Futures Lab
Futures Lab is a collaboration between Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies and byStudents, aimed at enhancing your Futures Literacy as a student. Through Futures Lab you get the chance to sharpen your ability to anticipate and innovate when faced with uncertainty and complexity.
This prepares you as a student to take the first steps towards creating positive change in society.
Futures Literacy is the ability to envision the future in different ways, critically assess dominant perceptions of the future, and constructively engage with opportunities and challenges. Creative, systemic thinking fosters a hopeful approach to future scenarios that we genuinely wish to live our lives in. Futures Literacy provides input for proactive and targeted efforts towards achieving those scenarios.
- You will learn to think in terms of possible, probable, and preferred future scenarios and identify opportunities and risks associated with the future you explore.
- You will gain experience in developing a future-proof solution to a specific problem faced by a company or organization as an example of how we can address the societal challenges we face today.
Competencies in Futures Literacy:
- Tools for creative systemic thinking
- Critical approach to dominant perceptions of the future
- Ability to anticipate and innovate when faced with uncertainty and complexity
- The drive to tackle the future proactively
What will you gain?
- Futures literacy: an attractive and beneficial competence, especially when combined with your own expertise
- Practical experience related to your studies
- Collaboration with The LEGO Group, IKEA, Andelsgaarde or Sony Music Denmark
- Guidance in project work, funding, and organization
- A certificate documenting these competences on your resumé
Who is it for?
The evening school is offered to those studying at a vocational, university, or creative education in Denmark. Here, you can supplement your education with competencies that enable you to use your expertise future-proof in reality.
Where?
The course series is based at byStudents on Købmagergade 52, with visits to our partners around Copenhagen.
When?
Futures Lab consists of 7 sessions held on Wednesday evenings, 18:30-20:30, in the spring semester (about 2 sessions monthly from late February to May).
The course series offers limited seating. Deadline for signing up is February 1st. You will receive a confirmation on whether you are given a seat no later than february 4th.
Workload
Each session includes a futures-oriented lecture followed by focused time, where the group can apply the evening’s tools in their case work.
Alongside the sessions, events are held that invite other young people, companies, and locals into the world of future thinking. Participants have the opportunity to help plan and execute an event inspired by the course content.
Programme
Workshop 1 – 26/2 2025
THE FUTURE AS A SUBJECT AREA
- Meet & Greet (Introduction round and motivation)
- Introduction to the course
- BREAK
- Lecture on working with the future
- What do you think when you think about the future?
Location: Studenterhuset, Main Hall, 1. sal
Workshop 2 – 12/3 2025
CASES AND TENDENS
- Presentation of cases, selection and division into groups
- Introduction to megatrends, trend analysis and the futures triangle
- BREAK
- Trend analysis
Location: The Library in Fiolstræde
Workshop 3 – 26/3 2025
DYNAMICS OF CHANGE
- Speaker (dynamics of change in practice)
- BREAK
- Introduction to the impact/uncertainty matrix
- Group work with the impact/uncertainty matrix
Location: Blox, Los angeles
Workshop 4 – 9/4 2025
ASSUMPTIONS
- Speaker (dominant future images/protopian futures)
- BREAK
- Group discussion on the assumptions we have about the future
- Group work – investigation of the discourses, assumptions, and values behind our chosen case
Location: Studenterhuset, Main Hall, 1. sal
Workshop 5 – 23/4 2025
SCENARIO ARCHETYPES
- Speaker (scenarios, archetypes)
- BREAK
- Introduction to preferred futures and the futures triangle
- Groups uncover a preferred future scenario through the futures triangle
Location: Studenterhuset, Main Hall, 1. sal
Workshop 6 -7/5 2025
PREFERRED FUTURE
- Speaker (public intervention, participatory design)
- BREAK
- Groups continue working on their preferred future scenario, including choosing an issue to address
- Groups choose an issue related to their preferred future scenario and brainstorm ideas
Location: Blox, Los angeles
Workshop 7 – 21/5 2025
DEVELOPMENT & GRANT APPLICATION
- Speaker (grant application)
- Development of concept/vision/initiative/prototype
- BREAK
- Preparation of pitch
Location: Studenterhuset, Main Hall, 1. sal
Partners
In Futures Lab, you will through case work be in contact with The LEGO Group, Sony Music Denmark, e-Boks or Andelsgaarde. You can choose to work with the future issues within
- Creativity and play X The LEGO Group
- Developing music and art X Sony Music Denmark
- Sustainable food systems X Andelsgaarde
- Geopolitical uncertainties and supply chain management X IKEA
- Communication and security X e-Boks
Additionally, we will have visits from experts on Futures Literacy, equipping you to approach the case work departing in your own field of study. Stay tuned for updates on our partners here and on Facebook byStudents.
About Us
Futures Lab is a collaboration between Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies and byStudents, intended to enhance futures literacy and thus sharpen your ability to anticipate and innovate when faced with uncertainty and complexity. This prepares you to initiate positive change in society.
byStudents is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of young people and students through a focus on communities and engagement. We are an organization of students for students. This is evident in everything from organizing the KU festival, holding weekly community dinners at Studenterhuset’s café, to niche volunteer activities planned by engaged students. Studenterhuset is part of the byStudents organization. It functions as a café, concert venue, study area, group room, and facility for events, thus part of byStudents’ commitment to creating an inclusive and dynamic environment for young people in Copenhagen.
Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies is a nonprofit think tank whose purpose is to help people imagine, work with, and shape the future. CIFS provides tools to act on the future, based on over 50 years of experience in futures studies and foresight. CIFS is independent of commercial and political interests, and all profits go to research and initiatives. The institute hosts the Danish hub for Teach the Future, which works to spread futures literacy as a life skill by bringing the future into education processes.