call yourselves that or not - who I am honored to have in my personal and/or professional network. This list comes in no particular order, and I am sure I am forgetting many names here, but this is a start.
Obs: Many of these women wear multiple hats, and I randomly picked one associated organization from their LinkedIn profile. If you'd like me to change yours, ping me lydiacaldana@gmail.com.
🥇🗣️👏 A special shoutout to the women who are a part of Future Resources, in one way or another:
Luciana Moletta, Sophie Ekwe-Bell, Camilly Vitoria, Cynthia Hansen, Sandra Mathey García-Rada, Victória Oliveira, Julia Makhalova-Chi, Shahtaj Nazmeen, Nina Nair.
Lisa Giuliani, from Teach The Future
Nayara Moia, from Scandi Insights
Sarah Owen, from Futures Friends
Thays Prado, from Feminist Futures
Emmanuelle Naranjo, from RADAR
Gaby Arriaga, from Leonardo1452
Amiyra Perkins, from Pinterest
Rosa Alegria, The Millennium Project Brasil
Karla Paniagua, from CENTRO and UNESCO
Lucy Jones, from LucyJones Lingerie
Cécile Poignant, from Utopies
Cat Tully, from School of International Futures
Geraldine Wharry, from Trend Atelier
Adah Parris, from The House of Griots
Monika Bielskyte, from Protopia Futures
Carmela Vecchione, from Box1824
Victoria Buchanan, from Nike
Hannah June Lueptow, from Manyone
Koura-Rosy Kane, from Platform
Magda Mojsiejuk, from Futurity Systems & Studio Prognoza
Gem Barton, from Experimental Realism, QuEAN & RCA
Gabby Morris, from The Glasgow School of Art
Malina Dabrowska, from ARUP
Lore Oxford, from Reddit
Paula Englert, from Box1824
Iolanda Carvalho, from Havas Media Network
Tamara Connolly, from Space Doctors
Kathryn Bishop, from Normally
Shanu Walpita, from London College of Fashion
Amanda Gollo Bortolini, from Ipsos
Helen Job, from Observatory Studio
Maree Conway, from Centre for Australian Foresight
Joice Peira, from Italian Institute for the Future
Mariah Wright, from Fashion Institute of Technology
Jess Tang, from WGSN & Dumpling
Lucy Black-Swan, from IAM
Clarice Garcia, from UNDP
Dania Shafei, from We Are Social
Marcela Sabino, from Rarelight Immersive
Lídia Zuin, from Disruptive Futures Institute
Tanja Schindler, from Futures2All and Association of Professional Futurists
Rimma Boshernitsan, from DIALOGUE
Diana Stafie, from futureStation
Noelle Faulkner, from evo Magazine Australia
Amy Daroukakis, from Culture Concierge
Rebeca de Moraes, from Birô Esquina
Christina Bifano, from Istituto Europeo di Design
Lindsey Krumell, from The University of Edinburgh
Tracey Follows, from Futuremade Ltd
Alina Schartner, from STUDIOSELF
Mica Le John & Molly Logan, from Irregular Hours
Agustina Panzoni, from Death To Stock
Laura Novik, from Universidad Atlántida Argentina
Devon Powers, from University of Michigan
Yvette Montero Salvatico, from TFSX
Lua Couto, from Futuro Possível
Phoenix Perry, from University of the Arts London
Jeanine Pesce, from RANGE
Kalindi Mehta, from The Estée Lauder Companies
I never tire of saying how glad I am to be part of this network 🤍