News

Sir John Elvidge Becomes IFF Trustee

Former senior civil servant Sir John Elvidge, who retired as Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government in summer 2010, has become a Trustee of International Futures Forum  His wide experience, shrewd judgement and internationalist outlook will be great assets for IFF.  Sir John gave our Michael Shea memorial lecture last year on the timely subject of 'Seeing Scotland Afresh: How We Look To A Changing World' .  His counsel will be particularly valuable to IFF as we seek to play a useful role in Scotland during the coming period of profound self-examination. 

Global Foresight Book of the Month

Global Foresight Books, the excellent resource curated by Michael Marien to help readers "discover the vast world of important new ideas to understand our complex world and shape better futures" has made IFF's collection of essays by Don Michael In Search of the Missing Elephant their Book of the Month for December 2011.  Read the review here.  

Health 2.0 in India

We are pleased to learn that IFF clan member Kate Ettinger is taking part in the Health 2.0 code-a-thon taking place in India at the beginning of February. The event will bring together developers, designers, innovators and entrepreneurs from around the world to build new applications and tools for improved health care.  Kate will also participate in the UnBox Festival in Delhi, with a great line-up of speakers focusing on design thinking and inter-disciplinary collaboration to foster cultural and social change.  We look forward to hearing more...   

Building a Yurt in Kelty

IFF's project Rekindling the Spirit of Peckham in Kelty has received a grant from the Russell Trust towards training a group of local men to construct a yurt as an extension to the Clentry Nursery.  The yurt is a simple wood-framed structure traditionally used by Turkic nomads.  It promises a relatively inexpensive way to provide more space for the nursery's aspirations.  The Russell Trust supports projects in areas such as health, education, community development and citizenship - all of which are celebrated in this project.

Futures: Interview With Noah Raford

UrbnFutr magazine has just published an interesting interview with Noah Raford - one of the younger members of the IFF clan.  He reflects on the practice of futures thinking - the wise founders, the corporate practitioners, the skilled individuals, the new breed... and the International Futures Forum.  

NHS Plan B: Lessons From Alaska

IFF clan member Dr Margaret Hannah writes in The Guardian newspaper about the learning journey she and colleagues made to Alaska last summer to the remarkable Southcentral Foundation - a healthcare system based on the primacy of quality human relationship.  The visit is one of a number of elements, writes Margaret, that give encouragement to IFF's work 'to grow a new NHS in the presence of the old: "NHS Plan B" for short'.  

Social Messes and Wicked Problems

Bob Horn, one of our IFF clan members, was one of the distinguished presenters at the recent Falling Walls conference in Berlin.  He spoke on 'breaking the walls of organisational ignorance' using visual language to help tackle complex, social messes.  His talk draws on examples including our IFF work on the safe long term management of radioactive waste, and his more recent work with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and their Vision 2050 programme.  

Art is the Currency of Experience

Debate about art and its value is often trapped in the traditional language of the money economy.  But there are in practice many economies and many currencies.  Alongside the economy of money is an economy of meaning.  Art is the currency in that economy.   In this recent article for Arts Professional magazine, IFF steering group member Bill Sharpe summarises his ground-breaking (and ongoing) work on the Economies of Life.

IFF in Translation (Tech in Schools)

We are delighted that our work with the Sottish Government helping them develop a strategy for the future of technology in schools (including the GLOW programme) has been picked up by 'Geek Science' and translated for a Basque audience.  Geek Science is a collection of scientific articles, personal notes etc in several languages that since 1999 has been collaboratively edited by volunteers from around the world.