In this newsletter, we introduce our new Future Narratives project, announce a new online platform for social journalism, share a highlight of our summer discovering new stories as part of our Islanders project, and present upcoming events in social and cultural innovation

As we approach winter, a time which invites reflection and renewal, we would like to foreground the importance of narratives in shaping the directions we take in the future. Fostering narrative literacy – the ability to deconstruct the stories that surround us and imagine new ones – is at the heart of our work to promote positive social change for inclusive futures.

“The future can’t be predicted, but it can be envisioned and brought lovingly into being.” Daniella Meadows, ‘Dancing with Systems’

Over the last two years, through our Erasmus+ co-funded project we have worked with youth organisations across Europe to design and implement new forms of non-formal education, addressed to all young people and particularly to those from backgrounds of less advantage. We were deeply affected by the potential for personal, communal and social transformation revealed by this approach, and by its capacity to engage, connect, and empower young people.

“Opening ourselves to the possibilities of different perspectives and narratives will challenge our previous way of thinking and accepting and will show us a whole new dimension to our understanding of the world.” Myrna Gönnemann, Future Narratives participant

Read more responses from participants in our Future Narratives: Informal Innovation Pathways, where you will find the story of our journey alongside many transferable activities and inspirations.

We are now excited to begin a new stage of Future Narratives with our second Erasmus+ co-funded project. Over the next two years, we will build on our experience and continue creating momentum with young people through connection and empowerment while defining the Future Narratives methodology for youth work. By working with a plurality of voices, we aim to encourage and support the diversity of thought and action that is possible in imaginative, safe spaces, and enable people to become active and creative agents in their own lives and in wider society.

Our work began in September, and will progress through curriculum development in dialogue with experts, experimentation with our methodology in training with youth workers, educators and young people, and engagement with diverse stakeholders. In April 2025, we will hold the inaugural Future Narratives Festival in Ferrara, Italy, seeking to establish our approach as a model to enable new visions of the future.

Follow our social media and visit futurenarratives.eu for the latest news, stories and resources.

In October, we joined the InVisible Festival in Milan to hold our first webinar for Bullone EU, a pilot Erasmus+ project aiming to promote inclusion and the voices of vulnerable young people across Europe through social journalism. In partnership with Fondazione Near Onlus, we are developing the Bullone method, described by director Giancarlo Perego as based on “hope, trust, knowledge, in the frame of love”, into a European newspaper created by young people experiencing adverse health conditions. At the hybrid webinar presented to a live audience at the IBM Studios Milan, we shared our project alongside participants of Future Narratives from Germany, Spain and Sweden, who brought their perspectives on the importance of narrative and Futures Literacy in empowering young people to tell their stories. The webinar concluded with a consensus on guidelines for our future work: firstly, to listen to young Europeans who need support; secondly, to ask young Europeans what their aspirations are for the future, for themselves, and for the community; thirdly, the creation of content, articles, images, video and audio for young Europeans.

Bullone EU will be realised through a platform announced for the end of spring 2024: a web space containing stories, interviews, and reflections, inspired by the editorial direction of Il Bullone newspaper, which has now reached its 79th issue in Italy.

Islanders: Many Islands, One Community
September brought us the opportunity to learn and share new stories as part of our Erasmus+ co-funded project Islanders: Many Islands, One Community. Aimed at young people aged 15-25, this project strives to capture and share the unique aspects of small islands, using storytelling as a method to preserve cultural heritage while promoting sustainable development.

Our partnership came together on the Greek island of Kimolos, sharing our expertise, experiences and practices in this special place with a strong storytelling tradition.

We had the chance to get to know the Kimolian characteristics associated with sustainability and the island’s cultural heritage over time. Young people from the islands of Milos and Kimolos discussed their aspirations for the islands’ future regarding environmental issues and cultural heritage through storytelling. They indicated to all partners how important it is for them to express themselves and retell the stories of customs and traditions, including food and traditional crafts. The partners shared their common practices while comparing the young people’s ideas and responses to being active citizens in the small islands in the community of Europe.

We will soon share more about our discoveries there as we plan our work with young people from diverse island communities in 2024.

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