It’s time to get serious about The Good Future. When I released my film ‘The Good Future‘ (shot in beautiful Lanzarote / Canary Islands) in 2021, I had a hunch that ‘The Good Future’ would become a guiding principle in my work, and so it has! Since then, I have done numerous keynotes and online shows on TGF and the ‘Good Future’ meme has quickly mushroomed beyond even my wildest imagination (which is saying a lot:)
Earlier this year, I realized that The Good Future topic needed to go beyond what I was doing, i.e. my own work with and for clients, and my own network of people (which is basically overpopulated with people from developed countries, male, and over 50 years-old). In order for The Good Future concept to become a movement, I think we will need to constantly inspire our members and supporters, and they need to know where they stand with us. Of course, it must involve all the great people (and their organizations) that are already leading the conversations in these 3 core sectors:
1) Climate Change, global warming, sustainability, decarbonisation, the transition to clean energy, addressing pollution and protecting the environment, stopping species extinction etc.
2) Technology and Humanity, i.e. digital ethics, technology regulation, the future of AI/AGI, human genome editing, longevity, transhumanism, the future of work and jobs, etc
3) Future-Fit Economics i.e. sustainable capitalism, stakeholder economics and the circular economy, people/planet/purpose/prosperity, a new stock-market logic, the future of (geo)politics, global consciousness etc.
So today, I am super-excited to announce the official launch of The Good Future Project! Our website just went live (bear with us as we are constantly upgrading it:), more than 40 amazing people are already involved as members (feel free to sign up here as well!) and our first live-streaming event is now scheduled for October 31 – (watch it live on Youtube, and comment in real-time if you want). It’s also a great pleasure to introduce Zahara Chetty, TGFP’s new project manager, based in Pretoria, SA (contact her here, if desired).
TGFP is all about creating and spreading a new, positive narrative about the future. I believe that we (will) have the science and technology to solve our biggest ‘practical’ problems, such as water, food, disease, pollution, and even climate change. But while we are making exponential progress on all these fronts, I feel that we are seriously short of the will, the telos, the purpose, and the wisdom – and we really need to up our levels of international collaboration.
In other words, our biggest challenge is not that we don’t have the tools (science and tech) or the money, it is that all too often we are doing the wrong things with the amazing tools we have (Social Media comes to mind as the best example). As Buckminster Fuller (one of my great mentors in Futurism) famously said: “Humanity is acquiring all the right technology for all the wrong reasons”.
Therefore, TGFP will focus on creating compelling NARRATIVES (in all forms) about what the Good Future could actually look like, what it will take to bring it about and why we should be optimistic that we (humanity) can actually do this. The next 10 years, imho, is the decisive decade for humanity, so it’s time for action, time for powerful visions, and time for stories that can reach, touch and change those that run our world.
TGFP does not plan to engage in further ‘future research’ or scientific explorations, and it does not plan to duplicate what the many other future-focused organisations already do very well. Instead, with our amazing members and contributors (which we plan to build up to a pool of approx. 800 selected people) we will focus on creating and spreading amazing stories, content of all kinds, as well as on events (live and virtual) that will convince people to contribute to the Good Future, and to take action. It is not more or better arguments we need – it is better and stories. And yes, we are already planning our very first Good Future Festival (yes, IRL::) – stay tuned!
TGFP is a non-commercial, non-profit undertaking without any commercial purpose, whatsoever. We plan to establish a formal Swiss non-profit organisation in 2023. At this time, the project is solely supported by The Futures Agency (my company) – but of course, if you are so inclined, please ping me anytime to talk about chiming in:)
TGFP is making a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion, right from the start: We will be adding an equal number of male/female members and supporters, and are striving for a 50/50 ratio of developed vs developing countries for all speakers at our events, online and offline.
Starting October 31,, we will be featuring new content from our members via our blog, via our new Youtube channel, on Twitter @goodfuturefeed and via #goodfutureproject, and via our new LinkedIn Group.
More soon, and thanks for your attention!
Gerd Leonhard
Yes, you can JOIN THE PROJECT HERE.
Be there October 31, for our very first live-stream show. Watch and comment via LinkedIn or via Youtube.
Here is a video I recently recorded, explaining what TGFP is all about: