Futures: Inspiring Social Innovation - Across Sectors, Across Borders -

Futures brings together thinkers, innovators, entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs from all sectors, including business, the public sector, social enterprises, NGOs, community groups and academia, and uses the methodologies and tools of the future centre approach to facilitate innovative thinking and solutions for tackling social issues.

Through in-country Future sessions, an international Future session in the UK, and a learning journey to the UK, participants to look ahead on a 10-15 year trajectory, and through the exchange of information and access to new thinking provided by Futures, develop realistic and actionable plans to meet these social and global challenges, based on differing scenario designs. The solution-oriented action plans build on the knowledge, expertise, insight and foresight of the participants to inspire social innovation.

In consultation with implementing partners in the UK and Japan, Aging Society has been selected as the social challenge for the first Futures series in 2012.  In Japan, according to the Cabinet Office White Paper in 2011, the number of the elderly (those aged over 65) in 2025 is predicted to be 36.3 million- one-third (30.5%) of the total population- with Japan’s baby-boom generation reaching 75 also in that year. In the UK, by 2025, more than a third of the population will be over 55 and the number of over-60s will have passed the under-25s for the first time. (UK Actuary). How can we design a society to match the needs of this changing demographic?  

Organisers: The British Council, Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd., International University of Japan, GLOCOM and Future Sessions, Inc.

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