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From rhetoric to reality : the emergence of futures into the educational mainstream

Young people do not need to be persuaded to consider the future. They already have powerful interests in the self-constitution of their own lives. A common complaint, however, is that they are seldom listened to or taken seriously. Despite much rhetoric to the contrary their deepest needs, their highest ideals, do not figure prominently in most educational agendas. For some 20 years I have worked with a variety of schools, school systems and tertiary institutions in several countries. What stands out very clearly is that forward-looking approaches appeal very strongly to the young, to visionary educators and those with progressive interests in education. I have seen many teachers, school principals and schools take up and apply a wide range of futures tools with clear and documented success. But what has also stood out is that as soon as one passes beyond the middle level of any school system, futures approaches are seen as of minor interest, at best; they vanish like smoke on a windy day and are seen no more. Grassroots practitioners are denied the long-term support they need; initiatives die and are forgotten. If you return a few years later it is as if they never existed; business-as-usual rules.